John Easton
| John Easton | |
|---|---|
| 15th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
|
In office 1690–1695 |
|
| Preceded by | Henry Bull |
| Succeeded by | Caleb Carr |
| 8th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
|
In office 1674–1676 |
|
| Governor | William Coddington |
| Preceded by | William Coddington |
| Succeeded by | John Cranston |
| 3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Attorney General of Rhode Island | |
|
In office May 1656 – May 1657 |
|
| Governor | Roger Williams |
| Preceded by | John Cranston |
| Succeeded by | John Greene |
|
In office May 1660 – May 1663 |
|
| Governor |
William Brenton Benedict Arnold |
| Preceded by | John Greene |
| Succeeded by | John Sanford |
|
In office 1664–1670 |
|
| Governor |
Benedict Arnold William Brenton Benedict Arnold |
| Preceded by | John Sanford |
| Succeeded by | John Sanford |
|
In office 1672–1674 |
|
| Governor | Nicholas Easton |
| Preceded by | Joseph Torrey |
| Succeeded by | Peter Easton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | baptized 19 December 1624 Romsey, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 12 December 1705 Newport, Rhode Island |
| Resting place | Coddington Cemetery, Newport |
| Spouse(s) | Mehitable Gaunt |
| Occupation | Deputy Governor, Governor |
| Religion | Quaker |
John Easton (1624–1705) was a political leader in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, devoting decades to public service before eventually becoming governor of the colony. Born in Hampshire, England, he sailed to New England with his widowed father and older brother, settling in Ipswich and Newbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. As a supporter of the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson during the Antinomian Controversy, his father was exiled, and settled in Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island (later called Rhode Island) with many other Hutchinson supporters. Here there was discord among the leaders of the settlement, and his father followed William Coddington to the south end of the island where they established the town of Newport. The younger Easton remained in Newport the remainder of his life, where he became involved in civil affairs before the age of 30.
Ultimately serving more than four decades in the public service of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Easton began as an Attorney General for the island towns of Portsmouth and Newport, soon fulfilling the same role for the entire colony. To this line of service he added positions as Commissioner, Deputy, and Assistant, for many years serving simultaneously in multiple roles. In 1674 he was elected to the office of deputy governor, serving for two years, with a part of his tenure being during King Philip's War, about which he published a written treatise. Following the overthrow of the Edmund Andros governorship under the Dominion of New England, Easton was elected as governor of the colony for five consecutive years. While in office his biggest concerns were funding the ongoing war that England was fighting with France, and dealing with the disruptive French privateers. Other issues during his tenure included a smallpox epidemic in Newport, charter issues having to do with Rhode Island's militia serving in other colonies, and the ongoing border line disputes with the neighboring colonies.
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