Samuel Shute: Difference between revisions

|order = 5th

|office = [[List of colonial governors of Massachusetts|Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay]]

|predecessor2 = [[George Vaughan (New Hampshire official)|George Vaughan]] {{small|(Acting)}}

'''Samuel Shute''' (January 12, 1662 – April 15, 1742) was an [[Kingdom of England|English]] military officer and royal governor of the provinces of [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts]] and [[Province of New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]. After serving in the [[Nine Years' War]] and the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], he was appointed by [[George I of Great Britain|King George I]] as governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 1716. His tenure was marked by virulent disagreements with the Massachusetts assembly on a variety of issues, and by poorly conducted diplomacy with respect to the Native American [[Wabanaki Confederacy]] of northern New England that led to [[Dummer's War]] (1722–1725).

Although Shute was partly responsible for the breakdown in negotiations with the Wabanakis, he returned to England in early 1723 to procure resolutions to his ongoing disagreements with the Massachusetts assembly, leaving conduct of the war to Lieutenant Governor [[William Dummer]]. His protests resulted in the issuance in 1725 of the [[Explanatory Charter]], essentially confirming his position in the disputes with the assembly. He did not return to New England, being replaced as governor in 1728 by [[William Burnet (colonial administrator)|William Burnet]], and refused to be considered for reappointment after Burnet's sudden death in 1729.

Samuel Shute was born in [[London]], [[England]] on January 12, 1662.<ref name=ANB>Garraty et al., p. 909</ref><ref name=OldANB>Derby et al., p. 374</ref> He was the eldest of six children of Benjamin Shute, a [[London]] merchant. His mother, identified in sources as Elizabeth, Patience, or Mary, was the daughter of [[Joseph Caryl]], a [[Dissenters|dissenting]] Presbyterian clergyman. His brother [[John Barrington, 1st Viscount Barrington|John]], afterward [[Lord Barrington]], became an influential member of parliament, political leader of religious Dissenters, and confidant of [[George I of Great Britain|King George I]].<ref name=OldANB/><ref>''Memorial of Lord Viscount Barrington'', p. 67</ref> Shute was educated by Rev. [[Charles Morton (educator)|Charles Morton]], who afterward emigrated to [[New England]]. Shute then attended the [[Leiden University]] in Holland and subsequently entered the English army, serving under [[William III of England|William III]].<ref name=OldANB/>

Shute's administration of New Hampshire was not as troublesome as that of Massachusetts, but issues began early. Lieutenant Governor [[George Vaughan (New Hampshire official)|George Vaughan]], who had been acting as governor for a year before Shute's arrival, insisted on claiming full authority to act when Shute was not present in that province.<ref>Fry, p. 90</ref> Against direct orders from Shute, Vaughan, in Shute's absence, dissolved the assembly and dismissed councillor [[Samuel Penhallow]]. In September 1717 Shute, with the concurrence of his council, suspended Vaughan, recalled the assembly, and reinstated Penhallow.<ref>Fry, pp. 91–92</ref> Vaughan was afterward formally replaced as lieutenant governor by [[John Wentworth (lieutenant governor, born 1671)|John Wentworth]].<ref>Fry, p. 86</ref>

Shute also made other grants of townships in land that is part of the modern state of [[New Hampshire]]. However, much of southwestern New Hampshire was at the time disputed between the two provinces Shute governed, and grants he made in that area went to Massachusetts interests.<ref>Clark, p. 299</ref> This upset a number of New Hampshire politicians, notably Lieutenant Governor Wentworth. Wentworth used discontent over these grants, combined with competing ones that he issued himself under New Hampshire authority, to build a power base that would eventually (after his death) successfully lobby for the separation of the governorships.<ref>Clark, pp. 300–301</ref>

Shute engaged in a wide array of disputes with the Massachusetts General Court (the provincial assembly) concerning the royal prerogative and other issues. During his administration the assembly successfully expanded its authority at the expense of the governor's, which permanently affected relations between later governors and the assembly until independence.<ref>Hart, pp. 2:129–131</ref> Currency was a major issue which divided the province politically: a large populist faction supported the inflationary issuance of paper currency, while two economically powerful groups supported competing proposals for dealing with the currency problem. The faction that had secured Burges' appointment supported a private land bank proposal that would issue bills secured by private property, while the Dudleys and their supporters, who backed Shute, favored the idea of paper that was backed by gold.<ref>Hart, pp. 2:129–130</ref>

A major opponent representing the popular factions in the province was [[Elisha Cooke Jr.]], a politician and major landowner in [[Maine]], which was then part of Massachusetts.<ref>Shields, p. 118</ref> Cooke's opposition was rooted in disagreements on the currency, and the matter of logging in the Maine territory.<ref name=Hart130/> During the Dudley administration logging interests had widely flouted the 1711 [[White Pine Act]], [[Parliament of Great Britain|British Parliamentary]] legislation that reserved large trees on ungranted public lands for the government's use as [[Mast (sailing)|ship masts]]. Shute sought to crack down on this behavior, earning the enmity of Cooke and others. Cooke's early challenges to the law were legal in nature, but rapidly became political.<ref>Malone, pp. 70–74</ref> In 1718 Cooke was nominated to serve on the Governor's Council by the assembly, but Shute vetoed the choice.<ref>Barry, p. 109</ref> The assembly then appointed Cooke to be its speaker in 1720. This began a constitutional argument about the governor's powers, for Shute refused to accept Cooke's appointment, claiming it was within his authority to veto it. The assembly, for its part, refused to appoint anyone else, and the following year seated a different speaker before Shute was given notice of his election.<ref>Barry, pp. 112–113</ref>

