Matthew Cradock

Matthew Cradock (born around 1590 in England ; † May 27, 1641 ibid) was a wealthy London merchant, politician and first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony .

Life

The exact date of birth and the place of birth and death of Matthew Cradock have not been recorded. He was the son of a Staffordshire clergyman . So it is quite possible that he was born in this county as well. Little is known about his early years. He completed an apprenticeship and worked in trade.

From 1618 he lived in London, where he worked in overseas trade. Over the years he has maintained at least 18 merchant ships. In addition to the European region, he was also active in the Middle East and North America. One of his most important business areas was the tobacco trade. He later also became a director of the East India Company .

After founding the Massachusetts Bay Colony , Cradock got involved there too. He invested and bought land without ever visiting the colony itself. In London he represented the interests of the colonists. As a result, he was appointed first colonial governor for a few months. He also carried out this office from London. However, he soon came to the opinion that this solution was not ideal, and advocated the transfer of the governor's seat to the colony itself. As a result, he resigned his position to John Endecott , who then officiated in the colony itself. Regardless, Matthew Cradock continued to do business in Massachusetts. At the time of his death, the colony owed him a lot of money that he had loaned it.

In England he was elected to the House of Commons as representative of the City of London in 1640. He belonged to the so-called Short Parliament and then to the Long Parliament . He supported parliamentarism against the power of the king. He also campaigned for reform in the Church of England . But Matthew Cradock did not see the further development of the power struggle between Parliament and King Charles I , which led to the English Civil War , the execution of the king and the temporary abolition of the monarchy. He died unexpectedly on May 27, 1641.

literature

• Cradock, Matthew . In: James Grant Wilson, John Fiske (Eds.): Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography . tape 1 : Aaron - Crandall . D. Appleton and Company, New York 1887, p. 764 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
• Sidney Lee:  Cradock, Matthew . In: Leslie Stephen (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 12:  Conder - Craigie. MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London, 1887, pp 436 - 437 (English).