He was appointed deputy governor of the Province of Pennsylvania by William Penn, serving from February 1, 1709, until May 31, 1717.
On the following day, when the group assembled, he reportedly chastised the committee that was sent to him and ordered them to leave his property.
Lawyer Andrew Hamilton was indicted before the Governor's Grand Jury for cursing and arguing against Gookin.
[2] The breach made by his eccentricities widened until 1717, when, on petition of the council, he was removed.
One of Penn's letters says: "His grandfather, Sir Vincent Gookin, had been an early great planter in Ireland in Kings James I. and Charles I.