John James Smith (1820 – 1906) was a barber shop owner, abolitionist, a three-term Massachusetts state representative, and one of the first African-American members of the Boston Common Council.

[1] During the 1840s and 50s, Smith's barbershop on the north slope of Beacon Hill was a center of abolitionist activity, and provided shelter to freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad.

[2] Smith's barbershop became a gathering place for local abolitionists, including Lewis Hayden and Charles Sumner.

[3] On February 15, 1851, Smith was one of the activists who helped free Shadrach Minkins from the court house in Boston, where he was being held under the Fugitive Slave Act.

[2] During the Civil War, he was appointed by Governor John Albion Andrew to recruit officers for the Massachusetts "colored regiments.

"[2][3] Later he served as a provost marshal in Washington, D.C.[2] Smith was one of the earliest Republicans in Massachusetts, and attended their first state party convention in Worcester.

During his first year on the council, Smith was responsible for the hiring of Horatio J. Homer, the Boston Police Department's first black officer.

[9] The John J. Smith House at 86 Pinckney Street is a Boston African American National Historic Site and is on the Black Heritage Trail.