This is a list of the judges, presidents, and governors 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 ...

from 1638 to 1776.

Governor of Providence

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

June 1636 - September 1644

Judges of Portsmouth

William Coddington William Coddington (c. 1601 – 1 November 1678) was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He served as the judge of Portsmouth and Newport, governor of Portsmouth ...

7 March 1638 - 28 April 1639 * William Hutchinson 28 April 1639 - 14 March 1640

Judge of Newport

28 April 1639 - 14 March 1640

Governor of Rhode Island (Portsmouth and Newport)

14 March 1640 - 21 May 1647

Chief Officer under the Patent of 1643 (Providence and Warwick)

September 1644 - 21 May 1647

Presidents under the Patent of 1643

*1st

John Coggeshall John Coggeshall Sr. (2 December 1599 – 27 November 1647) was one of the founders of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the first President of all four towns in the Colony. He was a successful silk merchant in Essex, Eng ...

of Newport; 21 May 1647 - 27 November 1647 (died in office) *2nd Jeremy Clarke of Newport; 16 May 1648 - 22 May 1649 *3rd John Smith of Providence; 22 May 1649 - 23 May 1650 *4th

Nicholas Easton Nicholas Easton (1593–1675) was an early colonial President and Governor of Rhode Island. Born in Hampshire, England, he lived in the towns of Lymington and Romsey before immigrating to New England with his two sons in 1634. Once in the N ...

of Newport; 23 May 1650 - August 1651 (resigned) *5th

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 ...

of Warwick; October 1651 - 18 May 1652 (Providence and Warwick only) *6th John Smith of Providence; 18 May 1652 - 17 May 1653 (Providence and Warwick only) *7th

Gregory Dexter Gregory Dexter (1610–1700) was an early American printer, Baptist minister, and early President of the combined towns of Providence and Warwick in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He was in New England as early as 16 ...

of Providence; 17 May 1653 - 16 May 1654 (Providence and Warwick only) *8th

of Newport; 16 May 1654 - 12 September 1654 *9th

of Providence; 12 September 1654 - 19 May 1657 *10th

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

of Newport; 19 May 1657 - 22 May 1660 *11th

William Brenton William Brenton (c. 1610–1674) was a colonial President, Deputy Governor, and Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and an early settler of Portsmouth and Newport in the Rhode Island colony. Austin and other hist ...

of Newport; 22 May 1660 - 22 May 1662 *12th

of Newport; 22 May 1662 - November 1663

Governors of Newport and Portsmouth under the Coddington Commission

of Newport; 20 May 1651 - 17 May 1653 * John Sanford of Portsmouth; 17 May 1653 - 1653 (died in office between June and November 1653)

Governors under the
Royal Charter of 1663 The Rhode Island Royal Charter provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, approved by England's King Charles II in July 1663. It outlined many freedoms for the inhabitants of Rhode Island and was the ...

November 1663 - 2 May 1666 *

2 May 1666 - 5 May 1669 *

5 May 1669 - 1 May 1672 *

1 May 1672 - 6 May 1674 *

6 May 1674 - 3 May 1676 * Walter Clarke 3 May 1676 - 2 May 1677 *

2 May 1677 - 19 June 1678 (died in office) *

28 August 1678 - 1 November 1678 (died in office) * John Cranston 8 November 1678 - 12 March 1680 (died in office) *

Peleg Sanford Peleg Sanford (10 May 1639 – 1701) was an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving three consecutive terms from 1680 to 1683. Biography Family Sanford was the son of John Sanford by his second wife, ...

16 March 1680 - 2 May 1683 *

William Coddington Jr. William Coddington Jr. (18 January 1651 – 5 February 1689) was an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving two consecutive terms from 1683 to 1685. Biography Coddington was the son of William Coddington ...

2 May 1683 - 6 May 1685 * Henry Bull 6 May 1685 - 5 May 1686 * Walter Clarke 5 May 1686 - 20 December 1686 (superseded by Governor Andros)

Governor of the Dominion of New England

The Rhode Island Charter was suspended from 1686-1689. During this time, Sir

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 ...

served as Governor of 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 ...

, which included Rhode Island. Andros was deposed on April 18, 1689.

