John Clarke (Baptist minister)
| John Clarke | |
|---|---|
The Unknown Clergyman
(possible portrait of Clarke) |
|
| 3rd and 5th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | |
|
In office 1669–1670 |
|
| Governor | Benedict Arnold |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Easton |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas Easton |
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In office 1671–1672 |
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| Governor | Benedict Arnold |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Easton |
| Succeeded by | John Cranston |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Baptized 8 October 1609 Westhorpe, Suffolk, England |
| Died | 20 April 1676 (aged 66) Newport, Rhode Island |
| Resting place | Clarke Cemetery, Dr. Wheatland Blvd., Newport |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Elizabeth Harris (2) Jane (_____) Fletcher (3) Sarah (_____) Davis |
| Occupation | Physician, Baptist Minister, Colonial agent, Deputy, Deputy Governor |
| Religion | Baptist |
John Clarke (October 1609 – 20 April 1676) was a physician, Baptist minister, co-founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, author of its influential charter, and a leading advocate of religious freedom in the Americas.
Born in Westhorpe, Suffolk, England, Clarke received an extensive education, including a master's degree in England, followed by medical training in Leiden, Holland. He arrived in Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637 during the Antinomian Controversy, and decided to go to Rhode Island with many exiles from the conflict. As an original founder of Newport, Rhode Island, he established the second Baptist Church in America there. Because Baptists were considered heretics, and banned from Massachusetts, Clarke wanted to make inroads there, and spent time in the Boston jail after making a mission trip to the town of Lynn. Following his poor treatment in prison, he went to England where he published a book on the persecutions of the Baptists in Massachusetts, and on his theological beliefs. Since the fledgling Rhode Island colony needed an agent in England, Clarke remained there for over a decade, handling the colony's interests.
All of the other New England colonies were hostile to Rhode Island, and both Massachusetts and Connecticut had made incursions into Rhode Island territory. After the restoration of the monarchy in England in 1660, it was imperative that Rhode Island receive a royal charter to protect its territorial integrity. It was Clarke's role to obtain such a document, and he saw this as an opportunity to include religious freedoms never seen before in any constitutional charter. After writing ten petitions and letters to King Charles II, and negotiating for months with Connecticut over territorial boundaries, Clarke drafted the Rhode Island Royal Charter and presented it to the king; it was approved with the king's seal on 8 July 1663. This charter, granting unprecedented freedom and religious liberty to Rhode Islanders, remained in effect for 180 years, making it the longest-lasting constitutional charter in history.
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