John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony. Born in England, he was the son of John Greene Sr. and Joan Tattersall, and sailed to

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

with his parents in 1635 aboard the ship ''James''. His father, after coming from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

to Providence, became one of the original settlers of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. In 1652 Greene served in his first public role as a commissioner from Warwick, and served in some public capacity every year until 1690 when he was first chosen as deputy governor of the colony. He then served 10 consecutive one-year terms in this capacity, retiring from public service in 1700 at the age of 80. He was one of the 10 Assistants named in 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 ...

, which would become the basis for Rhode Island's government for nearly two centuries. During the devastating events of

King Phillips War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

, Greene was one of 16 prominent inhabitants of the colony whose counsel was sought by the General Assembly. Greene died in Warwick on 27 November 1708 and was buried on the Spring Greene Farm (later the property of Governor

Theodore F. Green Theodore Francis Green (October 2, 1867May 19, 1966) was an American politician from Rhode Island. A Democrat, Green served as the 57th Governor of Rhode Island (1933–1937) and in the United States Senate (1937–1961). He was a wealthy ari ...

) in Warwick. Greene married Ann Almy, the daughter of William and Audry (Barlow) Almy. They had 11 children, the youngest of whom, Samuel, married Mary Gorton, a granddaughter of Rhode Island colonial president

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 the ...

. Their grandson, William Greene Sr. served for 11 one-year terms as a governor of the colony, and their great-grandson, also named William Greene Jr. was a governor of the State of Rhode Island. John and Ann Greene are also ancestors of United States President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

, as well as inventor

Thomas A. Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

, Canadian politician and religious leader

Nathan Eldon Tanner Nathan Eldon Tanner (May 9, 1898 – November 27, 1982) was a politician from Alberta, Canada, and a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1952 a ...

, cowboy artist and inventor Earl W. Bascom and Hollywood actor John Wayne. __NOTOC__

Images

File:Original Providence Rhode Island town layout of homesteads.jpg, File:Prov Home Lots.1.jpg, File:Greene.John.Jr.tombstone.SpringGreeneCem.Warwick.jpg,

References

Bibliography

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External links

State list of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, John Jr. 1620 births 1708 deaths English emigrants Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island Rhode Island Attorneys General People of colonial Rhode Island Greene family of Rhode Island

See also

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External links