Edward Hopkins
Encyclopedia
Edward Hopkins was an English colonist and politician and Governor of the Connecticut Colony. Active on both sides of the Atlantic, he was a founder of the New Haven
and Connecticut
colonies, serving seven one-year terms as governor of Connecticut. He returned to England in the 1650s, where he was politically active in the administration
of Oliver Cromwell
. He remained in England despite being elected governor of Connecticut in 1655, and died in London in 1657. A supporter of education, he was benefactor to a number of early schools, including Harvard College
and the Hopkins School
of New Haven, Connecticut
.
, Shropshire
, England
to Edward Hopkins and Katharine Lello Hopkins. Educated at a grammar school in Shrewsbury, he went to London
, where he became a successful merchant engaging in trade with the Near East
. He may have benefited from connections with his uncle, Sir Henry Lello
, who served for a time as English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
.
He became involved in efforts to establish a colony on the shore of Long Island Sound
that were under the aegis of the Lord Say and Sele
and Baron Brooke
. Although Hopkins was not apparently a signer of the Saybrook Colony
's patent, he was involved in procuring provisions for the colonization effort's inaugural expedition in 1635, headed by Lion Gardiner
. After restrictions were placed on emigration to New England, the proprietors of the venture essentially abandoned it.
In 1637 he joined a venture led by Theophilus Eaton
, an indirect relation through his wife, and John Davenport which led to the establishment of a settlement at the mouth of the Quinnipiac River
and the founding of the New Haven Colony
. Two months later he was sent north to recently-founded Hartford
on the Connecticut River
to negotiate additional land purchases for the New Haven colonists, but decided to instead stay in Hartford, becoming one of the early settlers of the Connecticut Colony
. In the colony's first election in 1639 he became one of several Assistants to the General Court
. Then, in 1640 Hopkins was elected governor. Because the colony's charter forbade reelection to the governorship, Hopkins and John Haynes
(Connecticut's first governor) traded off as governor (save one term by George Wyllys
) between 1639 and 1655, each serving as Deputy Governor to the other when not governor.
Hopkins survived an assassination attempt in 1646 by a Native American tribe, made because Connecticut protected the chief of their rival tribe. He advocated the New England Confederation
, serving as one of its commissioners. Even though he invested significantly in the colony, he also made money, supplying the colony with provisions from Europe and monopolizing the local fur trade among other activities.
Hopkins returned to England several times during his rotating stints as governor. Oliver Cromwell
appointed him a commissioner of the Royal Navy
(later admiralty commissioner
), oversaw the printing of the New Haven Colony's first laws, and served in the English Parliament
during Cromwell's reign.
Hopkins was elected Connecticut's governor a final time in 1655 (despite still being in England) as an attempt by Connecticut residents to draw back their well-respected governor. He did not return, however, and the lieutenant governor Thomas Welles
served out Hopkins' final term. Hopkins died in March 1657 in the London parish of St Olave Hart Street
.
in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Hopkins Classical School
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. The creation of such a school was the wish of John Davenport, founder of the New Haven colony. Hopkinton, Massachusetts
, named for him, was established on land purchased using funds from his estate.
New Haven Colony
The New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...
and Connecticut
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
colonies, serving seven one-year terms as governor of Connecticut. He returned to England in the 1650s, where he was politically active in the administration
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. He remained in England despite being elected governor of Connecticut in 1655, and died in London in 1657. A supporter of education, he was benefactor to a number of early schools, including Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and the Hopkins School
Hopkins School
The Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational day school, located in New Haven, Connecticut....
of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.
Biography
Edward Hopkins was born in 1600 in ShrewsburyShrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Edward Hopkins and Katharine Lello Hopkins. Educated at a grammar school in Shrewsbury, he went to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he became a successful merchant engaging in trade with the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
. He may have benefited from connections with his uncle, Sir Henry Lello
Henry Lello
Sir Henry Lello was an English diplomat, warden of the Fleet Prison, and Keeper of the Palace of Westminster.Lello went to Constantinople as an attache to the English Embassy to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire and in 1598 was appointed ambassador....
