George Lawton (settler)

He became such a highly esteemed member of the colony, that in 1676 he was one of 16 individuals whose counsel was requested by the General Assembly during the chaotic events of King Philip's War.

[3] Dissension arose among the leaders of this colony, and in April 1639 a group of nine individuals signed an agreement for a government and moved to the south end of the island to establish the town of Newport.

[3] His name appears on a list of Portsmouth freemen in 1655, and in 1665 he became involved in the service of the colony as a Deputy to the General Assembly, a position he held for five of the next 15 years.

[5] In October 1678 the Assembly determined that a meeting was to be held at Lawton's house the following January to audit the accounts between Newport and Portsmouth concerning the expenses from the recent war.

In January 1690 he was one of six Assistants who drafted a letter to the new English monarchs, William III and Mary II, congratulating them for their accession to the throne, and also mentioning the seizure of Governor Andros in Rhode Island, and his removal to Massachusetts for trial.