John Coggeshall

John Coggeshall (ca. 1591 - November 27, 1647) was one of the founders of Rhode Island.

Coggeshall was born in Essex, England, but he went to Boston, Massachusetts aboard the Lyon in 1632 with his wife Mary and three children. They settled in Roxbury but then moved to Boston in 1634.

Coggeshall was a merchant in Boston. He was almost immediately elected a Selectman of the town and a deacon in the church. He was a deputy in the General Court of Massachusetts until 1637.

Coggeshall was an enthusiastic supporter of Anne Hutchinson and was, therefore, expelled from the court and banished from the colony. He signed the Portsmouth Compact in 1638 and went with the group that founded the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

From 1647-1648 Coggeshall served as president of Providence Plantations, which was effectively the colony of Rhode Island at the time.