John Haynes | |
|---|---|
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| 4th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony | |
| In office 1635–1636 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Dudley |
| Succeeded by | Henry Vane |
| 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut | |
| In office 1639 – 1654 (8 separate terms) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1594 Essex, England |
| Died | c. January 9, 1653/4 (aged 59) Hartford, Connecticut |
| Signature | &sq=engine&lang=en&file=File:JohnHaynesSignature.png){kind=small} |
John Haynes (May 1, 1594 – c. January 9, 1653/4[1]), also sometimes spelled Haines, was a colonial magistrate and one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony. He served one term as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was the first governor of Connecticut, ultimately serving eight separate terms. Although Colonial Connecticut prohibited Governors from serving consecutive terms at the time, "John Haynes was so popular with the colonists that he served alternately as governor and often as deputy governor from 1639 to his death in 1653."[2]
Haynes was influential in the drafting of laws and legal frameworks in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. He was on the committee that drafted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which has been called one of the first written constitutions. He also invested most of his fortune in Connecticut, "to the ruine of his famylye in Englande".[3]
- ^ Dates in this article are Old Style; in the old calendar the new year did not begin until March 25, so dates before then were often written with both years.
- ^ "John Haynes, 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut". Museum of Connecticut History.
- ^ Cuningham, p. 662.