John Winthrop

John Winthrop was born in Suffolk County, England, on January 12, 1587 or 1588. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and was admitted to Gray's Inn in 1613. Winthrop's Puritan convictions led him to take an interest in the new Massachusetts Bay Colony in the New World.

• He was appointed governor of the colony in 1629. He left England the next year to take his new post in Massachusetts.
• Winthrop was the foremost political leader in the colony for nearly 20 years, including 12 non-consecutive terms as governor.
• Winthrop's views differed on occasion from those of the clergy; these disputes led to an eventual inquiry into dissension in the colony, with the result that Winthrop agreed to follow Puritan ideals more closely.
• At the same time, the colony had come under criticism in England. Winthrop successfully argued for its continuation in a letter to the Lords Commissioners for Plantations.
• In 1640 he held a post with the Court of Assistants, and in 1642 he was elected to the chief magistracy.
• In 1645 Winthrop was instrumental in forming the United Colonies and served as its first president.