, who served for a time as English ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
He became involved in efforts to establish a colony on the shore of Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
that were under the aegis of the Lord Say and Sele
William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele
William Fiennes, 1st Viscount Saye and Sele was born at the family home of Broughton Castle near Banbury, in Oxfordshire. He was the only son of Richard Fiennes, seventh Baron Saye and Sele...
and Baron Brooke
Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke
Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke was an English Civil War Roundhead General.Greville was the cousin and adopted son of Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, and thus became 2nd Lord Brooke, and owner of Warwick Castle. He was born in 1607, and entered parliament for Warwickshire in 1628...
. Although Hopkins was not apparently a signer of the Saybrook Colony
Saybrook Colony
The Saybrook Colony was established in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River in present day Old Saybrook, Connecticut by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop, the Governor of Massachusetts. The former was designated Governor by the original settlers which included Colonel...
's patent, he was involved in procuring provisions for the colonization effort's inaugural expedition in 1635, headed by Lion Gardiner
Lion Gardiner
Lion Gardiner , an early English settler and soldier in the New World, founded the first English settlement in what became the state of New York on Long Island. His legacy includes Gardiners Island, which is held by his descendants.-Early life:...
. After restrictions were placed on emigration to New England, the proprietors of the venture essentially abandoned it.
In 1637 he joined a venture led by Theophilus Eaton
Theophilus Eaton
Theophilus Eaton was a merchant, farmer, and Puritan colonial leader who was the co-founder and first governor of New Haven Colony, Connecticut.-Early life and first marriage:...
, an indirect relation through his wife, and John Davenport which led to the establishment of a settlement at the mouth of the Quinnipiac River
Quinnipiac River
The Quinnipiac River is a river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of Connecticut.It rises in west central Connecticut from Dead Wood Swamp west of the city of New Britain...
and the founding of the New Haven Colony
New Haven Colony
The New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...
. Two months later he was sent north to recently-founded Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
to negotiate additional land purchases for the New Haven colonists, but decided to instead stay in Hartford, becoming one of the early settlers of the Connecticut Colony
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
. In the colony's first election in 1639 he became one of several Assistants to the General Court
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
. Then, in 1640 Hopkins was elected governor. Because the colony's charter forbade reelection to the governorship, Hopkins and John Haynes
John Haynes
John Haynes , also sometimes spelled Haines, was a colonial magistrate and one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony...
(Connecticut's first governor) traded off as governor (save one term by George Wyllys
George Wyllys
George Wyllys or Wyllis served for a year as one of the early governors of the Connecticut Colony.Born at the manor of Fenny Compton in Warwickshire, England, to Richard and Hester Willis, part of an old, wealthy family. His first cousins Thomas and Richard, were baronets of Fen Ditton,...
) between 1639 and 1655, each serving as Deputy Governor to the other when not governor.
Hopkins survived an assassination attempt in 1646 by a Native American tribe, made because Connecticut protected the chief of their rival tribe. He advocated the New England Confederation
New England Confederation
The United Colonies of New England, commonly known as the New England Confederation, was a short-lived military alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven. Established in 1643, its primary purpose was to unite the Puritan colonies against the Native...
, serving as one of its commissioners. Even though he invested significantly in the colony, he also made money, supplying the colony with provisions from Europe and monopolizing the local fur trade among other activities.
Hopkins returned to England several times during his rotating stints as governor. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
appointed him a commissioner of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(later admiralty commissioner
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
), oversaw the printing of the New Haven Colony's first laws, and served in the English Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
during Cromwell's reign.
Hopkins was elected Connecticut's governor a final time in 1655 (despite still being in England) as an attempt by Connecticut residents to draw back their well-respected governor. He did not return, however, and the lieutenant governor Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles
Thomas Welles is the only man in Connecticut's history to hold all four top offices: governor, deputy governor, treasurer, and secretary. In 1639, he was elected as the first treasurer of the Colony of Connecticut, and from 1640–1649 served as the colony's secretary...
served out Hopkins' final term. Hopkins died in March 1657 in the London parish of St Olave Hart Street
St Olave Hart Street
St Olave Hart Street is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane near Fenchurch Street railway station....
.
Legacy
Money from Hopkins' estate funded the creation of Hopkins SchoolHopkins School
The Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational day school, located in New Haven, Connecticut....
in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Hopkins Classical School
Hopkins Classical School
The Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a secondary school located near the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Dana Street. It received financial support from the bequest of Edward Hopkins. Staff included John Benjamin Henck. Students included George Martin Lane, William C....
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. The creation of such a school was the wish of John Davenport, founder of the New Haven colony. Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...
, named for him, was established on land purchased using funds from his estate.