Governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire Joseph Dudley

depiction of 1704 raid on deerfield

dudley active in managing colonial defenses during queen anne s war. attempted forestall french-orchestrated indian hostilities meeting indians @ casco bay in june 1703, french had begun rallying them cause , war began raids on settlements of southern maine in august 1703. dudley called out militia, licensed privateers raid french shipping, such thomas larimore, , fortified massachusetts , new hampshire frontiers connecticut river southern maine. french , indians raided deerfield in february 1704, prompting calls retaliation. dudley authorized aging indian fighter benjamin church lead retaliatory expedition against settlements in acadia. engaged in protracted negotiations return of captives taken @ deerfield.

boston merchants , mathers accused dudley of being in league smugglers , others illegally trading french, in part because refused permission church attack acadian capital , commercial center of port royal. sought forestall these criticisms in 1707 when sent colonial militia on fruitless expedition against port royal. in 1708, bitter attack on administration published in london entitled deplorable state of new england reason of covetous , treacherous governor , pusillanimous counsellors, part of campaign have him recalled. dudley again rallied provincial militias planned expedition against quebec in 1709, supporting expedition england called off. support arrived england in 1710, , successful siege led fall of port royal , beginning of province of nova scotia.

boston again organizing point expedition quebec in 1711 combining british , provincial forces. expedition failed disastrously, however, when of transports foundered on shores of saint lawrence river. during war, dudley authorized expeditions against abenakis of northern new england, these largely ineffective. war quieted extent after fall of port royal, small raiding parties hitting frontier communities, , peace came in 1713 treaty of utrecht.

dudley negotiated separate peace abenakis @ portsmouth, new hampshire in 1713. hoped separate western kennebec tribe french influence , consequently adopted hard line, threatening withhold trade vital survival , reiterating claims of british sovereignty on abenaki. treaty of portsmouth resulted negotiations , repeats claims of sovereignty. dudley claimed french had ceded abenaki lands part of acadia, , 1 sachem responded: french never said it, , wonder how give away without asking . nevertheless, dudley , succeeding governors treated abenaki british subjects, , friction persisted on british colonial expansion maine flared dummer s war in 1720s.

other issues

jonathan belcher agent representing dudley s interests in london. became governor in 1730.

the war worsened currency , finance problems in massachusetts. province had been issuing paper currency since 1690s, , issue of large amounts of currency causing depreciate relative precious metals used in other currencies. question of how resolve situation caused division between colonists , governor not repaired until 1760s. business leaders borrowed money happy pay later depreciated currency, while lenders sought reforms stabilize currency. in 1714, major proposal floated dudley s opponents in land bank issue as £50,000 in currency, secured shareholder s properties. dudley opposed scheme, , instead convinced provincial legislature issue £50,000 in bills of credit. financially powerful interests whom upset move proved downfall.

in 1713, surveys determined border between massachusetts , connecticut colony had been incorrectly sited in 17th century, , massachusetts had consequently distributed lands belonged connecticut. dudley , connecticut governor gurdon saltonstall negotiated agreement in massachusetts retain lands grant connecticut equivalent amount of land. equivalent lands amounted on 100,000 acres (400 km) on either side of connecticut river in present-day northern massachusetts, southeastern vermont, , southwestern new hampshire. these lands auctioned off in april 1716, , connecticut used proceeds fund yale college.

dudley s commission expired in 1714, 6 months after death of queen anne, did of lieutenant governor william tailer. governor s council dominated political opponents, , asserted authority @ point. assumed control of government on 14 february 1715 under provisions of provincial charter concerning governance in absence of governor , lieutenant. 6 weeks later, news arrived england dudley s commission had been @ least temporarily confirmed king george i, , reinstated on 21 march.

however, dudley s political opponents active in london, involved in land bank proposal, , convinced king appoint colonel elizeus burges governor later in year. burges commission proclaimed in boston on 9 november 1715, ending dudley s commission. burges not in colony, governance fell lieutenant governor tailer commission had been renewed. jonathan belcher , jeremiah dummer, brother of dudley s son-in-law william, bribed burges resign commission without leaving england in april 1716, , new commission issued samuel shute, promised oppose attempts introduce land bank. arrived in colony , assumed post of governor in october 1716, william dummer lieutenant.

dudley retired family home in roxbury. acted informal advisor governor shute upon arrival, , made appearances @ public , private functions. died in roxbury on 2 april 1720. buried next father in roxbury s eliot burying ground, accompanied pomp , ceremony appropriate position.