William Wanton
Encyclopedia
William Wanton was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
, serving a short term prior to his death. He spent most of his adult life in the civil and military service of the colony, and commanded a sloop for chasing privateers.
; Boston
, Massachusetts
; and Scituate, Massachusetts
before coming to Rhode Island.
, Rhode Island
in 1698, and was thereafter very active in the civil and military affairs of the town and colony. In all but two years from 1705 to 1732, Wanton was either a deputy or an assistant, and for many of those years he was the Speaker of the House of Deputies. From 1705 to 1709 he was the Major for the island of Aquidneck, and from 1719 to 1720 he was Colonel of the island's militia regiment. Wanton commanded a sloop that he used to chase privateers, and in 1709 the General Assembly voted to buy his new sloop Diamond for 400 pounds, and also buy another sloop of which he was partial owner. In 1726 he was one of four commissioners from the Rhode Island colony selected to meet with commissioners from Connecticut
to settle the boundary line between the two colonies.
Wanton was elected governor of the Rhode Island colony in 1732, but only served one full term, dying in office during his second term. He was buried in the Clifton Burying Ground
in Newport.
. There were no known children by this marriage. Long after his death, his widow married in 1745 Daniel Updike. Wanton's brother, John Wanton
, succeeded him as governor, his nephew Gideon Wanton
was later governor, and his son Joseph Wanton
, who had loyalist
sympathies, was deposed as governor at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
.
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
, serving a short term prior to his death. He spent most of his adult life in the civil and military service of the colony, and commanded a sloop for chasing privateers.
Life
Wanton was the son of Edward Wanton who was a ship builder, and who became a Quaker after witnessing the persecution of these people, also becoming a preacher of that religion. His father had lived in York, MaineYork, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. The population in the 2000 census was 12,854. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and...
; Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
; and Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....
before coming to Rhode Island.
Civil and military affairs
Wanton was a merchant who was made a freeman of NewportNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
in 1698, and was thereafter very active in the civil and military affairs of the town and colony. In all but two years from 1705 to 1732, Wanton was either a deputy or an assistant, and for many of those years he was the Speaker of the House of Deputies. From 1705 to 1709 he was the Major for the island of Aquidneck, and from 1719 to 1720 he was Colonel of the island's militia regiment. Wanton commanded a sloop that he used to chase privateers, and in 1709 the General Assembly voted to buy his new sloop Diamond for 400 pounds, and also buy another sloop of which he was partial owner. In 1726 he was one of four commissioners from the Rhode Island colony selected to meet with commissioners from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to settle the boundary line between the two colonies.
Wanton was elected governor of the Rhode Island colony in 1732, but only served one full term, dying in office during his second term. He was buried in the Clifton Burying Ground
Clifton Burying Ground
The Clifton Burying Ground is an early colonial cemetery located in Newport, Rhode Island. It is a Quaker cemetery, and has the graves of four Rhode Island colonial governors.- Description :...
in Newport.
Family
Wanton was twice married, first to Ruth Bryant, the daughter of John and Mary (Hiland) Bryant, and by this marriage had nine children. In 1717, at the age of 46, he married a second time to 15-year old Mary Godfrey (b. 23 March 1702), the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Carr) Godfrey, and granddaughter of Governor Caleb CarrCaleb Carr (Governor)
Caleb Carr was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a very short term prior to his death by drowning. In 1635, at the age of 11, he sailed from England on the ship Elizabeth and Ann with his older brother Robert...
. There were no known children by this marriage. Long after his death, his widow married in 1745 Daniel Updike. Wanton's brother, John Wanton
John Wanton
John Wanton was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for six consecutive terms from 1734 to 1740. He was the son of Edward Wanton who was a ship builder, and who became a Quaker after witnessing the persecution of these people, also becoming a preacher of...
, succeeded him as governor, his nephew Gideon Wanton
Gideon Wanton
Gideon Wanton was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations who served for two separate one-year terms. His father was Joseph Wanton, a shipbuilder in Tiverton, and his mother was Sarah Freeborn, the daughter of Gideon and Sarah Freeborn...
was later governor, and his son Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton
Joseph Wanton was a merchant and governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1769 to 1775. Not wanting to go to war with Britain, he has been branded as a Loyalist, but he remained neutral during the war, and he and his property were not disturbed.Born in Newport of a...
, who had loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
sympathies, was deposed as governor at the beginning of the American Revolutionary War
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...
.
See also
- List of colonial governors of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...