Edmund Andros
A deeply unpopular English governor whose heavy-handed rule over the American colonies helped spark the revolutionary spirit.
1637–1714 (age 77)·English army officer and colonial administrator·Birthday: December 6
Biography
Edmund Andros was a career soldier and staunch royalist whose appointment as governor of the Dominion of New England in 1686 placed him at the center of a political firestorm. King James II created the Dominion to consolidate colonial power, and Andros arrived in Boston to enforce it, immediately alienating the local populace by imposing taxes without representation, restricting town meetings, and promoting the Church of England in a Puritan stronghold. His authoritarian style, seen as an assault on English liberties, culminated in the 1689 Boston uprising, where he was arrested and imprisoned by colonists. After the Glorious Revolution toppled James II, Andros was sent back to England, only to return to the colonies later as governor of Virginia, where he proved a more temperate administrator. His legacy is defined by that early, failed experiment in centralized control, a preview of the tensions that would eventually lead to American independence.
#1 When Edmund Was Born
The biggest hits of 1637
Edmund's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1637Born
1642Started school
1650Became a teenager
1653Could drive
1655Could vote
1658Turned 21
1667Turned 30
1677Turned 40
1687Turned 50
1697Turned 60
1707Turned 70
1714Died at 77
Key Achievements
- Served as the governor of the Dominion of New England, a short-lived administrative union of several American colonies.
- Was arrested and deposed during the 1689 Boston revolt, a popular uprising against his autocratic rule.
- Later served as the colonial governor of Virginia from 1692 to 1698.
- Held governorships in New York and the provinces of East and West Jersey earlier in his career.
Did You Know?
He was knighted in 1678 for his military service.
Andros Street in Boston is named after him, an ironic tribute given his expulsion from the city.
During the 1689 revolt, he attempted to escape Boston dressed in women's clothing but was captured.
“The King's law is the only law that matters here.”
