Winthrop, John

Winthrop, John, 1588–1649, governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony

Winthrop, John, 1588–1649, governor of the Massachusetts Bay colony, b. Edwardstone, near Groton, Suffolk, England. Of a landowning family, he studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, came into a family fortune, and became a government administrator with strong Puritan leanings. A member of the Massachusetts Bay Company, he led the group that arranged for the removal of the company's government to New England and was chosen (1629) governor of the proposed colony. He arrived (1630) in the ship Arbella at Salem and shortly founded on Shawmut peninsula the settlement that became Boston. He was—with the possible exception of John Cotton—the most distinguished citizen of Massachusetts Bay colony, serving as governor some 12 times. He helped to shape the theocratic policy of the colony and opposed broad democracy. It was while he was deputy governor and Sir Henry Vane (1613–62) was governor that Winthrop bitterly and successfully opposed the antinomian beliefs of Anne Hutchinson and her followers, who were supported by Vane. The force of his influence on the history of Massachusetts was enormous. Winthrop's journal, which was edited by J. K. Hosmer and published in 1908 as The History of New England from 1630 to 1649 is one of the most valuable of American historical sources.

Bibliography

See The Journal of John Winthrop, 1630–1649 (1996), abridged ed. by R. S. Dunn and L. Yeandle; R. C. Winthrop, Life and Letters of John Winthrop (2 vol., 1864–67; repr. 1971); Winthrop Papers (5 vol., 1929–47); biographies by J. H. Twichell (1892), E. S. Morgan (1958), G. R. Raymer (1963), and F. J. Bremer (2003); R. S. Dunn, Puritans and Yankees (1962, repr. 1971).

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Winthrop, John, 1606–76, colonial governor in America

Winthrop, John, 1606–76, colonial governor in America, b. Groton, Suffolk, England; oldest son of John Winthrop (1588–1649). He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, became a lawyer, and emigrated to Massachusetts Bay in 1631. He returned to England in 1634 and in 1635 was commissioned governor of the new colony at Saybrook (now Deep River), Conn., just when other towns were being settled in the Connecticut valley; by agreement he was recognized for a year as titular governor of all. In 1646, Winthrop founded New London, and in 1657 and annually from 1659 to 1676 he was elected governor of Connecticut. After the Stuart restoration (1660), he obtained a charter (1662) that led to the union (1664) of Connecticut and New Haven colonies, and he governed the colony with an administration practically independent of England. He gathered a considerable library and by his interest in chemistry and other sciences helped to promote scientific study in the colonies. Elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1663, he became the first member resident in America.

Bibliography

See biographies by T. F. Waters (1899) and R. C. Black (1966); R. S. Dunn, Puritans and Yankees (1962, repr. 1971).

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Winthrop, John, 1638–1707, colonial governor of Connecticut

Winthrop, John (Fitz-John Winthrop), 1638–1707, American colonial governor of Connecticut, b. Ipswich, Mass.; son of John Winthrop (1606–76). He is commonly called Fitz-John Winthrop to distinguish him from his father and his grandfather. He left Harvard to serve in the English parliamentary army, returned to America in 1663, and served in King Philip's War (1675–76). He was a member of the council of Gov. Edmund Andros, but after the latter's overthrow he helped restore Connecticut's separate government. After serving as commander of the unsuccessful invasion (1690) of Canada in King William's War, he represented Connecticut in England from 1693 to 1697 and was elected governor in 1698. He served ably until his death.

Bibliography

See R. S. Dunn, Puritans and Yankees (1962, repr. 1971).

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Winthrop, John, 1714–79, American scientist

Winthrop, John, 1714–79, American scientist, b. Boston, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1732. Because of his study of earthquakes, he is sometimes called the founder of seismology. He made scientific observations of sunspots and other astronomical phenomena, lectured on electricity, and was the first important scientist to teach at Harvard. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1766.

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Winthrop, John

John Winthrop, detail of an oil painting, school of Sir Anthony Van Dyck, c. 1625–49; …

(credit: Courtesy of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.)

(born Jan. 22, 1588, Edwardstone, Suffolk, Eng.—died April 5, 1649, Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony) American colonial political leader, first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1629 he joined the Massachusetts Bay Co., and he was elected governor of the colony that was to be established by the company in New England. An ardent Puritan, he envisioned a colony based on his religious beliefs. He guided the colonists on his arrival in North America in 1630 and was elected governor 12 times during the period from 1631 to 1648. Though widely respected, he was criticized for opposing the formation of a representative assembly (1634), and the colony's limitations on religious freedom were decried by Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. His son, John Winthrop (1606–76), was an influential governor of Connecticut (1659–76).

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Winthrop, John (1714–79) astronomer, mathematician; born in Boston, Mass. (descended from John Winthrop, colonial governor). The first thorough American scientist, he was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Harvard (1738–79). He kept a detailed journal of the weather in Cambridge during 1742–79, and he predicted the return of Halley's comet in 1759. He performed advanced studies in astronomy and introduced algebra and calculus to the Harvard curriculum. He was an ardent patriot during the American Revolution.

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Winthrop, John (1587–1649) first governor of Massachusetts Bay; born in Edwardstone, England. A Puritan lawyer, he decided to emigrate. He signed the Cambridge agreement (1629) and was chosen as governor of the expedition while he was still in England. He arrived at Salem in 1630 and soon relocated the colony to Boston. He remained the preeminent leader of the colony, serving as governor during four periods (1629–34, 1637–40, 1642–44, 1646–49). He came into conflict with the "freemen" of the colony who resented his belief that governors and magistrates should rule as they best saw fit (he was a theocrat, not a democrat). He demonstrated the harsh and forbidding aspect of Puritan rule when he exiled Anne Hutchinson and her followers for their unorthodox views. He ably defended the colony's charter in a letter to the Lords Commissioners of Plantations (1638) and was elected as the president of the Confederation for the United Colonies in 1643. He became less popular in his last years as governor but he had piloted the Massachusetts Bay colony through its first years and had left a deep imprint upon its character. He wrote a journal that was published in part as A Journal of the Transactions and Occurrences in the Settlement of Massachusetts… 1630 to 1644. Throughout his career, his main intent was to erect a pious, godly, Puritan commonwealth.

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Winthrop, John (“Fitz-John”) (1638–1707) soldier, colonial governor; born in Ipswich, Mass. Son and grandson of colonial governors, he commanded Connecticut militia against the Dutch (1673) and the French (1690) and served as governor of Connecticut from 1698–1707.