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John Penn (governor)
Encyclopedia
John Penn was the last governor of colonial Pennsylvania, serving in that office from 1763 to 1771 and from 1773 to 1776. He was also one of the Penn family proprietors
of the Province of Pennsylvania
from 1771 until 1776, when the creation of the independent Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
during the American Revolution
removed the Penn family from power.
and Hannah Lardner. Richard had inherited a one-fourth interest in the Pennsylvania proprietorship from his father, Pennsylvania founder William Penn
, which provided him with a fairly comfortable living. Richard's older brother Thomas Penn
—John Penn's uncle—controlled the other three-fourths of the proprietorship. Thomas did not have any sons while John Penn was in his youth, and so John stood to inherit the entire proprietorship (one-fourth from his father and three-fourths from his uncle). John's upbringing was therefore of concern to the whole family.
In 1747, when he was eighteen years old and still in school, John Penn clandestinely married a daughter of Dr. James Cox of London. The Penn family disapproved of the marriage, believing that the woman had married John to get a piece of the family fortune. For awhile, John's father refused to speak to him because of the marriage. Thomas Penn, John's uncle, sent him to Geneva to study and to get him away from his wife. John apparently regretted his youthful indiscretion and made no effort to contact his wife. The Cox family sued Penn for support in 1755, but after that time no further reference to Penn's first wife appears in the Penn family records. How the marriage was dissolved is unknown.
John Penn first arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752, when his uncle Thomas sent him to the province as a sort of political apprentice to Governor James Hamilton
. Penn served on the governor's council
, associating with important Penn family appointees such as Richard Peters
and William Allen
. In 1754, Penn attended the Albany Conference alongside other Pennsylvania delegates, including Peters, Benjamin Franklin
, and Isaac Norris
, but Penn's role was primarily as an observer.
From his home in England, chief proprietor Thomas Penn soon became alarmed at John's extravagant expenses. Peters reported John's close association with an Italian musician whose rent Penn paid and at whose home Penn stayed until two or three in the morning. The "debauched" musician was, in turn, "constantly tagging after him". Thomas Penn summoned his nephew John back home in late 1755.
, the Paxton Boys
, border disputes with other colonies, controversy over the taxation of Penn family lands, and the efforts of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, led by Benjamin Franklin
, to have the Penn proprietary government replaced with a royal government.
In 1766, Penn married Anne Allen, daughter of William Allen
. Penn reluctantly returned to England in 1771 after his father's death, where he took over his father's affairs as one of the proprietors of Pennsylvania. John's brother Richard Penn, Jr.
, was appointed governor in his place, but Richard proved to be a poor choice in the opinion of chief proprietor Thomas Penn, and so John was reappointed governor in 1773. Two years later Thomas Penn died, and the chief proprietorship passed to his son, also named John Penn
, then still a teenager attending school.
would threaten their proprietary interests. After the War of Independence
began at Lexington and Concord
, John Penn watched with apprehension as Pennsylvanians formed themselves into militia
companies and prepared for war. Soon after the Declaration of Independence
was adopted, "Patriots" (or "Whigs")
in Pennsylvania created the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution
, which replaced Penn's government with a Supreme Executive Council. With no real power at his command, Penn remained aloof and carefully neutral, hoping the radicals would be defeated or at least reconciled with Great Britain.
The war soon began to go badly for the revolutionaries. In August 1777, as General William Howe
begain his campaign to capture Philadelphia
, American soldiers arrived at Penn's Lansdowne estate near Philadelphia and demanded that he sign a parole
stating that he would do nothing to harm the revolutionary cause. Penn refused and was taken to Philadelphia, where he was kept under house arrest. As Howe's army drew nearer, Penn was threatened with exile to another colony, and he finally signed the parole. As Howe finally approached Philadelphia, Patriot leaders exiled him anyway to an Allen family estate in New Jersey
called "the Union", about 50 miles (80.5 km) from Philadelphia in present Union Township
. Anne Penn stayed in Philadelphia to look after family affairs while British forces occupied the city, but she later joined her husband in New Jersey.
After the British evacuated Philadelphia, John and Anne Penn returned to the city in July 1778. The new government of Pennsylvania had become more radical, requiring that everyone take a loyalty oath
to the Commonwealth or face confiscation of their property. With the consent of his family, John Penn took the oath. While this protected Penn's private lands and manors, the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Divestment Act of 1779, confiscating about 24000000 acres (97,124.6 km²) of unsold lands held by the proprietorship, and abolishing the practice of paying quitrents for new purchases. As compensation, the Penns were paid £130,000, a fraction of what the lands were worth, but a surprisingly large sum nonetheless. Penn retired to Lansdowne and quietly waited out the final years of the war.
For several years after the war, John Penn, along with his cousin John Penn "of Stoke"
, lobbied the Pennsylvania government for greater compensation for the confiscated property. Failing there, they traveled to England to seek additional compensation from Parliament, which awarded them £4,000 per year in perpetuity. Returning to Pennsylvania, Penn lived the rest of his life quietly at Lansdowne. After his 1795 death, Penn, an Anglican
, was buried under the floor of Christ Church, Philadelphia
, the only proprietor buried in Pennsylvania. Some older accounts state that his remains were eventually taken back to England, but there are no records of this.
