Andrew Hamilton (died 1703) was the colonial

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of East and West

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

from 1692 to 1697 and again from 1699 to 1703. He also served as Deputy Governor of the neighboring

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to W ...

Biography

Hamilton was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Originally a merchant in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, he was sent to

East Jersey The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed, were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

to act as an agent to recruit men to settle there. His work brought him a recommendation for becoming a member of the council of New Jersey. In March 1687, he became the deputy-governor for East Jersey on the absence of Deputy-Governor

Lord Neill Campbell Lord Neill Campbell (c. 1630 – April 1692) was a Scottish nobleman who served as Deputy Governor of East New Jersey during 1686, succeeding Gawen Lawrie. Biography He was a younger son of the 1st Marquess of Argyll by his wife, the for ...

, who returned to England for business reasons. After

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

took control over the rest of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

, Hamilton sailed back to England to consult with the proprietaries of New Jersey. On the voyage, he was captured by the French, delaying his journey to London until May 1690. In March 1692, Hamilton was appointed governor of both

West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was ofte ...

and

. During his governorship, Hamilton found that New Jersey was fraught with external and internal problems. Royal authorities attempted to remove the proprietors from power and create a large colony of

. New York was demanding help for defense during the war with France. In addition, many of the inhabitants refused to pay the

quitrent Quit rent, quit-rent, or quitrent is a tax or land tax imposed on occupants of freehold or leased land in lieu of services to a higher landowning authority, usually a government or its assigns. Under feudal law, the payment of quit rent (Latin '' ...

s, fees on land. The

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

s in

were against providing any money to New York, since they were

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

s. Hamilton and the non-Quaker councilmen managed to acquire the necessary money. Despite this, Hamilton remained on friendly terms with the Quakers, which allowed several successful laws to pass. During his governorship, he patented the first colonial postal service.

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

later deposed Hamilton because "no other than a natural-born subject of England could serve in any public post of trust or profit" (Hamilton was Scottish). However, after poor administration by

Jeremiah Basse Jeremiah Basse (died 1725) was a governor of both West Jersey and East Jersey. He became governor of West Jersey in 1697, and became governor of East Jersey in 1697. Basse was not an effective governor, however, after Andrew Hamilton returned ...

, he was reappointed on 19 August 1699. By then, the state government was already in a weak state, and several riots erupted in the second term as governor over tax issues. Other riots (especially in East Jersey) occurred because many of the settlers refused to recognize the legitimacy of the government. In 1701, he became the deputy-governor of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, appointed by

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

. One of the reasons which caused Penn to return to England was the bill before the House of Lords to change proprietorship to Royal Governors. Although this was not approved, after the death of King William III, an act passed requiring Royal assent to persons named as (deputy) governors. Hamilton also made preparations for organizing a defensive force in the province to assuage the group in Parliament who were questioning the fitness of the Quaker led Assembly to help defend the colonies in North America, at this time.Armor 1873 While on a visit to New Jersey, Hamilton died on 20 April 1703.

Notes

References

Andrew Hamilton

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Andrew Year of birth missing 1703 deaths Colonial governors of New Jersey Deputy Governors of East New Jersey Civil servants from Edinburgh Colonial governors of Pennsylvania Governors of East New Jersey Governors of West New Jersey Kingdom of Scotland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links