Collection: The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859.

Joseph Dudley (1647-1720) was born in Massachusetts, became a member of the General Court, and in 1682 was sent by Massachusetts to London to prevent the threatened revocation of the colony's charter by Charles II. With an eye to his personal advancement, he secretly advised the king to annul the charter; this was done, and Dudley, by royal appointment, became president of the Provisional Council. With the advent of the new governor, Sir Edmund Andros, Dudley became a judge of the superior court and censor of the press. Upon the deposition of Andros, Dudley was imprisoned and sent with him to England, but was soon set free. In 1691-1692, he was Chief Justice of New York, presiding over the court that condemned Leisler. Returning to England in 1693, he was Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Wight and a member of Parliament, and in June 1702, after a long intrigue, secured from Queen Anne a commission as governor of Massachusetts, serving until 1715. His administration was marked, particularly in the earlier years, by ceaseless conflict with the General Court, from which he demanded a regular fixed salary instead of an annual grant. He was active in raising volunteers for the so-called Queen Anne's War. Issac Addington (1645-1715) was Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1692-1714. He was also Judge of the Common Pleas Court 1692-1702 and was appointed by Dudley as Chief Justice of Superior Court 1702-1703. Addington also served as clerk, registrar, and judge of the probate court of Suffix County.

Electronic reproduction. Marlborough, Wiltshire : AM, 2014. Digitized from a copy held by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

American history module 1

AM (Publisher), digitiser.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, owner.