Thomas Hooker
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Born at Marefield, Leicestershire, England, Thomas Hooker rose to become one of the leaders of the Puritan movement in England. His status as a leader in the Puritan movement would cause him to first Holland and then to New England in 1633 on the ship Griffin to escape the persecution of Archbishop William Laud for non-conformity. He was appointed the first pastor of the church at Newtown, Massachusetts (now Cambridge). He is attributed as being the first minister of the First Parish in Cambridge, a church that still exists in the present day. His home was on a plot of land which today is part of the yard at Harvard College.
In 1635 he was appointed by the Massachusetts General Court to try to get his friend Roger Williams to give up his controversial views. Hooker and Williams took part in a public debate but Williams refused to give up his views.
In 1636, he led his congregation west to found the new settlement at Hartford, Connecticut. One of the reasons why he left was with a disagreement with John Winthrop over who could take part in the government. Winthrop stated that only admitted members to the Puritan church could vote and hold office while Hooker maintianed that any adult male who owned property could vote and take part in the government, regardless of church membership status. His party traveled on a trail that is now known as the Old Connecticut Path. After settling in Hartford Hooker continued to be in contact with John Winthrop and Roger Williams. Hooker traveled to Boston often to help settle intercolony disputes. He is also remembered for his role in creating the "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut". This document is considered the world's first written constitution, and a direct ancestor of the U.S. Constitution.
