John Endecott

endicott) (c.1589-1665. Puritan colonial governor of Massachusetts. Born in England, he emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts, in 1628, moved to Boston, and was chosen governor in 1629. After John Winthrop,* the already-appointed governor, arrived in the colony in 1630, Endecott's life was a stormy one. His hot temper and impetuous acts led to his removal from public office, fines for assault and battery, and a generally controversial career. His ineffective expeditions against the Indians may have led to the noted Pequot War in 1637. Following Winthrop's death, he served as governor for thirteen years; he was also active earlier in the founding of Harvard College. Always a zealous Puritan, he opposed the Quakers even to the extent of having some of them publicly executed. Some historians regard him as the real “Father of Massachusetts.”