Monday, April 14, 2025

Ms. Coll. 179: Representative Josh S. Cutler Papers

Since I began working as processing archivist, the Special Collections Department has had a steady stream of new acquisitions from legislators. One of the first collections I had the pleasure of accessioning was former Representative Josh S. Cutler’s papers. Josh Cutler has been a great supporter of the State Library. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting him for two author talks, the most recent of which was just last week. What better time to feature a bit about his collection?

Ms. Coll. 179 documents Josh S. Cutler's years of work in the Massachusetts House (2012-2024). It reflects Cutler's role as a state legislator and in particular, his involvement in workforce development, disability employment, environmental policy, and the communities he represented in the 6th Plymouth District. Records include correspondence, photographs, campaign mailings, subcommittee reports, event materials, and digital files, arranged into six series. Much of Cutler’s outgoing correspondence is to his constituents in Duxbury, Hanson, and Pembroke regarding issues of concern to them.

Cutler was born January 22, 1971, in Duxbury, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Skidmore College (B.A. in political science, 1994), Suffolk University Law School (Juris Doctor, 2001), and UMass-Dartmouth (M.A. in Environmental Policy, 2016). Cutler’s early career in public service includes the following: Board of Selectmen, Town of Hull, 1999-2002; Alternative Energy Committee, Town of Duxbury, 2007-2019; Planning Board, Town of Duxbury, 2009-2013; Pembroke Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors, 2010-2013; Hanson Kiwanis, Board of Directors, 2012.

A December 2020 report from the Joint
Committee on Children, Families, and 
Persons with Disabilities from Culter's collection
Cutler served the Sixth Plymouth District from 2013 to 2024. His committee and caucus assignments while on the General Court included the following:
  • House Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, 2021-2024
  • House Chair, Coastal Caucus, 2019-2024
  • House Chair, Future of Work Commission, 2021-2022
  • House Chair, Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Study Commission, 2021-2022
  • Founder and co-chair, House Blockchain Technology Caucus, 2021-2024
  • Vice-Chair, Joint Committee on Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities, 2019-2020
  • Vice-Chair, Joint Committee on Community Development & Small Businesses, 2017-2018

Cutler was the author or lead sponsor of legislation including the Energy SAVE Act, the Disability Employment Tax Credit (DETC), the Wage Transparency Act, and the PANDAS/PANS law. He also led the creation of the Commission on Persons with Disabilities, the restoration of South Shore weekend commuter rail service, and the establishment of Right Whale Day in Massachusetts. These subjects and many others are represented in the collection.

Speaker Robert DeLeo, Rep. Cutler, and fellow legislators welcome
professional soccer player Samantha Mewis of Hanson, a member of the
World Cup winning U.S. Women’s National Team, February 2020.

In 2024, Cutler stepped down as Representative for the Sixth Plymouth District when he was appointed by Governor Maura Healey to serve as Undersecretary in the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. It was at this time he generously gifted his collection to the State Library so we could provide patrons access to his papers.

Cutler’s collection is open for research; reach out to us by email if you are interested in accessing this collection, or our many other legislators’ collections, for your own research.

Check out Josh Cutler’s State Library author talks on our YouTube Channel, linked below:


Alyssa Persson
Processing Archivist


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