Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet

Francis Bernard (1767)

Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet (baptized July 12, 1712 in Brightwell-cum-Sotwel in what is now Oxfordshire , England ; † June 16, 1779 in Nether Winchendon , Buckinghamshire , England) was an English colonial administrator and governor of the Province of New Jersey as well as the Province of Massachusetts Bay .

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After the early death of his parents, Francis Bernard grew up with an aunt. He later studied, among other things, at the University of Oxford's Christ Church College . After later studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1737. He settled in Lincoln , where he practiced as a lawyer. In December 1741 he married Amelia Offley, with whom he had numerous children. In 1757 there were eight of these children.

Through family ties, Bernard secured the appointment of colonial governor of the Province of New Jersey . He held this office as the successor to John Reading between January 27, 1758 and July 4, 1760. This period was overshadowed by the events of the Seven Years' War . Through clever agreements with the Indians , he succeeded in minimizing their attacks and thus freeing up forces for the war against the French. Again through his ties in London , he was appointed colonial governor of the Crown Colony Province of Massachusetts Bay . He held this office between August 2, 1760 and August 1, 1769. In contrast to his time in New Jersey, Bernard in Massachusetts had significant problems with both the colonial parliament and the colonists. In the 1760s he had to comply with the laws hated by the colonists, such as For example, enforce the Sugar Act or the Stamp Act , which made it increasingly unpopular. The Townshend Acts were one of the unpopular British laws that the governor tried to enforce.

There were even more points of contention between the colonial parliament and the residents on the one hand and the governor on the other. At that time a decisive foundation stone for the later American Revolution was laid. It was no coincidence that it is precisely in the port of Boston with the Boston Tea Party one of the first major protest actions towards independence from Britain went out. The governor was partly to blame for these later events, even if the laws themselves came from London. He stood behind the government in London and did not stand up for the interests of his colony. Eventually the colonial parliament asked for his removal. When the relationship between the colony and its governor deteriorated, he was actually recalled. The office of colonial governor fell to his previous lieutenant governor Thomas Hutchinson . In England he sought rehabilitation, which he was granted. However, he did not return to his post in Massachusetts, but received a pension. He was also raised to the nobility. For some time he was an advisor to the London government, which he encouraged to take tough stance on the Massachusetts colony. In 1771 he suffered a stroke. Sir Francis Bernard died on June 16, 1779.

Web links

Commons : Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Bernard in the American National Biography
• Link to publications about Francis Bernard