John Montgomerie

John Montgomerie (born September 11, 1680 in Beith , Scotland , † July 1, 1731 in New York City ) was British governor of the province of New York and the province of New Jersey from 1728 to 1731 .

Life

The year of birth of John Montgomerie is given in the sources once as around 1690 and once with the exact date September 11, 1680. His father Francis Montgomery belonged to the Royal Council ( Privy Council ) under King William III. and Queen Anne . John initially served in the Scots Guards , a unit that still exists today. Between 1710 and 1722 he represented Ayrshire in the British Parliament. In the meantime he was, as mentioned in the biography of William Burnet , as Groom of the Bedchamber in the service of the heir to the throne and later King George II . He ran into financial difficulties in the 1720s.

After George II ascended the throne in 1727, John Montgomerie was appointed colonial governor of the provinces of New York and New Jersey by the new king, where he succeeded William Burnet in 1728. In New York he encountered a politically divided population, some for and some against his predecessor. In 1729, almost all of the controversial trade laws Burnet had enacted in connection with the Indian trade were repealed. During his tenure, the so-called Montgomerie Charter was passed, which was to remain the municipal administrative basis for New York City for over a hundred years. Bribes were also given to help in drafting the charter, of which the governor also received a part. Also during Montgomery's tenure, New York City's trade surpassed the previous trading centers of the British colonies in America, Boston and Philadelphia . At that time, the border between the province of New York and the neighboring colony of Connecticut was established. Nothing is known about Montgomery's activities in New Jersey. He held the two governorships until his death from a seizure on July 1, 1731.

Web links

• Montgomerie at the History of Parliament
• Personal information about Montgomerie