Shute's disagreements with the assembly also extended to its ability to adjourn for short periods of time. The assembly could only formally be called into session and adjourned by the governor, and provided one means by which the governor could control the assembly; Shute took issue with a temporary adjournment of six days.<ref>Bushman, p. 113</ref> This dispute combined with his refusal to approve Cooke's appointment prompted the assembly to become strongly opposed to Shute on virtually all actions. This recalcitrance extended to a denial of any attempts on the part of the governor to fund the improvement of defenses on the province's northern and eastern frontiers, where there were ongoing difficulties with the [[Wabanaki Confederacy]].<ref>Hart, pp. 2:130–131</ref>

OnOne of Shute's more notorious controversies concerned the assembly's refusal to grant him a regular salary. This was a frequent source of dispute, and it spilled over into other matters: Shute's veto of Cooke's appointment in 1719 resulted in a reduction of his salary grant.<ref name=Hart130>Hart, p. 2:130</ref> The salary issue would continue to be a regular source of disagreement between the provincial assembly and the governor until the Belcher administration of the 1730s.<ref>Hart, pp. 2:139</ref> Shute attempted to impose press censorship after Cooke partisans published pamphlets harshly criticizing his policies, but the assembly refused to pass the proposed legislation, effectively legitimizing [[freedom of the press]] in the province.<ref name=Hart130/> Boston's conservative religious establishment also expressed reservations over his attendance at [[Church of England|Anglican]] church services, as well as his sometimes ostentatious and loud parties.<ref>Batinski, p. 39</ref>

When the War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1713, its North American theater (where it was known as [[Queen Anne's War]]) came to an uneasy end. The [[Peace of Utrecht|Treaty of Utrecht]] that ended the war did not acknowledge any [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] claims, and contained ambiguous language concerning the French cession of [[Acadia]]. The contested areas of northern New England included present-day [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], and eastern Maine.<ref>Peckham, p. 84</ref><ref>Morrison, pp. 161–162</ref> Joseph Dudley had in 1713 negotiated an end to hostilities with the tribes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, but the written form of the [[Treaty of Portsmouth (1713)|Treaty of Portsmouth]] differed in content from the orally negotiated agreements, and its terms were being violated by British settlements encroaching on [[Abenaki]] lands on Maine's coasts and rivers.<ref>Morrison, pp. 162–163</ref> Furthermore, neighboring Nova Scotia's [[Miꞌkmaq|Mi'kmaq]] had not signed any treaties.<ref>Reid, pp. 97–98</ref> Both France and Britain claimed the claimed [[suzerainty]] over the tribes inhabiting the contested area. The tribes, loosely organized into the [[Wabanaki Confederacy]], asserted their own sovereignty and ownership of much of the disputed area.<ref>Morrison, p. 166</ref>

In a meeting at [[Arrowsic, Maine]] in 1717 Shute and representatives of some of the Wabanakis attempted to reach some agreement concerning colonial encroachment on Native lands and the establishment of provincially operated trading posts. The [[Kennebec tribe|Kennebec]] [[sachem]] (chief) Wiwurna objected not only to the establishment of settlements on their lands, but also the construction of forts, and claimed sovereign control of those lands. Shute, who often rudely interrupted Wiwurna, bluntly reasserted British claims to the territory.<ref name=DCB_Wowurna>{{cite DCB |first=Douglas |last=Hay |title=Wowurna |volume=2 |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/wowurna_2E.html |accessdateaccess-date=2012-12-13}}</ref> The Wabanakis were willing to accede to existing illegal settlements if a proper boundary was delineated beyond which settlement would not be allowed; Shute responded "We desire only what is our own, and that we will have." This ambiguous response, and the treaty that was ultimately agreed, did not satisfy the Wabanakis.<ref>Morrison, pp. 174–176</ref>

Over the next several years settlers continued to encroach on Wabanaki lands east of the [[Kennebec River]], including the construction of [[Blockhouse|block house]] fortifications on the east side of the Kennebec River. The Wabanakis responded by raiding livestock.<ref name=DCB_Wowurna/> [[Canso, Nova Scotia]], a settlement disputed by all three parties but fortified by Nova Scotia and primarily occupied by Massachusetts fishermen, was also a flashpoint for conflict. After receiving complaints of harassment and raids from Canso-based fishermen in 1718, Shute dispatched a [[Royal Navy]] frigate to the area, which seized French ships and goods.<ref>Rawlyk, p. 127</ref> Tensions there were further raised when Canso was attacked in 1720 by the Mi'kmaq.<ref name=Rawlyk129>Rawlyk, p. 129</ref>

