Jonathan Belcher
| Jonathan Belcher | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 19th century portrait by James I. Vaughan | |
| Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay | |
| In office 10 August 1730 – 7 September 1741 |
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| Preceded by | William Tailer (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William Shirley |
| Governor of the Province of New Jersey | |
| In office 1747 – 31 August 1757 |
|
| Preceded by | John Reading |
| Succeeded by | John Reading |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 January 1682 Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay |
| Died | August 31, 1757 (aged 75) Elizabethtown, Province of New Jersey |
| Resting place | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Partridge Belcher |
| Children | Jonathan Belcher Andrew Belcher |
Jonathan Belcher (8 January 1682 – 31 August 1757) was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.
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[edit] Early life
Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682. His father Andrew was an adventurer and businessman, and his mother, Sarah Gilbert Belcher, was the daughter of a politically well connected Connecticut merchant and Indian trader. His mother died when he was seven, and his father sent him to live with relatives in the country while he expanded his trading business.[1] Andrew Belcher was highly successful in trade, although some of it was in violation of the Navigation Acts, and some was supposedly conducted with pirates.[2] However he made his money, he became of the wealthiest men in Massachusetts in the 1680s and 1690s. To promote the family's status, he sent his son to the Boston Latin School in 1691, and then Harvard College in 1695, where Belcher was listed second (the order of listings being a rough indication of a family's importance) behind Jeremiah Dummer. Belcher and Dummer both went on to political careers in the province, sometimes as allies, but also as opponents. Belcher's five sisters all married into politically or economically prominent families, forging important connections that would further his career.[3]
Belcher graduated from Harvard at the age of 17, and then entered into his father's business.[4] The trading empire his father built encompassed trade from the West Indies to Europe, and included shares or outright ownership of more than 15 ships. In the spring of 1704 Belcher's father sent him to London to cultivate business contacts of his own.[5]
[edit] Massachusetts and New Hampshire
In 1718, Belcher was elected to the Massachusetts Governor's Council. He was sent to London again in 1728 as a colonial agent, to explain to the Board of Trade why the province refused to pay its royally-appointed governors a regular salary. During this stay, the sitting governor, William Burnet, died. Belcher lobbied for and was awarded the job of governor of both Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Initially accepted by Boston, his popularity decreased when he brought the censure of the English government. He was unwilling to resolve longstanding boundary disputes between the two provinces. Despite claims that he was neutral on the matter, he orchestrated affairs to prefer the settlement of lands north and west of the Merrimack River by Massachusetts residents. The dispute eventually reached the highest levels of government and court in England, and he was recalled over allegations of bribery in furthering some landowners' objectives in the dispute. As governor of Massachusetts, Belcher was also known for his stern opposition to the private Land Bank scheme of 1740, and continually fought the General Court over emissions of paper currency.
[edit] New Jersey
He was later appointed governor of the province of New Jersey, from 1747–57, and supported the founding of the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). He approved its location in Princeton, and including building the library for the new school.
For much of his New Jersey administration Belcher was ill, suffering from a type of progressive paralytic disorder. In the summer of 1751 he moved from Burlington to Elizabethtown in the hopes that his health would improve; it did not. Eventually his hands became paralyzed, and his wife was employed to write for him.[6] He died at his home in Elizabethtown on August 31, 1757; His body was transported to Massachusetts,[7] where he was buried at Cambridge.[8]
[edit] Family
His first wife, Mary Partridge Belcher (1685–1736), was the daughter of New Hampshire Lt. Gov. William Partridge, and a sister was the wife of Lt. Gov. George Vaughan. One of his sons, Jonathan Belcher, was the Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court and Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. His other son, Andrew Belcher, also served on the Massachusetts Governor's Council.
He was the uncle of Lt. Gov Andrew Oliver and Chief Justice Peter Oliver, and was also the great-grandfather of Admiral Edward Belcher. His great-nephew Peter Oliver, Jr. married the daughter of Governor Thomas Hutchinson.
[edit] Legacy
Belchertown, Massachusetts is named for him. The Belcher-Ogden Mansion-Price, Benjamin-Price-Brittan Houses District in Elizabeth, New Jersey includes homes from the family.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Batinski, Michael (1996). Jonathan Belcher, Colonial Governor. ISBN 9780813119465
[edit] External links
- Biography of Jonathan Belcher, New Jersey State Library
- Official Massachusetts biography
- Works by or about Jonathan Belcher in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Tailer (acting) |
Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay 10 August 1730 – 14 August 1741 |
Succeeded by William Shirley |
| Preceded by John Reading |
Governor of the Province of New Jersey 1747–1757 |
Succeeded by John Reading |
