John Winthrop the Younger

For other uses, seeJohn Winthrop (disambiguation).

John Winthrop the Younger
Portrait of Winthrop, circa 1660
Governor of the Connecticut Colony
In office 1659–1676
Preceded by	Thomas Welles
Succeeded by	William Leete
In office 1657–1658
Preceded by	John Webster
Succeeded by	Thomas Welles
Governor of the Saybrook Colony
In office 1635–1639
Preceded by	Inaugural holder
Succeeded by	George Fenwick
CommissionerforConnecticut Colony
In office 1658–1660
In office 1663–1663
In office 1668–1669
In office 1675–1675
Personal details
Born	(1606-02-12)February 12, 1606 Groton,England
Died	April 6, 1676(1676-04-06)(aged 70) Boston,Massachusetts Bay Colony
Spouses	Mary Fones ​ ​ (m.1630;died 1634)​ Elizabeth Reade ​ ​ (died 1672)​
Children	10
Parent(s)	John Winthrop Mary Forth
Education	Bury St. Edmunds King Edward VI School
Alma mater	Trinity College, Dublin
Signature

Grist mill (Winthrop Mill) built by Winthrop in New London in 1650 (1910 photo)

First page of a diary kept by Winthrop of his journey fromBostontoSaybrook, Connecticut,in 1645

John Winthrop the Younger(February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was anearly governorof theConnecticut Colony,and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.

Early life

Winthrop was born inGroton, Suffolk,England on February 12, 1606, the son ofJohn Winthrop,founding governor of theMassachusetts Bay Colony.He was educated at theBury St. Edmundsgrammar school,King Edward VI School,andTrinity College, Dublin,and he studied law for a short time after 1624 at theInner Temple,London.

Career

Winthrop accompanied theill-fated expeditionof theDuke of Buckinghamfor the relief of the Protestants ofLa Rochellein France, and then travelled in Italy and theLevant,returning to England in 1629. In 1631, he followed his father toMassachusetts Bay Colonyand was one of the assistants of the Colony in 1635, 1640, and 1641 and from 1644 to 1649. He was the chief founder of Agawam (nowIpswich, Massachusetts) in 1633, then went to England in 1634. He returned in 1635 as governor of lands that had been granted to LordSaye and Seleand LordBrooke,and he sent out a party to build a fort namedSaybrookin their honor, located at the mouth of theConnecticut River.He then lived for a time in Massachusetts, where he devoted himself to the study of science and attempted to interest the settlers in the development of the colony's mineral resources.

He was again in England in 1641–43, then returned to establishiron worksatLynn(Saugus Iron Works) andBraintree, Massachusetts.In 1645, he obtained title to lands in southeastern Connecticut and foundedNew Londonin 1646, where he settled in 1650.He built agrist millin the town and was granted a monopoly on the trade for as long as he or his heirs maintained it. This was one of the first monopolies granted in New England.One of Winthrop's Indian servants wasRobin Cassacinamon,who became an influential Pequot leader through Winthrop's patronage.

While in England, he was elected as a Fellow of the newly organizedRoyal Society,and he contributed two papers to theirPhilosophical Transactions:"Some Natural Curiosities from New England" and "Description, Culture and Use of Maize". His correspondence with the Royal Society was published in series I, vol. xvi of theMassachusetts Historical Society's Proceedings.

Governor of the Connecticut Colony

Winthrop became one of the magistrates of theConnecticut Colonyin 1651, was governor of the colony in 1657–58, and again became governor in 1659, being annually re-elected until his death. During his tenure as Governor of Connecticut, he oversaw the acceptance of Quakers who were banned from Massachusetts.

In 1662, he obtained the charter in England which united the colonies of Connecticut andNew Haven.He was also one of the commissioners of theUnited Colonies of New Englandin 1675.

Personal life

Winthropmarried his cousinMary Fones, the daughter of Thomas Fones II and Anne (néeWinthrop) on February 8, 1630/1. She and their infant daughter died in Agawam (Ipswich) in 1634.

Winthrop's second wife was Elizabeth Reade (1615–1672), the daughter of Col. Edmund Reade and Elizabeth (née Cooke). They had nine children, including:

• Elizabeth Winthrop (1636–1716), who married Rev. Antipas Newman and Dr. Zerubbabel Endecott, son of Gov.John Endecott
• Fitz-John Winthrop(1638–1707), who served as major-general in the army, acolonial agentin London for Connecticut (1683–1687), and governor of Connecticut from 1696 until his death in 1707
• Lucy Winthrop (1640–1676), who married Maj. Edward Palmes
• Waitstill Winthrop(1642–1717), who married Mary Browne (1656–1690)
• Mary "Mercy" Winthrop (1644–1740), who married the Rev. John Culver III
• Sara Winthrop (1644–1704), who married the Rev. John Culver III
• Margaret Winthrop (c. 1648–1711), who married John Corwin
• Martha Winthrop (1648–1712), who married Richard Wharton
• Anne Winthrop (c. 1649–1704), who married John Richards (son ofaccused witchWealthean (née Loring) Richards)

Winthrop died in Boston on April 6, 1676, where he had gone to attend a meeting of the commissioners of the United Colonies of New England.

Descendants

Paul Dudley Sargentwas a descendant of Winthrop, aPatriotcolonel in theAmerican War of Independence.Another descendant wasJohn Sargent,who was aLoyalistduring that war. Another descendant wasDudley Saltonstall(1738–1796), a Revolutionary War naval commander most notable for his involvement in the ill-fatedPenobscot Expedition.

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Winthrop, John".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 736.
• Ward, Harry (ed.).The United Colonies of New England-1643-90.Vantage Press=1961.

External links

• "Winthrop, John (1606-1676)".Dictionary of National Biography.1885–1900.
• "Winthrop, John".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.1889.
• Biographical sketch of Winthrop at State Library Web site