John Cranston (governor)

Later in life, Cranston was elected to a variety of offices, including attorney general, deputy, assistant and commissioner.

[4] Cranston first appears on the public record in March 1644 when he was elected to be a drummer in the military company of Portsmouth in the Rhode Island colony.

[6] Cranston became proficient as a medical practitioner during his early life, and was recognized for his skills by the General Assembly.

They then elected Captain Cranston, with a promotion to the rank of major (not, as some sources state, major-general), to command all of the colony's militia companies.

On 4 November Conanicut Island was incorporated as a township and called Jamestown in honor of the Duke of York, who soon became king (as James II & VII.

[13] Many of the agenda items during his administration dealt with financial issues, and several finance or taxation laws were passed or repealed.

[13] A rate of 300 pounds was assessed, broken down by town as follows: Newport, 136; Portsmouth, 68; New Shoreham (Block Island), 29; Jamestown, 29; Providence, 10; Warwick, 8; Kingston, 16 (reduced to 8); Greenwich, 2; and Westerly, 2.

[13] Never, in the history of the colony, had there been such a disproportionate share in taxation, and the numbers clearly show the relative degree to which the various towns had suffered as a result of the war.

[13] In 1679 the Crown confirmed the jurisdiction of Rhode Island over the Narragansett country, within which were the recent settlements of Westerly, Kings Town, and Greenwich.

[15] A letter of thankful acknowledgment was sent to King Charles II, but also with a request that the area around Mount Hope be added to the colony.

His white marble gravestone (dating from the late 17th century) is still in place and is one of the oldest grave markers extant in the United States.

He was the first who ever held the place of major-general, having been selected to command all the militia of the Colony during Philip's War, and he was the father of a future governor, who became more distinguished for his protracted public service.