Robert Quary (1644–1712) was a governor of the English proprietary

Province of Carolina Province of Carolina was a province of England (1663–1707) and Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until partitioned into North and South on January 24, 1712. It is part of present-day Alaba ...

during 1685. He would later serve on the provincial councils of several other colonies.

Career

In 1685, the

Lords proprietors A lord proprietor is a person granted a royal charter for the establishment and government of an English colony in the 17th century. The plural of the term is "lords proprietors" or "lords proprietary". Origin In the beginning of the European ...

commissioned Quary as Provincial Secretary, and on July 12 he was appointed Governor of Carolina, replacing Joseph West. In October Quary was replaced by former Governor Joseph Morton. Suspecting that Quary was using his position to encourage

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

, the proprietors removed him from all remaining positions in February 1688. Seeking a political comeback, Quary supported

Seth Sothel Seth Sothel (also spelled Sothell and Southwell, d. c. 1694) was a colonial American proprietor and governor of the Province of Carolina. He ruled the northern portion, Albemarle Sound (future North Carolina), in 1678 and the southern portion (fut ...

's takeover of the Governor's office in 1690, and was appointed Chief Justice. In 1692, Sothel was forced from office, and Quary fled South Carolina for

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he came under the protection of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Gov.

Francis Nicholson Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army general and colonial official who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, the ...

. The Navigation Act of 1696 created

admiralty court Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

s, and Quary was appointed Judge of the Admiralty for the southern colonies, from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

southward. In 1701, Robert Quary was commissioned as Surveyor General of the Customs for

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 Pennsylvania; in 1703 this appointment was expanded to include all of

British America British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...

. In this position he served simultaneously on the Provincial Councils of five colonies:

, New Jersey,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, Pennsylvania, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Robert Quary died in Virginia in October 1712.Preservation Society of Charleston, Alfred O. Halsey Map Preservation Project
''Robert Quary''
/ref>

References

External links

* Winfred Trexler Root
''The Relations of Pennsylvania with the British Government, 1696-1765''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quary, Robert 1644 births 1712 deaths Colonial governors of South Carolina Members of the New Jersey Provincial Council English emigrants