John Spencer JP (20 April 1666 – 1743) was a colonial Rhode Island politician.

Early life

Spencer was born on 20 April 1666 in

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

in 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 ...

. He was the eldest son of nine children born to Dr. John Spencer (1638–1684), who was made freeman of Newport in 1668, and Susannah ( Griffin) Spencer (1644–1719). His paternal grandfather, Michael Spencer, was born in Stotfold, Bedford, England before emigrating to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

aboard the ship ''

Mary and John ''Mary and John'' was a 400-ton ship that is known to have sailed between England and the American colonies four times from 1607 to 1634. Named in tribute to John and Mary Winthrop she was captained by Robert Davies and owned by Roger Ludlow ( ...

'' in 1634, first settling at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

before moving to Lynn. After his grandfather's death, his grandmother Isabel remarried to Thomas Robbins before her death in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

in 1674. His maternal grandparents were Robert and Hannah Griffin.

Career

Spencer was a prominent landowner and Justice of the Peace and a

cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

by trade. He served as Deputy (precursor to Representative) to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

between 1699 and 1729, as well as Speaker of the House of Deputies from February 1712 to May 1712.

Personal life

Spencer was married to Audrey Greene (1667–1733), a daughter of Deputy Governor John Greene Jr. and granddaughter of John Greene, an early settler of the

who was one of the 12 original proprietors of Providence and a co-founder of the town 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 ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * John Spencer (1693–1774), who married his second cousin, Mary Frye, daughter of Deputy Governor

Thomas Frye Thomas Frye (c. 1710 – 3 April 1762) was an Anglo-Irish artist, best known for his portraits in oil and pastel, including some miniatures and his early mezzotint engravings. He was also the patentee of the Bow porcelain factory, London, ...

and Welthyan ( Greene) Frye, in 1716. After her death in 1732, he married her younger sister, Elizabeth, in 1740. * William Spencer (1695–1776), who married Elizabeth Rice, daughter of John Rice and Elnathan ( Whipple) Rice and great-granddaughter of Capt.

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 1716. Spencer died in

East Greenwich East Greenwich is a town and the county seat of Kent County, Rhode Island. The population was 14,312 at the 2020 census. East Greenwich is the wealthiest municipality within the state of Rhode Island. It is part of the Providence metropolitan s ...

in 1743.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, John 1666 births 1743 deaths American people of English descent People from Newport, Rhode Island People from colonial Rhode Island Speakers of the Rhode Island House of Deputies