Thomas Boone (c. 1730 – 25 September 1812) was the 7th

Royal Governor of New Jersey The territory which would later become the state of New Jersey was settled by Dutch and Swedish colonists in the early seventeenth century. In 1664, at the onset of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, English forces under Richard Nicolls ousted the Du ...

and the 28th Royal Governor of South Carolina. The New Jersey town of

Boonton Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (− ...

(Boone Town, Booneton) is named in his honour.

Early life

Boone was born in England in 1730 or 1731. His father, Charles Boone, was a merchant with interests in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

whose family also included major landowners in the

Province of South Carolina Province of South Carolina, originally known as Clarendon Province, was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monar ...

, and his mother, Elizabeth Garth Boone, was from a military family from

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. The extended family was well connected to the politically powerful

Duke of Newcastle Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle u ...

. Thomas' older brother Charles served in Parliament for many years, married into the wealthy and powerful Crowley family, and was a friend of

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

. Educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, Boone came to South Carolina in 1752 to claim title and lands he had inherited from the Boone and Colleton families. He traveled to England in 1754, and returned to South Carolina in 1758, at which time he married Sarah Ann Tattnall Perroneau.

Political career

Possibly through the influence of his brother Charles, Boone was appointed Governor of

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 ...

in 1759, but he did not arrive in New Jersey until 10 May 1760. He did not meet with the

colonial assembly The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the experience under colonial rule would ...

until 30 October 1760. Six months later, he was appointed Governor of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. He arrived in Charleston in December 1761, and replaced acting governor

William Bull II William Bull II (September 24, 1710 – July 4, 1791) was a landowner who was for many years (1759–1775) the lieutenant governor of the province of South Carolina and served as acting governor on five occasions. A Loyalist, he left the colony in ...

."Thomas Boone" Preservation Society Halsey Map Research Project
/ref> In 1762, Boone refused to administer the

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

to a newly elected provincial assemblyman named

Christopher Gadsden Christopher Gadsden (February 16, 1724 – August 28, 1805) was an American politician who was the principal leader of the South Carolina Patriot movement during the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, a brigadier ...

, stating that his election was not valid. Without taking the oath, Gadsden could not take his seat. When the Assembly objected, Governor Boone dissolved the Assembly and called for new elections. When the Assembly reconvened that winter after elections (in which Gadsden was able to take his seat), they drew up a resolution condemning Governor Boone's actions. The Assembly then produced a resolution stating clearly that the Assembly held sole authority to determine the validity of any elections of its members. Boone replied that he was acting under his authority as the representative of the

British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...

. Ultimately, Boone and the Assembly could not come to an agreement, and the Assembly refused to conduct any business at all with the Governor until their complaints were addressed, refusing even to pass tax bills or appropriate money to pay the salaries of the various administrative staff. Finally, Boone gave up. Taking advantage of a previous offer of a leave of absence, he sailed to England and the matter passed.McCrady 365 In May 1764, he left lieutenant governor Bull to fill in as acting governor, and went home to England. He served for many years as commissioner of customs, resigning the post in 1805. His properties in South Carolina were confiscated after the

American Revolutionary War 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 ...

. He died at

Lee Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...

(then part of County Kent) on 25 September 1812.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boone, Thomas Colonial governors of New Jersey Colonial governors of South Carolina 18th-century American politicians 1730 births 1812 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English emigrants