Proprietary colony
A proprietary colony was a colony in which one or more individuals, usually land owners, remaining subject to their parent state's sanctions, retained rights that are today regarded as the privilege of the state, and in all cases eventually became so....
of the Province of Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
from 1771 until 1776, when the creation of the independent Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
removed the Penn family from power.
Early years
John Penn was born in London, the eldest son of Richard PennRichard Penn, Sr.
Richard Penn was a proprietary and titular governor of the province of Pennsylvania and the counties of New Castle, Kent, and Sussex on the Delaware River....
and Hannah Lardner. Richard had inherited a one-fourth interest in the Pennsylvania proprietorship from his father, Pennsylvania founder William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
, which provided him with a fairly comfortable living. Richard's older brother Thomas Penn
Thomas Penn
Thomas Penn was a son of William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony that became the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Thomas Penn was born in Bristol, England after his father returned there in 1701 because of financial difficulties...
—John Penn's uncle—controlled the other three-fourths of the proprietorship. Thomas did not have any sons while John Penn was in his youth, and so John stood to inherit the entire proprietorship (one-fourth from his father and three-fourths from his uncle). John's upbringing was therefore of concern to the whole family.
In 1747, when he was eighteen years old and still in school, John Penn clandestinely married a daughter of Dr. James Cox of London. The Penn family disapproved of the marriage, believing that the woman had married John to get a piece of the family fortune. For awhile, John's father refused to speak to him because of the marriage. Thomas Penn, John's uncle, sent him to Geneva to study and to get him away from his wife. John apparently regretted his youthful indiscretion and made no effort to contact his wife. The Cox family sued Penn for support in 1755, but after that time no further reference to Penn's first wife appears in the Penn family records. How the marriage was dissolved is unknown.
John Penn first arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752, when his uncle Thomas sent him to the province as a sort of political apprentice to Governor James Hamilton
James Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
James Hamilton , son of the well-known Philadelphia lawyer Andrew Hamilton, was a prominent lawyer and governmental figure in colonial Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.-Life:...
. Penn served on the governor's council
Pennsylvania Provincial Council
The Pennsylvania Provincial Council helped govern the Province of Pennsylvania from 1682 to 1776.-References:*----...
, associating with important Penn family appointees such as Richard Peters
Richard Peters (cleric)
Richard Peters was an American cleric and a civil servant in colonial Pennsylvania. For many years he was the rector of Christ Church in Philadelphia....
and William Allen
William Allen (loyalist)
William Allen was a wealthy merchant, Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia. At the time of the American Revolution, Allen was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia...
. In 1754, Penn attended the Albany Conference alongside other Pennsylvania delegates, including Peters, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, and Isaac Norris
Isaac Norris (II)
Isaac Norris was a merchant and statesman in provincial Pennsylvania.-Early life and education:Isaac Norris was born in Philadelphia in 1701, the son of Isaac Norris, a prosperous Quaker merchant and original participant in William Penn's establishment of the colony of Pennsylvania...
, but Penn's role was primarily as an observer.
From his home in England, chief proprietor Thomas Penn soon became alarmed at John's extravagant expenses. Peters reported John's close association with an Italian musician whose rent Penn paid and at whose home Penn stayed until two or three in the morning. The "debauched" musician was, in turn, "constantly tagging after him". Thomas Penn summoned his nephew John back home in late 1755.
Governorship
In 1763, Thomas Penn sent his nephew John back to Pennsylvania to take over the governorship of the colony from Hamilton. The Penns were not displeased with Hamilton, but John was finally prepared to claim a place in family affairs. He took the oath of office as governor—officially "lieutenant governor"—on 31 October 1763. The new governor faced many challenges: Pontiac's RebellionPontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Conspiracy, or Pontiac's Rebellion was a war that was launched in 1763 by a loose confederation of elements of Native American tribes primarily from the Great Lakes region, the Illinois Country, and Ohio Country who were dissatisfied with British postwar policies in the...
, the Paxton Boys
Paxton Boys
The Paxton Boys were a vigilante group who murdered 20 Susquehannock in events collectively called the Conestoga Massacre. Scots-Irish frontiersmen from central Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River formed a vigilante group to retaliate against local American Indians in the aftermath of the...
, border disputes with other colonies, controversy over the taxation of Penn family lands, and the efforts of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, led by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, to have the Penn proprietary government replaced with a royal government.
In 1766, Penn married Anne Allen, daughter of William Allen
William Allen (loyalist)
William Allen was a wealthy merchant, Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia. At the time of the American Revolution, Allen was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia...
. Penn reluctantly returned to England in 1771 after his father's death, where he took over his father's affairs as one of the proprietors of Pennsylvania. John's brother Richard Penn, Jr.
Richard Penn (governor)
Richard Penn, Jr. served as the Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania from 1771 to 1773, and was later a member of the British Parliament....
