Thomas Carter | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:OrdinationOfCarter.jpg) 19th-century painting depicting Carter's ordination as minister of Woburn | |
| Born | 1608 Hinderclay, Suffolk, England |
| Died | September 5, 1684 (aged 75–76) |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Clergyman |
| Known for | Signer of the Dedham Covenant |
| Spouse | Mary Parkhurst |
| Children | 8 |
Thomas Carter (1608 – 5 September 1684) was an American colonist and Puritan minister. Educated at Cambridge, he left England and emigrated to the American colonies during the Puritan Great Migration. Carter was ordained as a Puritan minister in 1642, becoming the first person in the American colonies to receive a Christian ordination. He served as a church elder and minister in Dedham, Watertown, and Woburn. A prominent religious figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Carter was one signers of the Dedham Covenant and one of the founders of Woburn.