Sir Henry Moore, 1st Baronet (7 February 1713 – 11 September 1769) was a British colonial administrator who served as the

governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

from 1765 to 1769, when he died in office. Moore also served as the lieutenant governor of Jamaica in 1756 and again from 1759 to 1762. He was granted a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

cy in 1764.

Early life

Henry Moore was born on 7 February 1713 in Vere Parish, Jamaica. His parents were prominent members of the

planter class The planter class was a Racial hierarchy, racial and socioeconomic class which emerged in the Americas during European colonization of the Americas, European colonization in the early modern period. Members of the class, most of whom were settle ...

who arranged for him to undergo a legal education. After coming of age, Moore became active in managing the affairs of the colonial government.

Governor of Jamaica

In 1756, Moore was appointed as the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Jamaica, which made him the acting governor of the colony. Like many Crown colonies, the governor was frequently absent, collecting his fees and salary while remaining in the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

; a local lieutenant governor and council forming the ''de facto'' government. In 1760, Moore gained a considerable reputation for leadership by suppressing Tacky's War, a slave rebellion. Under Moore's leadership, the

Jamaican Maroons Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery in the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of Free black people in Jamaica, free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern Pari ...

Nanny Town Nanny Town was a village in the Blue Mountains of Portland Parish, northeastern Jamaica, used as a stronghold of Jamaican Maroons (escapee slaves). During the early 18th century, the region was led by an Ashanti escapee slave known as Queen Na ...

, Charles Town, Jamaica and Scott's Hall were summoned to help the colonial forces suppress the revolt. Nanny Town was reportedly renamed Moore Town in his honour.

Governor of New York

Moore's reward for good performance as Jamaica's governor was first to be made a

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, and then in 1764 he was named royal governor for New York. He arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with his family in November 1765. Relations between the colonies and England were strained under the governorship of

Cadwallader Colden Cadwallader Colden (7 February 1688 – 28 September 1776) was an Irish-born physician, scientist and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New York from 1760 to 1762 and again from 1763 to 1765. Early life Colden was born on 7 F ...

by this time, but not yet in open rebellion. New York City had seen riots and protests over the Stamp Act, esp around Fort George. As new governor, Moore calmed these by meeting directly with Isaac Sears, a leader of the

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It p ...

. Moore agreed with Sears and the colony's assembly to suppress the Stamp Act, and gained additional goodwill by reducing military fortifications within the city. His openness and courtesy earned him floral tributes while other colonial governors were being burned in effigy. However, during the next few years, he actively used military force to suppress rural riots by tenants of the large estate owners. He ordered General

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days ...

to actively pursue and suppress this form of rebellion. This did not seem to bring him any increased difficulty in governing, for two reasons: that the Sons of Liberty also feared the introduction of rural problems into the city, believing that they should be the only ones to use riots as a bargaining tactic; and that the assembly at the time was dominated by the patroons, or large estate owners. In December 1767 Moore dissolved the assembly to allow the patroons to make up through new elections some of the numbers they had lost earlier.

Death

Moore married Catherine Maria Long, a member of another prominent Jamaica family, in 1765. They had several children, and after Henry's death, Catherine moved to England. Catherine's Peak ''(altitude 1158 metres)'' in Jamaica is named after her, as local legend reports her to be the first woman to climb the peak. Moore died suddenly while in office in New York City in 1769. The duties of governor then fell on Lieutenant Governor

, whose term was much less peaceful. Moore left with the respect of almost all the colony's leadership, the only exception being certain religious fundamentalists angered by his efforts to create a theatre or playhouse. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his thirteen-year-old son John Henry Moore, 2nd Baronet, who died in 1780 aged 23.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Henry, Sir, 1st Baronet Moore, Henry Moore, Henry Moore, Henry Moore, Henry 401 Jamaican slave owners