James Bishop (1625 – January 24, 1691) was an early English colonial administrator of the
Colony of Connecticut
The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...
.
Biography
Born in Kingston Parish, Surrey, England, Bishop came to America, arriving in
Boston, Massachusetts in 1634 with his brothers Nathaniel and Henry. He was a young boy at that time and Henry was his guardian. While in Boston they became acquainted with the Rev Davenport. In 1638 they were part of the original group of settlers who settled the colony of New Haven, Connecticut. Henry worked as a farmer to Rev Davenport. It is believed that Rev Davenport tutored James, as he appeared to be much better educated than most men of that time.
Bishop married Mary Lewen and they had seven children, Hannah, Grace, Sarah, Elizabeth, Abigail, John, and Ruth. On December 12, 1665, he married his second wife, Elizabeth Tomkins, and they had four children, Samuel, Mary, James II, and Rebecca (Bishop) Thompson.
Career
Very interested in politics, Bishop became the secretary of New Haven Colony from 1651 to 1658. He was very involved in the early governments of
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
and Connecticut colonies, serving at various times as deputy to the legislature, He was a Representative in 1665 and served seven terms until 1668. He was assistant judge from 1668 to 1683, and sergeant in the New Haven militia. Bishop served on the Committee on Indians in 1668 and later served on the wartime council in 1673–1676 that dealt with
King Philip's War
King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...
.
Finally, Bishop was Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1681–1683 and Deputy Governor from 1683 until his death.
Death
Bishop died in 1691. He is interred at
Grove Street Cemetery
Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground is a cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, that is surrounded by the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace the ...
in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
.
References
External links
*
Ancestry.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, James, Gov.
People of colonial Connecticut
Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut
1625 births
1691 deaths