Stephen Hopkins (politician)

Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins
28th, 30th, 32nd and 34th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
In office 1755–1757
Preceded by	William Greene
Succeeded by	William Greene
In office 1758–1762
Preceded by	William Greene
Succeeded by	Samuel Ward
In office 1763–1765
Preceded by	Samuel Ward
Succeeded by	Samuel Ward
In office 1767–1768
Preceded by	Samuel Ward
Succeeded by	Josias Lyndon
3rd, 5th and 17th Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
In office May 1751 – May 1755
Preceded by	Joshua Babcock
Succeeded by	Francis Willet
In office August 1755 – May 1756
Preceded by	Francis Willet
Succeeded by	John Gardner
In office June 1770 – October 1775
Preceded by	James Helme
Succeeded by	John Cooke
Personal details
Born	March 7, 1707 Providence, Rhode Island
Died	July 13, 1785 (aged 78) Providence, Rhode Island
Spouse(s)	(1) Sarah Scott (2) Anne Smith
Relations	Martha Hopkins Round (sister)
Occupation	Surveyor, Politician, Chief Justice, Congressional Delegate, Governor
Known for	signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
Religion	Quaker
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Stephen Hopkins (March 7, 1707 – July 13, 1785) was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, a Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. From a prominent Rhode Island family, Hopkins was a grandson of William Hopkins who served the colony for 40 years as Deputy, Assistant, Speaker of the House of Deputies, and Major. His great grandfather Thomas Hopkins was an original settler of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, sailing from England in 1635 with his first cousin Benedict Arnold, who became the first governor of the Rhode Island colony under the Royal Charter of 1663.

As a child, Stephen Hopkins was a voracious reader, becoming a serious student of the sciences, mathematics, and literature. He became a surveyor and astronomer, and was involved in taking measurements during the 1769 transit of Venus across the sun. Hopkins began his public service at the early age of 23 as a justice of the peace in the newly established town of Scituate, Rhode Island. He soon became a justice of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas, while also serving at times as the Speaker of the House of Deputies and President of the Scituate Town Council. While active in civic affairs, he also was part owner of an iron foundry and was a successful merchant who was portrayed in John Greenwood's 1750s satirical painting Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam. In May 1747, Hopkins was appointed as a justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and he became the third Chief Justice of this body in 1751. In 1755, he was elected to his first term as governor of the colony, and served a total of nine of the next 15 years in this capacity.