John Greene Jr. (1620 – 27 November 1708) was a deputy governor of the

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was an English colony on the eastern coast of America, founded in 1636 by Puritan minister Roger Williams after his exile from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a haven for religious d ...

who spent almost his entire adult life in the public service of the colony.

Early life

Greene was born in Salisbury, England, and baptized at St. Thomas' Church on 15 August 1620. He was the son of John Greene Sr. (1558–1659) and Joan ( Tattersall) Greene (1598–1643), and sailed to

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

with his parents in 1635 aboard the ship ''James''. His father, after coming from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, became one of the original settlers of

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

Career

In 1652 Greene served in his first public role as a commissioner from Warwick, and served in some public capacity every year until 1690 when he was first chosen as deputy governor of the colony. From 1652 to 1663, he was Representative to the General Court (later known as the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

), Deputy in 1664, 1674, 1677, 1680, Assistant from 1660 to 1690, Warden for Warwick in 1658, General Recorder (precursor to Secretary of State) from 1652 to 1654, General Solicitor in 1655, and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

from 1657 to 1660. Greene served ten consecutive one-year terms in this capacity, retiring from public service in 1700 at the age of 80. He was one of the 10 Assistants named in the

Royal Charter of 1663 The Rhode Island Royal Charter provided royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, approved by England's King Charles II in July 1663. It superseded the 1643 Patent for Settlement and outlined many freedoms for ...

, which would become the basis for Rhode Island's government for nearly two centuries. During the devastating events of King Phillips War, Greene was one of 16 prominent inhabitants of the colony whose counsel was sought by the General Assembly.

Personal life

In 1648 Greene was married to Ann Agnes Almy in

East Greenwich, Rhode Island East Greenwich is a New England town, town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island, Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within ...

. Anne was the daughter of William Almy and Audry ( Barlow) Almy. Together, they had eleven children, including: * Deborah Greene (1649–1728), who married William Torrey, son of William Torrey, who both immigrated to America in 1640. * William Green (1653–1680), who married Mary Sayles, daughter of John Sayles and granddaughter of

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

, in 1674. After his death she married John Holmes. * Peter Greene (1654–1723), who married Elizabeth Arnold, daughter of Stephen Arnold. * Job Greene (1656–1745), who married Phebe Sayles, another daughter of John Sayles, in 1684. * Phillipa Greene (1658–1706), who married Caleb Carr, nephew of

Caleb Carr Caleb Carr (August 2, 1955 – May 23, 2024) was an American military historian and author. Carr was the second of three sons born to Lucien Carr and Francesca Von Hartz. Carr authored '' The Alienist'', '' The Angel of Darkness'', '' Casing t ...

. After his death in 1690, she married Charles Dickinson. * Richard Greene (1660–1711), who married Elinor Sayles, another daughter of John Sayles, in 1692. * Catherine Greene (1665–1753), who married Charles Holden, son of

Randall Holden Randall Holden (1692) was an early inhabitant of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, one of the original founders of Portsmouth, and one of the co-founders of the town of Warwick. He came to New England from Salisbury, Wilts ...

, in 1688. * Audora "Audrey" Greene (1667–1733), who married Speaker John Spencer, son of Dr. John Spencer. * Samuel Greene (1671–1720), who married Mary Gorton, a granddaughter of colonial president

Samuel Gorton Samuel Gorton (1593–1677) was an early settler and civic leader of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and President of the towns of Providence and Warwick. He had strong religious beliefs which differed from Puritan theol ...

. Greene died in Warwick on 27 November 1708.

Descendants

Through his youngest son Samuel, he was a grandfather of William Greene Sr., who served for 11 one-year terms as a governor of the colony, and a great-grandfather of William Greene Jr., who was a governor of the State of Rhode Island. Greene is also an ancestor of United States President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, as well as inventor

Thomas A. Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

, Canadian politician and religious leader

Nathan Eldon Tanner Nathan Eldon Tanner (May 9, 1898 – November 27, 1982) was a Canadian politician and a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1952 as a member of ...

, cowboy artist and inventor Earl W. Bascom and Hollywood actor

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

Images

File:Original Providence Rhode Island town layout of homesteads.jpg, File:Prov Home Lots.1.jpg, File:Greene.John.Jr.tombstone.SpringGreeneCem.Warwick.jpg,

References

External links

State list of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, John Jr. 1620 births 1708 deaths English emigrants Politicians from Warwick, Rhode Island Rhode Island attorneys general People from colonial Rhode Island Greene family (Rhode Island)