Under the leadership of Cooke and others of the "country party", the assembly investigated the province's expenditures. Finding that some payments of militia had been made fraudulently, the assembly was able to introducing spending bills that very precisely delineated how public funds could be spent;<ref>Batinski, p. 40</ref> this represented an increase the assembly's power at the expense of the governor. The assembly further encroached on the governor's authority by establishing a committee to oversee the activities of the militia in December 1722. With the Indian war looming, Shute saw this as a serious threat to his power, and decided that only by returning to London would he be able to correct the situation. Not long after [[Christmas]] 1722 Shute sailed for England.<ref name=B41>Batinski, p. 41</ref>

Upon his arrival in London, Shute presented his many issues to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]. His opponents were represented by Jeremiah Dummer and Elisha Cooke, the former having long served as colonial agent in London, and the latter being chosen by the assembly to put forward its case.<ref>Malone, p. 88</ref><ref>Barry, pp. 119–120</ref> Shute's arguments were accepted by the council, and only the diplomacy of Dummer convinced the council not to revoke the colonial charter.<ref name=B41/> In 1725 the council issued an [[Explanatory Charter|explanatory colonial charter]] confirming Shute's position on the adjournment issue and the approval of the house speaker, which the provincial assembly reluctantly accepted the following year.<ref>Barry, pp. 121–122</ref> Shute was preparing to return to Massachusetts in 1727 when King [[George I of Great Britain|George I]] died. This brought about a change of administration in London and a reshuffling of colonial governorships. The Massachusetts and New Hampshire governorships were given to [[William Burnet (colonial administrator)|William Burnet]], then the governor of [[Province of New York|New York]] and [[Province of New Jersey|New Jersey]], and Shute was given a pension.<ref>Barry, p. 122</ref> Burnet's brief administration was dominated by an extended attempt by the governor to secure an annual salary. The sudden death of Burnet in 1729 again opened the Massachusetts and New Hampshire seats. Shute was apparently considered again for the post, but demurred, implicitly offering his support instead to Jonathan Belcher, who was actively seeking the post.<ref>Schutz, p. 100</ref>

Shute, who never married, died in England on Apr. 10, 1743.<ref name=OldANB/><ref>Foote et al., p. 267</ref> [[Shutesbury, Massachusetts]] is named in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shutesbury.org/history|title=History of Shutesbury, MA|publisher=Town of Shutesbury|accessdateaccess-date=2011-03-20}}</ref>

*{{cite book|last=Barry|first=Joseph|title=History of Massachusetts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VMISAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA104#v=onepage&f=false|location=Boston|publisher=Philips and Sampson|year=1855|oclc=19089435}}

*{{cite book|last=Derby|first=George|author2=White, James Terry |title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography|publisher=J. T. White|year=1897|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOE-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA374#v=onepage&f=false|oclc=1759175|location=Clifton, NJ}}

*{{cite book|last=Foote|first=Henry Wilder|author2=Perkins, John Carroll |author3=Winslow, Warren |title=Annals of Kings Chapel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0HMPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA267#v=onepage&f=false|location=Boston|publisher=Little, Brown|year=1882|oclc=16811847}}

*{{cite book|last=Fry|first=William Henry|title=New Hampshire as a Royal Province|publisher=Columbia University|year=1908|oclc=1981065|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THMUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA52#v=onepage&f=false}}

*{{cite book|editor-last=Hart|editor-first=Albert Bushnell (ed)|title=Commonwealth History of Massachusetts|url=https://archive.org/details/commonwealthhist02hart|publisher=The States History Company|location=New York|year=1927|oclc=1543273}} (five volume history of Massachusetts until the early 20th century)

*{{cite book|last=Kimball|first=Everett|title=The Public Life of Joseph Dudley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxIZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|publisher=Longmans, Green|year=1911|location=New York|isbn=9780598969682|oclc=1876620}}

*{{cite book|last=Lediard|first=Thomas|authorlinkauthor-link=Thomas Lediard|title=The Life of John, Duke of Marlborough|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5VCAAAAYAAJ&lpgpg=PA269|location=London|publisher=J. Wilcox|year=1743|oclc=7342143}}

*{{cite book|last=Malone|first=Joseph|title=Pine Trees and Politics|publisher=Arno Press|year=1979|origyearorig-year=1964|location=New York|isbn=9780405113802|oclc=4136205}}

*{{cite book|last=Nutt|first=Charles|title=History of Worcester and its People|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnRKAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA27&pg=PA27#v=onepage&f=false|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Co.|year=1919|location=New York|oclc=3257562}}

*{{cite book|title=The Congregational Magazine|chapter=Memorial of Lord Viscount Barrington|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S_UDAAAAQAAJ&lpg=PA66&pg=PA67#v=onepage&f=false|year=1829|publisher=B. J. Holdsworth|location=London|oclc=8968894}}

|before=[[George Vaughan (New Hampshire official)|George Vaughan]] (acting)

[[Category:Kingdom of EnglandEnglish emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony]]