John Wise (August 15, 1652 – April 8, 1725) was a Congregationalist

reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

and political leader in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

during the

American colonial period The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centur ...

. Wise was noted for his political activism, specifically his protests against British taxation, for which he was once jailedFiske (1902), 338 As the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of the

Chebacco Parish Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 ce ...

from 1680 to his death in 1725, Wise lived in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, Massachusetts, often called "the birthplace of American independence."

Life

Wise was born in Roxbury,

, the son of Joseph and Mary (Thompson) Wise. Mary was daughter of Alice Freeman Thompson Parke. He attended the

Roxbury Latin School The Roxbury Latin School is a private boys' day school that was founded in 1645 in the town of Roxbury (now a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts) by the Rev. John Eliot under a charter received from King Charles I of England. It bills ...

, in

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

, Massachusetts, graduating in 1669. He then was admitted to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

(now Harvard University). After graduating from Harvard in 1673, he began studying

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, and preached in Branford,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and Hatfield, Massachusetts. On August 12, 1683, Wise was ordained as the

of the newly organized

, a new

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

formed out of Ipswich. In 1688, Wise led Ipswich citizens in a protest against royal governor

Edmund Andros Sir Edmund Andros (6 December 1637 – 24 February 1714) was an English colonial administrator in British America. He was the governor of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. At other times, Andros served ...

and colonial taxation,Coolidge, C. (1926) ''The Inspiration of the Declaration of Independence'' vi
calvin-coolidge.org
after the revocation of the

Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company The Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company was an English royal charter which formally incorporated the joint-stock company for the colonization of Massachusetts Bay. The charter, granted by Charles I of England in 1628, defined the regulations ...

in 1684 which was superseded by the

Dominion of New England The Dominion of New England in America (1686–1689) was an administrative union of English colonies covering New England and the Mid-Atlantic Colonies (except for Delaware Colony and the Province of Pennsylvania). Its political structure represe ...

. Andros took a hard-line position to the effect that the colonists had left behind all their rights as Englishmen when they left England. When in 1687 Wise rallied his parishioners to protest and resist taxation, Andros had him arrested, convicted and fined. As an Andros official explained, "Mr. Wise, you have no more privileges Left you then not to be Sold for Slaves.".

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

referred to him as one of the inspirations for the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

. John Wise Avenue, a section of Route 133 in Massachusetts, is named after him.

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

, launched on June 14, 1942 and scrapped in 1971, was also named after him.

Family

On December 5, 1678 he married Abigail Gardner, granddaughter of

Thomas Gardner (Roxbury) Thomas Gardner may refer to: * Thomas Gardner (antiquary) (1690–1769), English antiquary *Thomas Gardner (politician) (1724–1775), American political figure and soldier * Thomas Gardner (planter) (1592–1674), American colonist *Thomas Gardner ...

. They had seven children: #Rev Jeremiah WiseMaine Historical Society (1890), p. 321 (November 2, 1679 – January 20, 1756) married Mary Shipway #Lucy Wise (born c. 1681 – March 5, 1727) married John White #John Wise (born c. 1683 – August 31, 1762) married Mary Rogers #Mary Wise (May 12, 1685 – March 23, 1735/36) #Joseph Wise (February 16, 1686 – September 23, 1745) married Martha Appleton #Amni Ruhami Wise (born c. 1688 – July 6, 1749) married Mary Ringe #Henry Wise (born c. 1697 – November 12, 1775) married Mary Wade Through his wife, Rev John was a great-uncle of President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

Notes

References

*Cook, George Allan. ''John Wise: Early American Democrat.'' New York: Octagon Books, Inc, 1966, ©1952. *Fiske, John. ''The Beginnings of New England; Or, The Puritan Theocracy in Its Relations to Civil and Religious Liberty.'' Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1902. Retrieved January 31, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wise, John 1652 births 1725 deaths 17th-century Congregationalist ministers 18th-century Congregationalist ministers Harvard College alumni Massachusetts colonial-era clergy New England Puritanism People from colonial Boston People from Ipswich, Massachusetts Roxbury Latin School alumni