Stephen Badlam

Stephen Badlam (May 7, 1751 – August 25, 1815) was an American artisan and military officer. Raised in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Badlam was orphaned as a young child following the death of his father, a tavern-keeper and cabinetmaker. Badlam worked as a surveyor prior to the American Revolutionary War, where he served as an artillery commander in engagements in New York, Canada, and Vermont, serving as a major in General Richard Montgomery's ill-fated 1775 invasion of Quebec. After serving at Fort Stanwix, he fell gravely ill and was forced to return home with his wife to Dorchester.

While continuing to work as a surveyor for some time, he became a successful furniture artisan, specializing in the construction of ornate cabinets and looking-glasses, alongside frames, chairs, and windows. He served for over two decades as a justice of the peace in Dorchester, as well as a brigadier-general in the Massachusetts militia. He helped to organize the Second Church of Dorchester, where he served as a deacon and supporter of controversial Reverend John Codman.