Captain Andrew Bowne (c. 1638 - c. 1708) was an American colonial politician and

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...

, who served in various capacities in both

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

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 ...

Biography

A son of William and Ann Bowne, Andrew Bowne was born circa 1638 in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

, where he was baptized on August 12, 1638. About 1645 or 1646, the Bowne family moved to

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

, an English settlement in

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the East Coast of the United States, east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territor ...

. He became a mariner by profession, and by 1680 was a resident of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he became a merchant. In 1686 he became a resident of

Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a total population of 67,106, making it the most-populous municipality in the county and the state's 16th ...

, where he purchased 1,000 acres from Samuel Winder on June 17. Winder was a son in law of Thomas Rudyard, to whom the land had been originally granted. This land is now Cliffwood and

Cliffwood Beach Cliffwood is an unincorporated community located within Aberdeen Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07721. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population f ...

in Aberdeen Township; it was here that Bowne lived until his death.

Political career

New York

On October 10, 1683, after having served there as a juror the month before, Andrew Bowne was appointed by Governor

Thomas Dongan Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...

as a judge of the

Admiralty Court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

. On November 3, 1684, he was commissioned as an Alderman of New York City, and again on October 16, 1685.

East New Jersey

Andrew Bowne was appointed as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Monmouth County in 1690; he also held the position from 1695 through 1698. In 1692 he was appointed a judge of the Court of Session, and was Presiding Judge in 1693, 1697, 1698 and 1699. In 1698 and 1699 Bowne was a judge of the East Jersey Court of Common Right, the

supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

of the colony. In 1692 Andrew Bowne was appointed a member of the East New Jersey Provincial Council, the

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

of the legislature. He remained of the Council through the first administration of Governor Andrew Hamilton and that of Gov.

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 ...

. On May 9, 1699, Basse proposed to the council the need for a deputy governor to act during his absence in London; the Council appointed Andrew Bowne to the position; he took the oath of allegiance and official oath on May 15. On August 19, Hamilton was reappointed as governor, succeeding Basse. Hamilton arrived in December 1699, superseding Bowne. The political rivalry between Bowne and Hamilton did not end here, for on June 17, 1701, Bowne came before the council with a commission dated March 25 and signed by six East Jersey Proprietors living in England appointing him as Governor of East New Jersey. The Proprietors residing in East Jersey were called before the council and questioned the validity of Bowne's commission, as it had been signed by a minority of Proprietors in England, and presented a protest against it. While Bowne was resolved to publish his commission, Hamilton refused to surrender the governor's office, stating that to do so would leave the province without government, as Bowne's commission was defective rendering him unqualified to take over the office. The following day the Council ordered "that Proclamations be Issued out to Acquaint the People of Capt. Bownes Defective Commission, that no body pay Obedience thereto", signed by Gov. Hamilton under the seal of the province. The Council further ordered that a letter be written to the Proprietors in England advising them of the council's reasons in advising Hamilton not to surrender the government, stating that in their opinion, "the only use Intended to be made of this commission was to Supersede (Colonel) Hamiltons And then to throw up the Other and thereby to Lodge the Government in the People".

Province of New Jersey

After the late 1690s the government of East and

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 often ...

became increasingly dysfunctional, of which the controversies involving Andrew Bowne were only a symptom. This ultimately resulted in the surrender by the Proprietors of East Jersey and those of

of the right of government to Queen Anne. Anne's government united the two colonies as the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...

, a

royal colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council ...

, establishing a new system of government. This reorganization and the period leading up to it saw many New Jersey politicians jockeying for power and influence in the new government. Bowne and his supporters were no exception, as were his opponents. A 1701 petition to The Lords Commissioners of Trade and Foreign Plantations, signed by

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

and others, purporting to be "the Greatest part of ye Proprietors of the Provinces of East and West Jersie", recommended the appointment of Andrew Hamilton as

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

, at the same time cautioning against the appointment of Andrew Bowne to the office. A proposal by Sir Thomas Lane and other West Jersey proprietors, however, recommended Bowne for a seat in the proposed

New Jersey Provincial Council The New Jersey Provincial Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under colonial rule until it was replaced by the New Jersey Legislative Council under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776. History The Provincial Council was estab ...

. A proposal by East Jersey Proprietors

William Dockwra William Dockwra (c. 1635–1716) was an English merchant who along with his partner Robert Murray (financier), Robert Murray created the first London Penny Post, Penny Post in London in 1680. In latter 17th century London there was no official p ...

, Thomas Barker, Clement Plumstead and Peter Sonmans recommended Bowne or Richard Ingoldesby for governor; if Ingoldesby was the choice then they recommended Bowne for a Council seat (It is notable that these were four of the six who had signed the defective commission as governor). In spite of the political wrangling in New Jersey, London determined that its interests would best be served by a governor with no previous connections to any of the political factions; in late 1702 Queen Anne appointed her cousin,

Viscount Cornbury Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon (28 November 1661 – 31 March 1723), styled Viscount Cornbury between 1674 and 1709, was an English aristocrat and politician. Better known by his noble title Lord Cornbury, he was propelled into the forefr ...

to the governorship. Andrew Bowne was seated in the council as a member from the Eastern Division. With the suspension of President Lewis Morris from Council in 1704, Bowne became president. Governor Cornbury appointed Andrew Bowne a judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas on December 11, 1704, and on November 6, 1705, elevated him to the New Jersey Supreme Court. In spite of these appointments, Cornbury expressed concern about the health of Bowne and others and their ability to serve in Council to the Lords of Trade in 1703 and 1706. By 1708, Captain Andrew Bowne was dead.New Jersey Colonial Documents, Archives of the State of New Jersey, First Series, Vol. III; Daily Advertiser Publishing House, Newark, New Jersey, 1881. pp. 340

Personal life

Andrew Bowne had five brothers, John, James, Philip and Gershom, and one sister, who married a Mr. Mott. John and James both served in the East Jersey General Assembly, with John serving as Speaker from 1680 to 1683. He was married to Elizabeth; they had one daughter, also named Elizabeth.

References

External links

"The Governors of New Jersey 1664-1974: Biographical Essays"New Jersey Legislature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowne, Andrew Colonial governors of New Jersey Members of the New Jersey Provincial Council Members of the East New Jersey Provincial Council Politicians from Salem, Massachusetts People of New Netherland People from New York City New York City Council members People from Middletown Township, New Jersey People from Aberdeen Township, New Jersey 1638 births 1708 deaths Deputy Governors of East New Jersey