John Pott
| John Pott | |
|---|---|
| 5º Crown Governors Virginia | |
|
In office 1629–1630 |
|
| Preceded by | John Harvey |
| Succeeded by | John West |
| Personal details | |
| Born | ?? ?? |
| Died | prior 1645 ?? |
| Spouse(s) | Anne ____________ |
| Profession | physician and governor |
| Religion | Christian |
John Potts (or Pott) was a physician and Colonial Governor of Virginia at the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony in the early 17th century.
John Potts is said to have taken his degree of M.A., at Oxford University in 1605. He was recommended as physician to the Virginia Company of London by the eminent Dr. Theodore Gulston, the founder of the Gulstonian Lectureship of the London College of Physicians. In the minutes of the Virginia Company of July 16, 1621, is the following entry:
"For so much as the Phisicons place to the Company was now become voyde by reason of the untimely death of Dr. Bohune, slaine in the fight with two Spanish Shipps of Warr the 19th of March last, Dr. Gulstone did now take occasion to recommend unto the Company for the said place one Mr. Potts, a Master of Arts, well practised in Chirurgerie and Physique, and expert also in distillinge of waters."
Dr. Potts and his wife Elizabeth sailed from London aboard the George in March 1619. The George was a 150-ton sailing vessel with William Ewen as the master. After a two-month passage the vessel arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, in May 1619.
In 1623, Dr. Potts gained notoriety as the individual who prepared the poison served the Native Americans during a "peace ceremony" at Jamestown, killing 200 of them in retaliation for the Indian Massacre of 1622 which killed nearly a third of the colonists the preceding year. However, after thorough investigation, Pott was cleared of the charge and restored to his Council seat. The mystery was never solved. In 1625, he was commissioned a member of the Governor's Council, in which office he continued a number of years. In 1628 he was chosen Governor, and held the position from 1629 until the early part of 1630, when, being accused of stealing cattle, he was superseded by Sir John Harvey. Pott(s) was convicted for cattle theft by the Council on July 9, 1630.
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