John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of
John Greene Sr. and Joan Tattersall, and sailed to
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 ...
with his parents in 1635 aboard the ship ''James''. His father, after coming from
to
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
, became one of the original settlers of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
. In 1652 Greene served in his first public role as a commissioner from Warwick, and served in some public capacity every year until 1690 when he was first chosen as deputy governor of the colony. He then served 10 consecutive one-year terms in this capacity, retiring from public service in 1700 at the age of 80. He was one of the
10 Assistants named in the
Royal Charter of 1663, which would become the basis for Rhode Island's government for nearly two centuries. During the devastating events of
King Phillips War, Greene was
one of 16 prominent inhabitants of the colony whose counsel was sought by the General Assembly.
Greene died in Warwick on 27 November 1708 and was buried on the Spring Greene Farm (later the property of Governor
Theodore F. Green
Theodore Francis Green (October 2, 1867May 19, 1966) was an American politician from Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island (1933–1937) and in the United States Senate (1937–1961). He was a wealthy aris ...
) in Warwick.
Greene married Ann Almy, the daughter of William and Audry (Barlow) Almy. They had 11 children, the youngest of whom, Samuel, married Mary Gorton, a granddaughter of Rhode Island colonial president
Samuel Gorton
Samuel Gorton (1593–1677) was an early settler and civic leader of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and President of the towns of Providence and Warwick. He had strong religious beliefs which differed from Puritan theolog ...
. Their grandson,
William Greene Sr. served for 11 one-year terms as a governor of the colony, and their great-grandson, also named
William Greene Jr. was a governor of the State of Rhode Island. John and Ann Greene are also ancestors of United States President
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
, as well as inventor
Thomas A. Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These invention ...
, Canadian politician and religious leader
Nathan Eldon Tanner, cowboy artist and inventor
Earl W. Bascom
Earl Wesley Bascom (June 19, 1906 – August 28, 1995) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, cowboy, rodeo performer, inventor, and Hollywood actor. Raised in Canada, he portrayed in works of fine art his own experiences of cowboying ...
and Hollywood actor
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
.
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See also
*
William Greene (colonial governor) for ancestral chart
*
List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
*
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until ...
Images
File:Original Providence Rhode Island town layout of homesteads.jpg,
File:Prov Home Lots.1.jpg,
File:Greene.John.Jr.tombstone.SpringGreeneCem.Warwick.jpg,
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
State list of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, John Jr.
1620 births
1708 deaths
English emigrants
Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island
Rhode Island Attorneys General
People of colonial Rhode Island
Greene family of Rhode Island