William Browne (February 27, 1737 – February 13, 1802) was a justice of the

Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fun ...

(the highest court of the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

) from 1774 to 1775, and

Governor of Bermuda The governor of Bermuda (officially Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)) is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this arti ...

from 1782 to 1788.

Early life

Born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

on February 27, 1737, son of Samuel Browne Jr. and Catherine Winthrop. He was the part of the prominent Browne family of Salem, and through his mother's side, he was descended from four colonial governors, including

John Winthrop John Winthrop (January 12, 1588 – March 26, 1649) was an English Puritan lawyer and a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the second major settlement in New England following Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the fir ...

. Browne attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

and was classmate and friend of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

. His college portrait was painted by notable artist Joseph Blackburn. He graduated in 1755 and was valedictorian of his class. Browne married Ruth Wanton, daughter of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

Governor Joseph Wanton. In 1762 he was appointed as collector of the port of Salem, a position he held until 1766 when he was dismissed for sympathizing with colonist on the

Sugar Act The Sugar Act 1764 or Sugar Act 1763 ( 4 Geo. 3. c. 15), also known as the American Revenue Act 1764 or the American Duties Act, was a revenue-raising act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on 5 April 1764. The preamble to the act stat ...

. William Browne was also a colonel of the Essex County militia.

Massachusetts judge

William Browne was appointed a judge in Essex County from 1770, and later appointed to the Massachusetts high court in 1774, following the death of Nathaniel Ropes. He was appointed by Governor Thomas Hutchinson, though his appointment was approved during the tenure of Governor

Thomas Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America, including serving as Commander-in-Chief, North America during the early days ...

American Revolution

Browne was forced out of office during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, in part for refusing to reject the heightened salary granted to judges by the Crown. He was also appointed a ''mandamus councilor'' to Governor Gage, a post he refused to resign, earning him widespread dislike in Massachusetts. This refusal led to the resignation of all of the officers of the Essex County militia regiment he led. In 1774, he and his family fled to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Seizure of property

Browne left Massachusetts for England in 1776, and his extensive family properties in Salem were later seized by the state in 1781. This included: his mansion in downtown

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 ...

, along with his farmhouse on the Marblehead and Salem border, that would eventually become known as the General Glover Farmhouse in present day

Swampscott Swampscott () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located up the coast from Boston in an area known as the North Shore. The population was 15,111 as of the 2020 United States census. A former summer resort on Massachusetts ...

, and the remnants of Browne Hall that he inherited in what is now present day Danvers. This site would later be mentioned by

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

in his writing ''Browne's Folly''. Of all his properties, its believed only his farmhouse is still standing.

Governor of Bermuda

William Browne was appointed

by the prime minister,

Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford (13 April 17325 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North, which he used from 1752 to 1790, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the ...

, in 1781. Arriving in Bermuda in 1782, he immediately took steps to improve the island's defenses and raising militia companies heavily populated with exiled

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

s. Following American independence, he sought to establish trade with the new

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and make

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

free port A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to ...

. Browne eventually received some financial compensation from the British government for his family's losses.

Later life and death

William Browne would retire as governor at the age of 51, and move to

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, England. He would leave

in better shape than he found it, having established commerce with the new

that would ensure the islands economic sustainability. Browne is noted as saying that “Bermuda is divided on domestic business, but it is united in its loyalty to His Majesty”. William Browne died in England on February 13, 1802.

remembered his friend and former classmate as "a solid, judicious character...They made him a judge of the superior court and that society made of him a refugee. A Tory I verily believe he never was."

References

1737 births 1802 deaths Lawyers from Salem, Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature Governors of Bermuda {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub