Walter Clarke (governor)
Encyclopedia
Walter Clarke was an early Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke
, he was a Quaker like his father. While in his late 20s, he was elected as a Deputy from Newport, and in 1673 was elected to his first of three consecutive terms as Assistant. During King Philip's War
he was elected to his first term as Governor of the colony. He served for one year in this role, dealing with the devastation of the war, and with the predatory demands of neighboring colonies on Rhode Island territory during the aftermath of the war.
While voted out of office in 1677 by the "War Party," he was soon back in office as Deputy Governor, serving continuously in this capacity from 1679 to 1686, until once again being elected Governor. His time in office was very short, because the new English king, James II
put most of the American colonies under a single Royal Governor, Edmund Andros
, and Rhode Island fell under the Dominion of New England
for three years. The flight of King James II to France in 1689, and the subsequent ouster of Andros from New England, brought about the restoration of Rhode Island's government under the Royal Charter of 1663
, but Clarke refused to serve as governor. Eventually, following the death of Governor Caleb Carr
in 1695, Clarke once again accepted the governorship.
His final two years as governor were marred with jurisdictional issues from the crown, and following the threat of impeachment, he resigned as governor in the spring of 1698, being succeeded by his nephew, Samuel Cranston
. Always with public service in his heart, he nevertheless became Deputy Governor of the colony in 1700, and served in this capacity every year until his death in 1714.
Clarke had a total of four wives, the second of whom was a niece of Anne Hutchinson
and the third of whom was a daughter of Roger Williams
. Two of his sisters married colonial Rhode Island governors.
on Aquidneck Island
(later Rhode Island), Walter Clarke was the son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke
, an early Quaker settler of the colony, and became a Quaker himself. In 1667 Clarke was elected as a Deputy to the General Assembly from Newport, launching a public career that would span nearly half a century. He was again elected Deputy in 1670, 1672, and 1673, and then was chosen as an Assistant for three years from 1673 to 1676. Under the Royal Charter of 1663
, the freemen of the colony elected a Governor, Deputy Governor, ten Assistants, and a number of Deputies from each town, the entire body being called the General Assembly. Eventually, the House of Deputies became the Lower House of the legislature, and the Assistants became the Upper House (Senate). The Assembly met twice a year, in May and October, and also acted as the judiciary for the colony, in conjunction with the Governor and Deputy Governor. The biggest concern of the colony during Clarke's tenure as Deputy or Assistant was depredation of Rhode Island's territory by the neighboring colonies, particularly Massachusetts
and Connecticut
.
, Clarke was elected Governor of the colony. Most of the settlers on the mainland (Providence and Warwick) fled to Aquidneck Island
where Newport and Portsmouth were located. A flotilla of sloops, or gunboats, each with five or six men, sailed constantly around the island to ward off possible attackers. The mainland settlements were largely destroyed, including most houses and fields for crops. Since the Rhode Island colony was about half Quaker during this timeframe, a 1673 law was enacted exempting men from military duty if bearing arms was against their consciences. During the war the act was repealed in May 1676, but it was re-enacted six months later at the October meeting of the General Assembly. Also during this October session, a letter of remonstrance was sent to the Connecticut colony concerning claims in the Narragansett country. In May 1677 the "War Party" won most of the seats in the General Assembly, and Benedict Arnold
was elected Governor. Clarke stepped down from power for two years, but in 1679 he was elected Deputy Governor, and served in that role continuously until 1686, when he was once again elected Governor.
to the English throne, with a new policy in regards to the American colonies. Edward Randolph
was sent to America to establish a temporary government over the colonies until a permanent government could be established. Joseph Dudley
and his council held court at Narragansett in June 1686, making the territory, named King's Province, independent of any colony. Edmund Andros
was appointed the Royal Governor over all of the New England colonies under the Dominion of New England
, and when the May 1686 General Assembly adjourned in June, it would not reconvene again for nearly four years. To keep from losing all legislative power, the Rhode Islanders placed this power in the individual towns, thus maintaining much of the colony's liberties during the rule of Andros.
When Andros took power in the Rhode Island colony, he had seven counselors, of whom Clarke was one. When the royal governor came to Newport to take possession of the colony's Royal Charter
, Clarke had shrewdly sent the document to his brother's with instructions to not tell him where it was. One favorable outcome of the Andros' regime was the eventual return to Rhode Island of the formerly disputed Narragansett country claimed by Humphrey Atherton
and his company. In 1689 King James fled to France, after which William and Mary
ascended to the throne of England. Andros was ousted from New England, and the Royal Charter of 1663 once again became the governing document of the Rhode Island colony.
was elected in his place. His position changed several years later, however, when in December 1695 Governor Caleb Carr
died in office, and Clarke was chosen as governor in his place, probably during an extra session of the General Assembly held in January 1696, though there is no record of such a meeting. A plot to assassinate England's protestant King William III
was revealed, and the colonies were preparing for an invasion by France. Governor Fletcher of New York wrote Clarke for a quota of men which had not been provided by his predecessor. The Assembly replied with a letter explaining that the Rhode Island colony had a long coastline and was very exposed and under-defended by forts, and could not possibly offer assistance.
The Treaty of Ryswick
restored peace to Europe, and orders were sent to the colonies to suspend all privateers against the French. The orders reached New England in December 1697 and Mr. Jaleel Brenton (son of Governor William Brenton
) returned from England to the Rhode Island colony and delivered them to the General Assembly at a special session held in Newport. Brenton was also empowered to administer the oath required by the acts of trade, but Clarke, being a Quaker, refused to take the oath. Clarke was further annoyed by the creation of a Court of Admiralty in Rhode Island. Brenton brought a commission to Peleg Sanford
as the Judge of Admiralty, but Clarke endeavored to persuade the Assembly to oppose it, and kept the commission from Sanford. Brenton then advised the impeachment of Clarke, and also urged that Rhode Island's laws be put in print, which had never been done. These issues together prompted Clarke to resign as Governor, and it is likely that his nephew, Samuel Cranston
, presided as Governor during the May 1698 meeting of the Assembly, when he was elected for his first of many terms. Clarke would not cease his public service, however, and in 1700 was elected as Deputy Governor under Cranston, and was continuously elected to that office each year until his death. He died on 23 May 1714 in Newport, and was buried in the Clifton Burying Ground
.
. With his first wife, Clarke had three children, and with his second he had five more. Following the death of his second wife in 1681 he married Freeborn Hart, the widow of Thomas Hart, and the daughter of Providence founder Roger Williams
. Following her death in 1710 Clarke married a fourth time, to Sarah Gould, the widow of John Gould, and the daughter of Matthew and Mary Prior. Clarke's oldest sister, Mary, married first John Cranston who was a colonial governor, and whose son, Samuel Cranston
, succeeded Clarke as governor following his last term. Clarke's youngest sister, Sarah, married as her second husband, Governor Caleb Carr
who preceded Clarke as governor in 1695.
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke
Jeremy Clarke (Governor)
Jeremy Clarke was an early colonial settler and President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations...
, he was a Quaker like his father. While in his late 20s, he was elected as a Deputy from Newport, and in 1673 was elected to his first of three consecutive terms as Assistant. During King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
he was elected to his first term as Governor of the colony. He served for one year in this role, dealing with the devastation of the war, and with the predatory demands of neighboring colonies on Rhode Island territory during the aftermath of the war.
While voted out of office in 1677 by the "War Party," he was soon back in office as Deputy Governor, serving continuously in this capacity from 1679 to 1686, until once again being elected Governor. His time in office was very short, because the new English king, James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
put most of the American colonies under a single Royal Governor, Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...
, and Rhode Island fell under the Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was ultimately a failure because the area it encompassed was too large for a single governor to manage...
for three years. The flight of King James II to France in 1689, and the subsequent ouster of Andros from New England, brought about the restoration of Rhode Island's government under the Royal Charter of 1663
Royal Charter of 1663
The Royal Charter of 1663 was a colonial charter giving English royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, providing a foundation for the government, and outlining broad freedoms for the inhabitants of that colony...
, but Clarke refused to serve as governor. Eventually, following the death of Governor Caleb Carr
Caleb Carr (Governor)
Caleb Carr was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a very short term prior to his death by drowning. In 1635, at the age of 11, he sailed from England on the ship Elizabeth and Ann with his older brother Robert...
in 1695, Clarke once again accepted the governorship.
His final two years as governor were marred with jurisdictional issues from the crown, and following the threat of impeachment, he resigned as governor in the spring of 1698, being succeeded by his nephew, Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times , and served as governor longer than any other individual in the history of both the colony and...
. Always with public service in his heart, he nevertheless became Deputy Governor of the colony in 1700, and served in this capacity every year until his death in 1714.
Clarke had a total of four wives, the second of whom was a niece of Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
and the third of whom was a daughter of Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
. Two of his sisters married colonial Rhode Island governors.
Early life
Born in NewportNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
on Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
(later Rhode Island), Walter Clarke was the son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke
Jeremy Clarke (Governor)
Jeremy Clarke was an early colonial settler and President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations...
, an early Quaker settler of the colony, and became a Quaker himself. In 1667 Clarke was elected as a Deputy to the General Assembly from Newport, launching a public career that would span nearly half a century. He was again elected Deputy in 1670, 1672, and 1673, and then was chosen as an Assistant for three years from 1673 to 1676. Under the Royal Charter of 1663
Royal Charter of 1663
The Royal Charter of 1663 was a colonial charter giving English royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, providing a foundation for the government, and outlining broad freedoms for the inhabitants of that colony...
, the freemen of the colony elected a Governor, Deputy Governor, ten Assistants, and a number of Deputies from each town, the entire body being called the General Assembly. Eventually, the House of Deputies became the Lower House of the legislature, and the Assistants became the Upper House (Senate). The Assembly met twice a year, in May and October, and also acted as the judiciary for the colony, in conjunction with the Governor and Deputy Governor. The biggest concern of the colony during Clarke's tenure as Deputy or Assistant was depredation of Rhode Island's territory by the neighboring colonies, particularly Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
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...
.
Governorships
In 1676, during the devastation of King Philip's WarKing Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, Clarke was elected Governor of the colony. Most of the settlers on the mainland (Providence and Warwick) fled to Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
where Newport and Portsmouth were located. A flotilla of sloops, or gunboats, each with five or six men, sailed constantly around the island to ward off possible attackers. The mainland settlements were largely destroyed, including most houses and fields for crops. Since the Rhode Island colony was about half Quaker during this timeframe, a 1673 law was enacted exempting men from military duty if bearing arms was against their consciences. During the war the act was repealed in May 1676, but it was re-enacted six months later at the October meeting of the General Assembly. Also during this October session, a letter of remonstrance was sent to the Connecticut colony concerning claims in the Narragansett country. In May 1677 the "War Party" won most of the seats in the General Assembly, and Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold (governor)
Benedict Arnold was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. Coming from Somerset, England, he was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, likely attending school in Limington, nearby...
was elected Governor. Clarke stepped down from power for two years, but in 1679 he was elected Deputy Governor, and served in that role continuously until 1686, when he was once again elected Governor.
Dominion of New England
The death of King Charles II in 1685 brought James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
to the English throne, with a new policy in regards to the American colonies. Edward Randolph
Edward Randolph (colonial administrator)
Edward Randolph was an English colonial administrator, best known for his role in effecting significant changes in the structure of the England's North American colonies in the later years of the 17th century...
was sent to America to establish a temporary government over the colonies until a permanent government could be established. Joseph Dudley
Joseph Dudley
Joseph Dudley was an English colonial administrator. A native of Roxbury, Massachusetts and son of one of its founders, he had a leading role in the administration of the unpopular Dominion of New England , and served briefly on the council of the Province of New York, where he oversaw the trial...
and his council held court at Narragansett in June 1686, making the territory, named King's Province, independent of any colony. Edmund Andros
Edmund Andros
Sir Edmund Andros was an English colonial administrator in North America. Andros was known most notably for his governorship of the Dominion of New England during most of its three-year existence. He also governed at various times the provinces of New York, East and West Jersey, Virginia, and...
was appointed the Royal Governor over all of the New England colonies under the Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was ultimately a failure because the area it encompassed was too large for a single governor to manage...
, and when the May 1686 General Assembly adjourned in June, it would not reconvene again for nearly four years. To keep from losing all legislative power, the Rhode Islanders placed this power in the individual towns, thus maintaining much of the colony's liberties during the rule of Andros.
When Andros took power in the Rhode Island colony, he had seven counselors, of whom Clarke was one. When the royal governor came to Newport to take possession of the colony's Royal Charter
Royal Charter of 1663
The Royal Charter of 1663 was a colonial charter giving English royal recognition to the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, providing a foundation for the government, and outlining broad freedoms for the inhabitants of that colony...
, Clarke had shrewdly sent the document to his brother's with instructions to not tell him where it was. One favorable outcome of the Andros' regime was the eventual return to Rhode Island of the formerly disputed Narragansett country claimed by Humphrey Atherton
Humphrey Atherton
Major-General Humphrey Atherton, an early settler of Dorchester, Massachusetts, held the highest military rank in colonial New England. He first appeared in the records of Dorchester on March 18, 1637 and made freeman May 2, 1638. He became deputy governor, a representative in the General Court,...
and his company. In 1689 King James fled to France, after which William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
ascended to the throne of England. Andros was ousted from New England, and the Royal Charter of 1663 once again became the governing document of the Rhode Island colony.
Final terms as governor
Following the ouster of Andros as Rhode Island's governor, Clarke refused to resume as the governor of the colony, reading a paper before the Assembly disclaiming the present government, and Henry BullHenry Bull (Governor)
Henry Bull was an early colonial Governor of Rhode Island, serving for two separate terms, one before and one after the tenure of Edmund Andros under the Dominion of New England...
was elected in his place. His position changed several years later, however, when in December 1695 Governor Caleb Carr
Caleb Carr (Governor)
Caleb Carr was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a very short term prior to his death by drowning. In 1635, at the age of 11, he sailed from England on the ship Elizabeth and Ann with his older brother Robert...
died in office, and Clarke was chosen as governor in his place, probably during an extra session of the General Assembly held in January 1696, though there is no record of such a meeting. A plot to assassinate England's protestant King William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
was revealed, and the colonies were preparing for an invasion by France. Governor Fletcher of New York wrote Clarke for a quota of men which had not been provided by his predecessor. The Assembly replied with a letter explaining that the Rhode Island colony had a long coastline and was very exposed and under-defended by forts, and could not possibly offer assistance.
The Treaty of Ryswick
Treaty of Ryswick
The Treaty of Ryswick or Ryswyck was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick in the Dutch Republic. The treaty settled the Nine Years' War, which pitted France against the Grand Alliance of England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and the United Provinces.Negotiations started in May...
restored peace to Europe, and orders were sent to the colonies to suspend all privateers against the French. The orders reached New England in December 1697 and Mr. Jaleel Brenton (son of Governor William Brenton
William Brenton
William Brenton was a colonial President, Deputy Governor, and Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and an early settler of Portsmouth and Newport in the Rhode Island colony...
) returned from England to the Rhode Island colony and delivered them to the General Assembly at a special session held in Newport. Brenton was also empowered to administer the oath required by the acts of trade, but Clarke, being a Quaker, refused to take the oath. Clarke was further annoyed by the creation of a Court of Admiralty in Rhode Island. Brenton brought a commission to Peleg Sanford
Peleg Sanford
Peleg Sanford was an early governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving three consecutive terms from 1680 to 1683. He was the son of John Sanford by his second wife, Bridget Hutchinson...
as the Judge of Admiralty, but Clarke endeavored to persuade the Assembly to oppose it, and kept the commission from Sanford. Brenton then advised the impeachment of Clarke, and also urged that Rhode Island's laws be put in print, which had never been done. These issues together prompted Clarke to resign as Governor, and it is likely that his nephew, Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times , and served as governor longer than any other individual in the history of both the colony and...
, presided as Governor during the May 1698 meeting of the Assembly, when he was elected for his first of many terms. Clarke would not cease his public service, however, and in 1700 was elected as Deputy Governor under Cranston, and was continuously elected to that office each year until his death. He died on 23 May 1714 in Newport, and was buried in the Clifton Burying Ground
Clifton Burying Ground
The Clifton Burying Ground is an early colonial cemetery located in Newport, Rhode Island. It is a Quaker cemetery, and has the graves of four Rhode Island colonial governors.- Description :...
.
Family
Clarke was married four times, and had eight known children. He was first married about 1660 to Content Greenman, the daughter of John Greenman, and a year after her death in 1666 he married Hannah Scott, the daughter of Richard Scott and Catharine Marbury. Catharine was a sister of the famous dissident minister, Anne (Marbury) HutchinsonAnne Hutchinson
Anne Hutchinson was one of the most prominent women in colonial America, noted for her strong religious convictions, and for her stand against the staunch religious orthodoxy of 17th century Massachusetts...
. With his first wife, Clarke had three children, and with his second he had five more. Following the death of his second wife in 1681 he married Freeborn Hart, the widow of Thomas Hart, and the daughter of Providence founder Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
. Following her death in 1710 Clarke married a fourth time, to Sarah Gould, the widow of John Gould, and the daughter of Matthew and Mary Prior. Clarke's oldest sister, Mary, married first John Cranston who was a colonial governor, and whose son, Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston
Samuel Cranston was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during the first quarter of the 18th century. He held office from 1698 to 1727, being elected to office 30 times , and served as governor longer than any other individual in the history of both the colony and...
, succeeded Clarke as governor following his last term. Clarke's youngest sister, Sarah, married as her second husband, Governor Caleb Carr
Caleb Carr (Governor)
Caleb Carr was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a very short term prior to his death by drowning. In 1635, at the age of 11, he sailed from England on the ship Elizabeth and Ann with his older brother Robert...
who preceded Clarke as governor in 1695.
See also
- List of colonial governors of Rhode Island
- List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...