William Phelps | |
|---|---|
| Born | c.1593 Crewkerne, Somerset, England |
| Died | (aged 78) Windsor, Connecticut, British America |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | landowner, magistrate |
| Known for | Founder of Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut; first foreman of a Grand Jury in the New World; one of eight selected to lead first democratic town government in 1637 |
| Spouses | Mary
(m. 1617; died 1626)Ann Dover (m. 1626) |
| Children | William, Mary, Mary, Samuel, Nathanial, Joseph, Mary, Sarah, Timothy |
| Signature | |
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William Phelps, (c. 1593—July 14, 1672) was a Puritan who emigrated from Crewkerne, England in 1630, one of the founders of both Dorchester, Boston Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut, and one of eight selected to lead the first democratic town government in the American colonies in 1637. He was foreman of the first grand jury in New England, served most of his life in early colonial government, and according to noted historian Henry Reed Stiles, Phelps "was one of the most prominent and highly respected men in the colony."