Peleg Sanford (10 May 1639 – 1701) was an early governor 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 ...

, serving three consecutive terms from 1680 to 1683.

Biography

Family

Sanford was the son of John Sanford by his second wife, Bridget Hutchinson. His father had been the

cannoneer "Cannoneer" as a term for an artilleryman dates from the 16th century. the United States Army uses as titles for such a soldier: "13B" (thirteen bravo) M.O.S. (military occupational specialty code), a "cannon crewmember" or "cannoneer" for sho ...

at the fort in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

, but was forced to leave Boston in 1637 when Peleg's grandmother, the famed

Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (née Marbury; July 1591 – August 1643) was a Puritan spiritual advisor, religious reformer, and an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her ...

, was evicted for her religious views, having, in the words of

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1587/88 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and one of the leading figures in founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led t ...

, "seduced and led into dangerous errors many of the people...in New England.". With Anne Hutchinson and her followers, the Sanfords established themselves in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in the

Rhode Island colony 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 1 ...

, and Peleg's father, John, was briefly the governor of the two towns of Newport and Portsmouth, which were separated from

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and

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 ...

for a short time.

Militia service

Sanford grew up in Newport, and as a young man was appointed as the captain of the troop of horse there. Following the 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 ...

, he and Captain Goulding informed Captain

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

of the hiding location of the Indian warrior King Phillip, and the following day the Indian was found and killed. In 1677 he and Richard Bailey were chosen as agents to go to England to deal with incursions made by the neighboring colony of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. In 1679 he was promoted to major in command of the Rhode Island Militia, and in 1687 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Political career

In 1667, at the age of 28, Sanford began his political life and became an assistant, serving for three years, then was deputy for seven years, after which he once again served as assistant for another two years, ending in 1679. He served as the major in command of the colony's militia from May 1679 to May 1680. In May 1680 he was elected governor of the colony to succeed Governor John Cranston who died in office in March, and served three consecutive terms, ending in 1683. During the period from 1686 to 1689 when the New England colonies had their charters revoked, and their governments fell under 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 ...

, Sanford served as a member on the council of 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 ...

, the governor of the dominion. Sanford wrote his will in 1701, and it was proved on 1 September of that year.

Personal life

With his first wife, Mary Brenton, Sanford had one child who died in infancy. In 1674, Sanford married Mary Coddington (1654-1693),with whom he had six children. Mary was the daughter of governor

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 ...

. His granddaughter, Margaret Sanford, married

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Governor Thomas Hutchinson, a great-great-grandson of

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and

. Sanford was succeeded as governor by his brother-in-law,

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 ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Chronological list of Rhode Island leaders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Peleg 1639 births 1701 deaths Colonial governors of Rhode Island Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island