Colonial Governors under the Royal Charter of 1663

Vacant 20 December 1686 - 27 February 1690 * Henry Bull of Newport; 27 February 1690 - 7 May 1690 *

John Easton John Easton (1624–1705) was a political leader in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, devoting decades to public service before eventually becoming governor of the colony. Born in Hampshire, England, he sailed to New England ...

of Newport; 7 May 1690 - 1 May 1695 *

Caleb Carr Caleb Carr (born August 2, 1955) is an American military historian and author. Carr is the second of three sons born to Lucien Carr and Francesca Von Hartz. He authored ''The Alienist'', ''The Angel of Darkness'', ''The Lessons of Terror'', ''K ...

of Jamestown; 1 May 1695 - 17 December 1695 (died in office) * Walter Clarke of Newport; 6 May 1696 - circa March 1698 (resigned) *

Samuel Cranston Samuel Cranston (1659–1727) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times (twice in 1698), and served as ...

of Newport; circa March 1698 - May 1727 (29 years 2 months.) * Joseph Jenckes of Providence; May 1727 - May 1732 *

William Wanton William Wanton (September 15, 1670 – December 1733) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a short term prior to his death. He spent most of his adult life in the civil and military service of the colon ...

of Newport; May 1732 - between 3 December 1733 and 4 February 1734 (died in office) *

John Wanton John Wanton (December 24, 1672 – July 5, 1740) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for six consecutive terms from 1734 to 1740. He was the son of Edward Wanton who was a ship builder, and who became ...

of Newport; 5 May 1734 - 5 July 1740 (died in office) * Richard Ward of Newport; 15 July 1740 - 4 May 1743 * William Greene of Warwick; 4 May 1743 - 1 May 1745 *

Gideon Wanton Gideon Wanton (October 20, 1693 – September 12, 1767) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who served for two separate one-year terms. His father was Joseph Wanton, a shipbuilder in Tiverton, and his mother ...

of Newport; 1 May 1745 - 7 May 1746 * William Greene of Warwick; 7 May 1746 - 6 May 1747 *

of Newport; 6 May 1747 - 4 May 1748 * William Greene of Warwick; 4 May 1748 - 7 May 1755 * Stephen Hopkins of Providence; 7 May 1755 - 4 May 1757 * William Greene of Warwick; 4 May 1757 - 23 January 1758 (died in office) * Stephen Hopkins of Providence; 13 March 1758 - 5 May 1762 * Samuel Ward of Newport; 5 May 1762 - 4 May 1763 * Stephen Hopkins of Providence; May 1763 - 3 May 1765 * Samuel Ward of Newport; 3 May 1765 - 1 May 1767 * Stephen Hopkins of Providence; 1 May 1767 - 4 May 1768 *

Josias Lyndon Josias Lyndon (March 10, 1704 – March 30, 1778) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a single one-year term. Biography Lyndon was the son of Samuel and Priscilla (Tompkins) Lyndon of Newport, t ...

of Newport; 4 May 1768 - 3 May 1769 *

Joseph Wanton Joseph Wanton Sr. (15 August 1705 – 19 July 1780) was a merchant and governor in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remaine ...

of Newport; 3 May 1769 - 7 November 1775 (removed from office) *

Nicholas Cooke Nicholas Cooke (February 3, 1717September 14, 1782) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the American Revolutionary War, and after Rhode Island became a state, he continued in this position to become the ...

of Providence; 7 November 1775 - 6 May 1778 Note - the

Rhode Island Royal Charter The Rhode Island Royal Charter provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, approved by England's King Charles II in July 1663. It outlined many freedoms for the inhabitants of Rhode Island and was the ...

of 1663 remained in effect until the

Constitution of Rhode Island The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island is a document describing the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Rhode Island. 1842 Constitution Constitutional Convention Prior to 1842, Rhode Island was still governed by ...

was ratified in 1842. For a list of governors of Rhode Island from 1775 to the present see List of governors of Rhode Island.

External links

Chronological list of Rhode Island leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Colonial Governors of Rhode Island

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Pre-statehood history of Rhode Island History of religion in the United States People of colonial Rhode Island Rhode Island in the American Revolution