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William Dummer (bapt. September 29, 1677 (O.S.) (October 10, 1677 (N.S.) ) – October 10, 1761) was a politician in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He served as its lieutenant governor for fourteen years (1716–1730), including an extended period from 1723 to 1728 when he acted as governor. He is remembered for his role in leading the colony during what is sometimes called Dummer's War, which was fought between the British colonies of northeastern North America and a loose coalition of native tribes in what is now New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Dummer was born into a wealthy Massachusetts merchant family, traveling to England as a young man to participate in the business. Upon his return to Massachusetts in 1712 he entered provincial politics, gaining a royal commission as lieutenant governor through the efforts of his brother Jeremiah. He served during the turbulent tenure of Governor Samuel Shute, in which Shute quarreled with the assembly over many matters. Shute left the province quite abruptly at the end of 1722, while it was in the middle of a war with the natives of northern New England. The war was brought to a successful conclusion by Dummer. He negotiated a treaty with the Abenakis which formed the basis for a succession of later treaties. In 1728 Shute was replaced by William Burnet, whose 1 1/2 years in office were consumed by a vitriolic fight over his salary. Burnet died in office, and was eventually replaced in 1730 by Jonathan Belcher, who selected William Tailer to be his lieutenant. Dummer then retired, dividing time between his farm in Byfield and his home in Boston. A proponent of education, he bequeathed funds for the establishment of a preparatory school in Massachusetts, and donated his Byfield estate for its use. For many years it was known as either the Dummer Academy or the Governor Dummer Academy, but is now called The Governor's Academy. ==Early life== William Dummer was born in Boston, the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Jeremiah Dummer, the first American born silversmith, and Anna (Atwater) Dummer. His grandfather was Richard Dummer, an early Massachusetts settler and one of the colony's wealthiest men, and he was also related to the magistrate Samuel Sewall.〔Morison, p. 165〕〔Currier, p. 322〕 Dummer was the oldest of nine children, only four of whom survived to adulthood. He was baptized at Boston's Old South Church on September 29, 1677 (O.S.) (October 10, 1677 (N.S.) ).〔Phillips, p. 39〕〔In the Julian calendar, then in use in England and its colonies, dates were 11 days before those in the currently used Gregorian calendar, which was then in use in other parts of Europe. Dates in this article are in the Gregorian calendar unless otherwise noted.〕 Little is known of Dummer's early years. Given the family's wealth, he probably attended the Boston Latin School, but he did not attend Harvard.〔 His younger brother Jeremiah did go to Harvard, after which he went to Europe, studying at Leiden and Utrecht.〔Batinski, p. 10〕 In 1702 Dummer was elected to the membership of Boston's Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company.〔Roberts, p. 337〕 He went to England, most likely in the early 1700s, where he joined his extended family's merchant business. He returned to Massachusetts in 1712.〔Currier, p. 317〕 While in England he is reported to have married a cousin in the Dummer family, whose death may have prompted his return to Massachusetts. This marriage produced no children.〔Phillips, p. 42〕 He then married Katherine Dudley, daughter of Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley, on April 26, 1714.〔Currier, p. 319〕 In a gift that may have been made in anticipation of his wedding, his father in November 1712 gave him a substantial tract of land in the Byfield section of Newbury. The property became the couple's country home. Dummer divided his time between the Newbury property and the family home in Boston.〔Currier, p. 318〕 Upon the death of Queen Anne in 1714, commissions issued during her reign were set to expire. This resulted in a political scramble for appointments to the leadership of Massachusetts between Dudley's supporters and proponents of a land bank proposal designed to deal with inflationary issuance of colonial currency.〔Batinski, p. 24〕 Dummer's brother Jeremiah was in London representing the Dudley faction. Although he was unable to secure Dudley's reappointment, he and Jonathan Belcher were able to bribe the successor chosen by the land bank faction, Elizeus Burges, to give up his commission. The commission for governor was finally issued in June 1716 to Samuel Shute, a land bank opponent, with William Dummer as lieutenant governor.〔〔Batinski, p. 25〕 Shute arrived in the colony the following October, at which time both assumed their offices.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「William Dummer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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