William Phips | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay | |
| In office May 16, 1692 – November 17, 1694 | |
| Monarchs | William III and Mary II |
| Lieutenant | William Stoughton |
| Preceded by | Simon Bradstreet (as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony) |
| Succeeded by | William Stoughton (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 2, 1650/51 Nequasset (Woolwich, Maine) |
| Died | February 18, 1694/95 (aged 44) London, Kingdom of England |
| Spouse | Mary Spencer Hull (married 1673) |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | The New England Knight |
Sir William Phips (or Phipps; February 2, 1651 – February 18, 1695)[Note 1] was born in Maine in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was of humble origin, uneducated, and fatherless from a young age but rapidly advanced from shepherd boy to shipwright, ship's captain, and treasure hunter, the first New England native to be knighted, and the first royally appointed governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Phips was famous in his lifetime for recovering a large treasure from a sunken Spanish galleon but is perhaps best remembered today for establishing the court associated with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which he grew unhappy with and was forced to prematurely disband after five months.
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page).