Papers of the Winthrop Family, Volume 2

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John Winthrop to Margaret Winthrop

15 October 1629

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John Winthrop to Margaret Winthrop

20 October 1629

Election of John Winthrop as Governor1

Massachusetts Bay Company

1629-10-20

A Generall Court holden at Mr. Goff the Deputyes House, on Tewsday, the 20th of Octo., 1629.

. . . Mr. Gouernour acquainted those present, that the espetiall occasion of summoninge this Court was for the eleccion of a new Gouernour, Deputie, 160and Assistants, the gouernment being to bee transferred into New England, according to the former order and resolucion of the Company. . . .

And now the Court, proceeding to the eleccion of a new Gouernour, Deputie, and Assistants, which, vpon serious deliberacion, hath bin and is conceived to bee for the espetiall good and advancement of their affaires, and having received extraordinary great commendacions of Mr. John Wynthrop, both for his integritie and sufficiencie, as being one every way well fitted and accomplished for the place of Gouernour, did putt in nomination for that place the said Mr. John Winthrop, Sir R: Saltonstall, Mr. Is: Johnson, and Mr. John Humfry; and the said Mr. Winthrop was, with a generall vote and full consent of this Court, by ereccion of hands, chosen to bee Gouernour for the ensuing yeare, to begin on this present day; who was pleased to accept therof, and thervpon tooke the oath to that place appertaineing. In like manner, and with like free and full consent, Mr. John Humfry was chosen Deputie Gouernour,

and Sir R: Saltonstall,

Mr. Is: Johnson,

Mr. Tho: Dudley,

Mr. Jo: Endecott,

Mr. Increase Noell,

Mr. William Vassall,

Mr. William Pinchon,

Mr. Sam: Sharpe,

Mr. Edw: Rossiter,

Mr. Thomas Sharpe,

Mr. John Revell,

Mr. Matt: Cradock,

Mr. Thomas Goff,

Mr. Samuel Aldersey,

Mr. John Venn,

Mr. Nath: Wright,

Mr. Theoph: Eaton, and

Mr. Tho: Addams,

were chosen to bee Assistants; which said Deputie, and the greatest part of the said Assistants, being present, tooke the oaths to their said places appertaining respectively.

Records of Massachusetts, I. 58–60. See Robert Charles Winthrop's discussion of the election, L. and L. , I. 349–352, and Thomas Dudley's “Letter to the Countess of Lincoln,” dated Boston, March 12, 1630–31: “Mr. Winthrop, of Suffolk, (who was well known in his own country, and well approved here for his piety, liberality, wisdom, and gravity,) coming in to us, we came to such resolution, that in April, 1630, we set sail from Old England with four good ships. And in May following eight more followed,” — by which, R. C. Winthrop remarks, Dudley seems to imply that Winthrop's “coming in” on this occasion “was the very hinge of the great Massachusetts movement.”