Thomas Dudley
| Thomas Dudley | |
|---|---|
| 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 14th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony | |
|
In office 1634–1635 |
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| Preceded by | John Winthrop |
| Succeeded by | John Haynes |
|
In office 1640–1641 |
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| Preceded by | John Winthrop |
| Succeeded by | Richard Bellingham |
|
In office 1645–1646 |
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| Preceded by | John Endecott |
| Succeeded by | John Winthrop |
|
In office 1650–1651 |
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| Preceded by | John Endecott |
| Succeeded by | John Endecott |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 October 1576 Yardley Hastings, Northamptonshire, England |
| Died | 31 July 1653 (aged 76) Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Yorke; Katherine (Dighton) Hackburne |
| Profession | Colonial administrator, governor |
| Religion | Puritanism |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Dudley (12 October 1576 – 31 July 1653) was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home. He provided land and funds to establish the Roxbury Latin School, and signed Harvard College's new charter during his 1650 term as governor. Dudley was a devout Puritan who was opposed to religious views not conforming with his. In this he was more rigid than other early Massachusetts leaders like John Winthrop, but less confrontational than John Endecott.
The son of a military man who died when he was young, Dudley saw military service himself during the French Wars of Religion, and then acquired some legal training before entering the service of his likely kinsman the Earl of Lincoln. Along with other Puritans in Lincoln's circle, Dudley helped organize the establishment of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, sailing with Winthrop in 1630. Although he served only four one-year terms as governor of the colony, he was regularly in other positions of authority.
Dudley's descendants include his daughter Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672), the prominent early American poet, and many famous Americans. One of the gates of Harvard Yard, which existed from 1915 to 1947, was named in his honor, and Harvard's Dudley House is named for the family.
Thomas Dudley was born in Yardley Hastings, a village near Northampton, England, on 12 October 1576, to Roger and Susanna (Thorne) Dudley. His father, a captain in the English army, was apparently killed in battle. It was for some time believed he was killed in the 1590 Battle of Ivry, but this is unlikely because Susanna Dudley was later found to be widowed by 1588. The 1586 battle of Zutphen has also been suggested as the occasion of Roger Dudley's death. The family has long asserted connections to the Sutton-Dudleys of Dudley Castle; there is a similarity in their coats of arms, but association beyond probable common ancestry has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Dudley's mother was descended from Henry II of England through her Purefoy ancestors, and like many other young men of good birth Thomas Dudley became a page, in his case in the household of William, Baron Compton at nearby Castle Ashby. Later he raised a company of men following a call to arms by Queen Elizabeth, and served in the English army led by Sir Arthur Savage fighting with King Henry IV of France during the French Wars of Religion. He fought the Spanish at the Siege of Amiens in 1597 which in September surrendered and was the final action of the war.
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