John Winthrop

Born: Ipswich, Massachusetts; March 14, 1638
Died: Boston, Massachusetts; November 27, 1707

Entry by Bruce P. Stark

John Winthrop, Connecticut governor, is usually known as Fitz-John Winthrop in order to distinguish him from his famous father and grandfather. He attended but never graduated from Harvard College and in 1658 traveled to England to accept a commission in the Parliamentary Army. Winthrop returned to Connecticut in 1663 and made his home in New London. Although twice elected a deputy to the General Assembly, he was chiefly interested in military affairs. In 1672 Winthrop was chosen chief officer of the New London militia. The next year he commanded Connecticut troops defending Southold from Dutch attack and later served with distinction in King Phillips' War.

After the death of his father, he spent much of his time in Boston. In 1686, with the establishment of the Dominion of New England he was appointed to the governor's Council. He served Governor Andros until the collapse of the Dominion of New England in the wake of the Glorious Revolution. Fitz-John Winthrop took no part in the overthrow of the Dominion in either Massachusetts or Connecticut but quickly became a leader of the middle faction in Connecticut politics. At one extreme stood James Fitch (1649-1727) and his followers who sought to democratize charter government and exclude from office all those who had collaborated with Andros. On the other extreme was Gershom Bulkeley (1635-1713) who argued that the Connecticut corporation was dissolved and urged that royal government be continued. The middle party wished to restore charter government, to resist the demands of Fitch, and to share power in the restored government. The latter faction eventually triumphed, due primarily to the efforts of Fitz-John Winthrop. He was sent to England in 1693 to plead for confirmation of Connecticut's 1662 Charter, its legality having been questioned by Bulkeley and his supporters. When news reached the colony in December 1697 that Winthrop’s mission had succeeded, his friends in Connecticut worked to elect him governor in place of the capable Robert Treat (1624-1710). Winthrop triumphed and served as governor until his death in 1707. His incumbency was marked by struggles with Fitch over control of the Quinebaug lands in eastern Connecticut. Although Winthrop and the colony eventually emerged victorious, the battle divided the colony.

Fitz-John Winthrop was a lesser man than his father and grandfather but served Connecticut well. He was primarily responsible for confirming the Charter that his father had secured, and he was an able governor.

For Further Reading

Dunn, Richard S. Puritans and Yankees: The Winthrop Dynasty of New England, 1630-1717. Princeton, New Jersey, 1962. See chapters 13 and 14.

* Entry under revision.