Thomas Hutchinson (1711-1780)
A descendant of outspoken Puritan dissident Anne Hutchinson, Thomas Hutchinson was born in Boston, where his early success in business led to a role in politics. As a representative and eventually speaker of the Massachusetts General Court, he took part in a series of contentious public debates and earned a reputation for probity on financial issues in particular. Though supportive of many of the principles behind the growing independence movement, he remained a committed Loyalist and thus ran afoul of popular opinion. Taking over as governor upon the resignation of Francis Bernard in 1769, he was increasingly caught up in the growing disaffection between the colonies and mother country, and would himself be replaced by General Thomas Gage in 1774.