15th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
In office 1690–1695
Preceded by
Henry Bull
Succeeded by
Caleb Carr
8th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
In office 1674–1676
Governor
William Coddington
Preceded by
William Coddington
Succeeded by
John Cranston
3rd, 5th, 7th and 10th Attorney General of Rhode Island
In office May 1656 – May 1657
Governor
Roger Williams
Preceded by
John Cranston
Succeeded by
John Greene
In office May 1660 – May 1663
Governor
William Brenton Benedict Arnold
Preceded by
John Greene
Succeeded by
John Sanford
In office 1664–1670
Governor
Benedict Arnold William Brenton Benedict Arnold
Preceded by
John Sanford
Succeeded by
John Sanford
In office 1672–1674
Governor
Nicholas Easton
Preceded by
Joseph Torrey
Succeeded by
Peter Easton
Personal details
Born
baptized 19 December 1624 Romsey, Hampshire, England
Died
12 December 1705 Newport, Rhode Island
Resting place
Coddington Cemetery, Newport
Spouse
Mehitable Gaunt
Occupation
Deputy Governor, Governor
John Easton (1624–1705) was a political leader in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, devoting decades to public service before eventually becoming governor of the colony. Born in Hampshire, England, he sailed to New England with his widowed father and older brother, settling in Ipswich and Newbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. As a supporter of the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson during the Antinomian Controversy, his father was exiled, and settled in Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island (later called Rhode Island) with many other Hutchinson supporters. Here there was discord among the leaders of the settlement, and his father followed William Coddington to the south end of the island where they established the town of Newport. The younger Easton remained in Newport the remainder of his life, where he became involved in civil affairs before the age of 30.
Ultimately serving more than four decades in the public service of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Easton began as an Attorney General for the island towns of Portsmouth and Newport, soon fulfilling the same role for the entire colony. To this line of service he added positions as Commissioner, Deputy, and Assistant, for many years serving simultaneously in multiple roles. In 1674 he was elected to the office of deputy governor, serving for two years, with a part of his tenure being during King Philip's War, about which he published a written treatise. Following the overthrow of the Edmund Andros governorship under the Dominion of New England, Easton was elected as governor of the colony for five consecutive years. While in office his biggest concerns were funding the ongoing war that England was fighting with France, and dealing with the disruptive French privateers. Other issues during his tenure included a smallpox epidemic in Newport, charter issues having to do with Rhode Island's militia serving in other colonies, and the ongoing border line disputes with the neighboring colonies.
The son of the Quaker governor, Nicholas Easton, the younger Easton was also a lifelong Quaker, and following his death in 1705 was buried in the Coddington Cemetery in Newport where his father and several other Quaker governors are also interred.
JohnEaston (1624–1705) was a political leader in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, devoting decades to public service before eventually...
pp. 57-68 Easton and Holroyd, page 64. "'The Little Railway, Martigues', Augustus John OM, 1928". Tate. Easton and Holroyd, page 184. Easton and Holroyd...
JohnEaston Mills (October 14, 1796 – November 12, 1847) served briefly as mayor of Montreal, Quebec. In March 1846, Montreal city council deadlocked...
Michael Easton (born February 15, 1967) is an American film, television and voice actor, writer, and director. Although the Emmy-nominated actor may be...
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John Murray Easton (30 January 1889 – 19 August 1975) was a Scottish architect and the winner of the Royal Gold Medal for architecture awarded by the Royal...
Governor Easton may refer to: JohnEaston (1624–1705), 15th Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations from 1690 to 1695 Nicholas...
Attorney General Easton may refer to: JohnEaston (1624–1705), Attorney General of Rhode Island John J. Easton Jr. (born 1943), Attorney General of Vermont...
John Richard Easton (March 22, 1933 – December 2, 2019) was a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial The...
David Easton FRSC (June 24, 1917 – July 19, 2014) was a Canadian-born American political scientist. From 1947 to 1997, he served as a professor of political...
Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist...
Bay Colony towns of Ipswich, Newbury, and Hampton. Easton supported the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson during the Antinomian...
Dan Easton Corbin (born April 12, 1982) is an American country music singer. He signed to Mercury Records Nashville in 2009 and released his self-titled...
Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images...
Easton Gibbs (born April 27, 2001) is an American football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college...
1846 court judgement removed James Ferrier from office and appointed JohnEaston Mills to succeed him. "Joseph Bourret (1842-1844, 1847-1849) - La démocratie...
1916, JohnEaston April 6, 1917, JohnEaston April 5, 1918, JohnEaston April 4, 1919, JohnEaston April 2, 1920, JohnEaston April 1921, JohnEaston April...
at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Nina Easton was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, the daughter of James Easton, an aerospace...
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