John Winthrop was born on March 14, 1637, and died on November 27, 1707, British and colonial military officer and governor of Connecticut (1698–1707). John Winthrop, also known as Fitz-John Winthrop, was the grandson of Massachusetts Bay’s first governor, John Winthrop. He was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, on March 14, 1637, and enrolled at Harvard College but left in 1657 to sail to England and take a commission in the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War (1642–1649).
He quickly won promotion from lieutenant to captain, serving in the forces of General George Monck in Scotland and in Monck’s march on London in 1660 that led to the restoration of King Charles II to the English throne. After the Restoration, Winthrop’s unit was disbanded, and he returned to Connecticut to take up politics. Winthrop soon found himself lured back into martial pursuits, however.
He fought against the Dutch in the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672–1674) and against Native Americans in King Philip’s War (1674–1675). Winthrop also served in Sir Edmund Andros’s Governor’s Council in the Dominion of New England. In 1690, during King William’s War (1689–1697), Winthrop was commissioned a major general and given command of an expedition against Canada.
He set out from Hartford, Connecticut, on July 14, 1690, intent on stopping raids by French-supported natives. He also hoped to capture Montreal, but supply problems, poor coordination, and a general lack of support soon caused him to cancel the invasion and order a retreat. He was briefly arrested and imprisoned for treason because of the failed invasion but was subsequently exonerated by the Connecticut government.
Winthrop became governor of Connecticut in 1698 and was reelected regularly until his death in 1707. During that time he struggled to preserve the military autonomy of his province. During Queen Anne’s War (1702–1713), he refused to send Connecticut troops outside the colony’s boundaries. In fact, in 1704 he even disbanded the provincial militia rather than being pressured into sending Connecticut troops on distant campaigns. Winthrop died in office on November 27, 1707, while in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Originally posted 2022-05-04 12:36:22.