, was appointed governor in his place, but Richard proved to be a poor choice in the opinion of chief proprietor Thomas Penn, and so John was reappointed governor in 1773. Two years later Thomas Penn died, and the chief proprietorship passed to his son, also named John Penn
John Penn (writer)
John Penn was an Anglo-American writer, a part proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania , and a governor of the Isle of Portland.-Life:John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn and his wife Juliana John Penn (aka "John Penn, Jr."[sic], "John Penn of Stoke") (22 February 1760, London, England – 21...
, then still a teenager attending school.
Revolution and after
The Penns were slow to perceive that the growing unrest which became the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
would threaten their proprietary interests. After the War of Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
began at Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
, John Penn watched with apprehension as Pennsylvanians formed themselves into militia
Militia (United States)
The role of militia, also known as military service and duty, in the United States is complex and has transformed over time.Spitzer, Robert J.: The Politics of Gun Control, Page 36. Chatham House Publishers, Inc., 1995. " The term militia can be used to describe any number of groups within the...
companies and prepared for war. Soon after the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
was adopted, "Patriots" (or "Whigs")
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
in Pennsylvania created the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution
Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776 was the state's first constitution following the Declaration of Independence, and has been described as the most democratic in America. It was drafted by Robert Whitehill, Timothy Matlack, Dr. Thomas Young, George Bryan, James Cannon, and Benjamin Franklin...
, which replaced Penn's government with a Supreme Executive Council. With no real power at his command, Penn remained aloof and carefully neutral, hoping the radicals would be defeated or at least reconciled with Great Britain.
The war soon began to go badly for the revolutionaries. In August 1777, as General William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
begain his campaign to capture Philadelphia
Philadelphia campaign
The Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
, American soldiers arrived at Penn's Lansdowne estate near Philadelphia and demanded that he sign a parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
stating that he would do nothing to harm the revolutionary cause. Penn refused and was taken to Philadelphia, where he was kept under house arrest. As Howe's army drew nearer, Penn was threatened with exile to another colony, and he finally signed the parole. As Howe finally approached Philadelphia, Patriot leaders exiled him anyway to an Allen family estate in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
called "the Union", about 50 miles (80.5 km) from Philadelphia in present Union Township
Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 6,160 people, 1,666 households, and 1,162 families residing in the township. The population density was 324.8 people per square mile . There were 1,725 housing units at an average density of 90.9 per square mile...
. Anne Penn stayed in Philadelphia to look after family affairs while British forces occupied the city, but she later joined her husband in New Jersey.
After the British evacuated Philadelphia, John and Anne Penn returned to the city in July 1778. The new government of Pennsylvania had become more radical, requiring that everyone take a loyalty oath
Loyalty oath
A loyalty oath is an oath of loyalty to an organization, institution, or state of which an individual is a member.In this context, a loyalty oath is distinct from pledge or oath of allegiance...
to the Commonwealth or face confiscation of their property. With the consent of his family, John Penn took the oath. While this protected Penn's private lands and manors, the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the Divestment Act of 1779, confiscating about 24000000 acres (97,124.6 km²) of unsold lands held by the proprietorship, and abolishing the practice of paying quitrents for new purchases. As compensation, the Penns were paid £130,000, a fraction of what the lands were worth, but a surprisingly large sum nonetheless. Penn retired to Lansdowne and quietly waited out the final years of the war.
For several years after the war, John Penn, along with his cousin John Penn "of Stoke"
John Penn (writer)
John Penn was an Anglo-American writer, a part proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania , and a governor of the Isle of Portland.-Life:John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn and his wife Juliana John Penn (aka "John Penn, Jr."[sic], "John Penn of Stoke") (22 February 1760, London, England – 21...
, lobbied the Pennsylvania government for greater compensation for the confiscated property. Failing there, they traveled to England to seek additional compensation from Parliament, which awarded them £4,000 per year in perpetuity. Returning to Pennsylvania, Penn lived the rest of his life quietly at Lansdowne. After his 1795 death, Penn, an Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, was buried under the floor of Christ Church, Philadelphia
Christ Church, Philadelphia
Christ Church is an Episcopal church located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1695 by members of the Church of England, who built a small wooden church on the site by the next year. When the congregation outgrew this structure some twenty years later, they decided to erect a new...
, the only proprietor buried in Pennsylvania. Some older accounts state that his remains were eventually taken back to England, but there are no records of this.
See also
- John Penn ("the American")John Penn ("the American")John Penn was a proprietor of colonial Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of the colony's founder, William Penn, by his second wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn...
(1700–1746), Pennsylvania proprietor, the only son of William PennWilliam PennWilliam Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...
born in America - John Penn "of Stoke"John Penn (writer)John Penn was an Anglo-American writer, a part proprietor of the Province of Pennsylvania , and a governor of the Isle of Portland.-Life:John Penn was the son of Thomas Penn and his wife Juliana John Penn (aka "John Penn, Jr."[sic], "John Penn of Stoke") (22 February 1760, London, England – 21...
(1760–1834), another grandson of William Penn, son of Thomas Penn - List of colonial governors of Pennsylvania has information about proprietors as well as governors
External links
- Biography and portrait at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- John Penn's House, Philadelphia