Thomas Hutchinson (1711-1780) was a businessman, historian, and a prominent Loyalist politician of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in the years before the American Revolution. A successful merchant and politician, Hutchinson was active at high levels of the Massachusetts government for many years, serving as lieutenant governor and then governor from 1758 to 1774.
Gov Thomas Hutchinson, Jr. was born 3 September 1711 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts to Thomas Hutchinson (1673-1739) and Sarah Foster (1676-) and died 3 June 1780 Brompton, Yorkshire, England of unspecified causes. He married Margaret Sanford (1716-1754) 1731 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Timeline
- 1711-Sep-09 : Birth in Boston MA
- 1737 : Marriage to his cousin Margaret Sanford (1716-1754)
- 1758-1769 : Lt Gov of Province of Massachusetts Bay
- 1765 : Hutchinson Mansion attacked during Stamp Act protests
- 1769-1774 : Gov of Province of Massachusetts Bay (succeeded by Thomas Gage)
Biography
He was a politically polarising figure who, despite initial opposition to Parliamentary tax laws directed at the colonies, came to be identified by John Adams and Samuel Adams as a proponent of hated British taxes. He was blamed by Lord North (the British Prime Minister at the time) for being a significant contributor to the tensions that led the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
Hutchinson's Boston mansion was ransacked in 1765 during protests against the Stamp Act, damaging his collection of materials on early Massachusetts history. As acting governor in 1770 he exposed himself to mob attack in the aftermath of the Boston massacre, after which he ordered the removal of troops from Boston to Castle William. Letters of his calling for abridgement of colonial rights were published in 1773, further intensifying dislike of him in the colony.
Hutchinson had a deep interest in colonial history, collecting a large number of historical documents. He wrote a three volume History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, whose last volume, published posthumously, covered his own period in office.
Early Life
Thomas Hutchinson was born on 9 September 1711 in the North End of Boston, the fourth of twelve children of Thomas and Sarah Foster Hutchinson. Descended from early New England settlers (including Anne Marbury (1591-1643) Hutchinson by her son, Edward Hutchinson), his parents were both from well-to-do merchant families. His father was involved in the family mercantile trade, but was also active in political, military, and charitable circles and served on the provincial council.
Young Thomas entered Harvard College at twelve, graduating in 1727. His father introduced him to the business world early, and he displayed remarkable business acumen. In 1732 he received some exposure to politics when he accompanied Governor Jonathan Belcher on a voyage to Casco Bay for negotiations with the Abenaki of Maine, then part of Massachusetts. The voyage was made in a vessel of which Hutchinson was part owner.
Exile in England
He was replaced as governor in May 1774 by General Thomas Gage, and went into an unhappy exile in England, where he advised the government on how to deal with the Americans. In 1776 he was joined in exile by the rest of the Hutchinson and Oliver families. He died soon afterwards in 1780.
Publications
- Hutchinson, Thomas (1764). The History of the Colony of Massachusett's Bay: From the First Settlement Thereof in 1628, until its Incorporation with the Colony of Plimouth Province, Province of Main etc., by the Charter of King William and Queen Mary in 1691. Boston: Thomas and John Fleet. First volume of Hutchinson's History
8 Hutchinson, Thomas (1767). The History of the Province of Massachusetts-Bay: From the Charter of King William and Queen Mary in 1691, Until the Year 1750. Boston: Thomas and John Fleet. Second volume of Hutchinson's History
- Hutchinson, Thomas; Hutchinson, John (ed) (1828). The History of the Province of Massachusetts Bay: From 1749 to 1774, Comprising a Detailed Narrative of the Origin and Early Stages of the American Revolution. London: John Murray. Third volume of Hutchinson's History, published posthumously
- Hutchinson, Thomas (1776). Strictures Upon the Declaration'. London: self-published. Commentary on the United States Declaration of Independence
Marriage & Family
In 1734 he married Margaret Sanford (1716-1754), a granddaughter of Rhode Island Governor Peleg Sanford. The Sanford and Hutchinson families had a long history of business and personal connections; Margaret was in fact a distant relative. The Marriage secured a political alliance between Hutchinson and Andrew and Peter Oliver which lasted long after Margaret's death. The couple had twelve children, only five of whom survived to adulthood, before Margaret died in 1754 from complications of childbirth.
- Thomas Hutchinson (1734-)
- William Hutchinson (1735-)
- Elisha Hutchinson (1736-1819)
- Sallie Hutchinson (1739-)
- Peggy Hutchinson (1739-)
- Sarah Hutchinson (1742-)
- Margaret Hutchinson (1744-)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Thomas Hutchinson (1734-) | |||
| William Hutchinson (1735-) | |||
| Elisha Hutchinson (1736-1819) | |||
| Sallie Hutchinson (1739-) | |||
| Peggy Hutchinson (1739-) | |||
| Sarah Hutchinson (1742-) | |||
| Margaret Hutchinson (1744-) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Hutchinson (1708-) | |||
| Abigail Hutchinson (1710-) | |||
| Foster Hutchinson (1711-1721) | |||
| Hannah Hutchinson (1714-) | |||
| Elisha Hutchinson (1715-) | |||
| Thomas Hutchinson (1711-1780) | 3 September 1711 Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts | 3 June 1780 Brompton, Yorkshire, England | Margaret Sanford (1716-1754) |
References