James J. H. Gregory

James John Howard Gregory (November 7, 1827 – February 20, 1910) was an American educator, horticultural businessman, writer, politician and philanthropist from Marblehead, Massachusetts. After working as a teacher and school principal, he founded the seed company James J. H. Gregory & Son in 1854. The business sold vegetable and flower seeds and was associated with the Hubbard squash, the cherry tomato and the Danvers onion. Gregory was known as the "Seed King of Marblehead".

Gregory served as a Marblehead selectman and as a Massachusetts State Senator from 1876 to 1877. He wrote practical works on vegetable gardening and soil fertility. Through his philanthropy he supported local projects in Marblehead and education for African Americans, including the Gregory Normal School in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the Marblehead Libraries, a travelling library service for African-American schools and colleges in the southern United States.