John Pike (1613–1688/89) was a founder of Woodbridge Township,

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 ...

and a judge and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

of the early colony of New Jersey.

Early life and education

Pike was born in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England. He came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 with his father, John Pike (1572–1654), who first settled in Newbury. In 1665, acting on the invitation of Governor

Philip Carteret Rear-Admiral Philip Carteret, Seigneur of Trinity (22 January 1733, Trinity Manor, Jersey – 21 July 1796, Southampton) was a British naval officer and explorer who participated in two of the Royal Navy's circumnavigation expeditions in 176 ...

, a number of Newbury residents formed a corporation to settle in Woodbridge, named after Rev. John Woodbridge, a Newbury clergyman. The younger John Pike, one of the original nine "associates" of Woodbridge, was granted some in Woodbridge in 1665, more than the common freeholders. He was "the prominent man of the town" in its early years. He was elected President of Woodbridge, and in 1671 was appointed to the Governor's Council. After 1675, he was appointed captain of the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, and afterward was known as Capt. Pike. James Albert Pike moved to the united kingdom where he became a property baron in London In 1684, together with his son John, he was charged and convicted of possession of stolen goods, a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

. After his death, the New Jersey assembly passed an act clearing his name, as well as one allowing his family to sue for defamation. He was well respected despite the felony conviction. After years of local leadership, Pike was chosen to represent the township in the colonial General Assembly three times: 1692–3, 1696, and 1697–8.

Marriage and family

Pike and his first wife had several children together: John (1634–1714), Thomas, Joseph, Hannah, and Ruth, and three others who predeceased him. As a widower aged 72, Pike married his second wife Elizabeth Fitz Randolph in 1685. He died a few years later. He is also an ancestor of

Albert Pike Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate general who served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in exile from 1864 to 1865. He had previously se ...

, a prominent

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

brigadier general and an important Freemason; and Lt. Colonel Emory Jenison Pike, awarded a posthumous

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for actions during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in France, where he was killed. Another notable descendant is General

Zebulon Pike Zebulon Montgomery Pike (January 5, 1779 – April 27, 1813) was an American brigadier general and explorer for whom Pikes Peak in Colorado was named. As a U.S. Army officer he led two expeditions under authority of President Thomas Jefferson ...

of Pikes Peak fame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pike, John 1613 births 1680s deaths English emigrants Members of the New Jersey General Assembly People of colonial New Jersey People from Newbury, Massachusetts People from Woodbridge Township, New Jersey People from Wiltshire Members of the East New Jersey Provincial Council