Richard Bellingham

Richard Bellingham (* 1592 in Boston , Lincolnshire , England , † December 7, 1672 in Boston , Massachusetts Bay Colony , New England ) was an English lawyer who emigrated to America in 1634 and served several times as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Between 1641 and 1672 he served a total of 10 years as governor, u. a. during the Stuart Restoration in England. He is considered one of the fathers of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties , a document that is considered to lead the way in the US Bill of Rights . Richard Bellingham was married twice and had one son, Samuel Bellingham.

literature

• Thomas Finlayson Henderson:  Bellingham, Richard . In: Leslie Stephen (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 4:  Beal - Beaver. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1885, p. 194 (English).
• Biography of John Endecott ( Memento of 26 October 2004 at the Internet Archive ) of the Massachusetts State House Government Interactive (Engl.)