John Winthrop Jr.
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John Winthrop the Younger (February 12, 1606 – April 6, 1676) was an early governor of the
Connecticut Colony 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 ...
, and he played a large role in the merger of several separate settlements into the unified colony.


Early life

Winthrop was born in
Groton, Suffolk Groton is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England, located around a mile north of the A1071 between Hadleigh, Suffolk, Hadleigh and Sudbury, Suffolk, Sudbury. It is part of Babergh District, Babergh district. The parish church dedicated to ...
, England on February 12, 1606, the son of John Winthrop, founding governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
. He was educated at the Bury St. Edmunds grammar school, King Edward VI School, and
Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
, and he studied law for a short time after 1624 at the Inner Temple, London.


Career

Winthrop accompanied the ill-fated expedition of the Duke of Buckingham for the relief of the Protestants of La Rochelle in France, and then travelled in Italy and the Levant, returning to England in 1629. In 1631, he followed his father to
Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
and was one of the assistants of the Colony in 1635, 1640, and 1641 and from 1644 to 1649. He was the chief founder of Agawam (now
Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...
) in 1633, then went to England in 1634. He returned in 1635 as governor of lands that had been granted to Lord Say and Sele and Lord
Brooke Brooke may refer to: People * Brooke (given name) * Brooke (surname) * Brooke baronets, families of baronets with the surname Brooke Places * Brooke, Norfolk, England * Brooke, Rutland, England * Brooke, Virginia, US * Brooke's Point, Palawan ...
, and he sent out a party to build a fort named Saybrook in their honor, located at the mouth of the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
. He then lived for a time in Massachusetts, where he devoted himself to the study of science and attempted to interest the settlers in the development of the colony's mineral resources. He was again in England in 1641–43, then returned to establish
iron works An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...
at
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( Saugus Iron Works) and Braintree, Massachusetts. In 1645, he obtained title to lands in southeastern Connecticut and founded New London in 1646, where he settled in 1650. He built a grist mill in the town and was granted a monopoly on the trade for as long as he or his heirs maintained it. This was one of the first monopolies granted in New England. One of Winthrop's Indian servants was
Robin Cassacinamon Robin Cassacinamon (c.1620s-1692) was a Pequot Indian governor appointed by the United Colonies to govern Pequots in southeastern Connecticut. The New England colonies placed Cassacinamon under the authority of colonial ally Uncas of the Mohegan t ...
, who became an influential Pequot leader through Winthrop's patronage.


Governor of the Connecticut Colony

Winthrop became one of the magistrates of the
Connecticut Colony 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 ...
in 1651, was governor of the colony in 1657–58, and again became governor in 1659, being annually re-elected until his death. During his tenure as Governor of Connecticut, he oversaw the acceptance of Quakers who were banned from Massachusetts. In 1662, he obtained the charter in England which united the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven. He was also one of the commissioners of the
United Colonies of New England The United Colonies of New England, commonly known as the New England Confederation, was a confederal alliance of the New England colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Saybrook (Connecticut), and New Haven formed in May 1643. Its primary pur ...
in 1675. While in England, he was elected as a Fellow of the newly organized Royal Society, and he contributed two papers to their ''
Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...
'': "Some Natural Curiosities from New England" and "Description, Culture and Use of Maize". His correspondence with the Royal Society was published in series I, vol. xvi of the
Massachusetts Historical Society The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...
's Proceedings.


Personal life

Winthrop married his cousin Mary Fones, the daughter of Thomas Fones II and Anne (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Winthrop) on February 8, 1630/1. She and their infant daughter died in Agawam (Ipswich) in 1634. Winthrop's second wife was Elizabeth Reade (1615–1672), the daughter of Col. Edmund Reade and Elizabeth (née Cooke). They had nine children, including: * Elizabeth Winthrop (1636–1716), who married Rev. Antipas Newman and Dr. Zerubbabel Endecott, son of Gov. John Endecott * Fitz-John Winthrop (1638–1707), who served as major-general in the army, an agent in London for Connecticut (1683–1687), and governor of Connecticut from 1696 until his death in 1707 * Lucy Winthrop (1640–1676), who married Maj. Edward Palmes * Waitstill Winthrop (1642–1717), who married Mary Browne (1656–1690) * Mary "Mercy" Winthrop (1644–1740), who married the Rev. John Culver III * Sara Winthrop (1644–1704), who married the Rev. John Culver III * Margaret Winthrop (–1711), who married John Corwin * Martha Winthrop (1648–1712), who married Richard Wharton * Anne Winthrop (–1704), who married John Richards (son of accused witch Wealthean (née Loring) Richards) Winthrop died in Boston on April 6, 1676 where he had gone to attend a meeting of the commissioners of the United Colonies of New England.


Descendants

Paul Dudley Sargent Paul Dudley Sargent (Baptized June 23, 1745, Salem, Massachusetts – September 28, 1828 Sullivan, Maine) was a privateer and soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Sargent was born in 1745 and baptized ...
was a descendant of Winthrop, a Patriot colonel in the
American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. Another descendant was John Sargent, who was a
Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
during that war. Another descendant was Dudley Saltonstall (1738–1796), a Revolutionary War naval commander most notable for his involvement in the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition.


References

*


External links

* *
Biographical sketch of Winthrop at State Library Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winthrop, John the Younger 1606 births 1676 deaths People of colonial Connecticut English emigrants Colonial governors of Connecticut Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut Original Fellows of the Royal Society People educated at King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds Magistrates of the Connecticut General Court (1636–1662) American ironmasters Winthrop family