Oxford Alumni Who Shaped
the USA and Canada, 1585-1797
1. Oxonians made it both possible and inevitable for the American colonies to become independent.
2. All of the eight colonies between New York and Florida were founded or once owned in whole or part by an Oxonian. (Cambridge played a bigger role in New England.)
1. Oxonians made it both possible and inevitable for the American colonies to become independent.
2. All of the eight colonies between New York and Florida were founded or once owned in whole or part by an Oxonian. (Cambridge played a bigger role in New England.)
Date
|
Oxford Alum
|
College
|
US Connection
|
State
|
Comment
|
1585
|
Sir Walter Raleigh
|
Oriel, Oxford – but
didn’t take up residence
|
Explorer, founded
Roanoke for the glory of the Queen
|
VA
later was NC |
In
1585, Sir Walter Raleigh founded the first English colony at Roanoke in North
America. He named the colony as Virginia after Queen Elizabeth I. However,
the expedition being funded by himself, the Roanoke colony couldn't generate
a stable revenue and was abandoned. The Carolina Province was later split off
from Virginia and its capital -
Raleigh, NC - was named after Sir Walter. Read more at http://bit.ly/15B1UqE.
|
1567
|
Rev. Lawrence Washing-ton,
Fellow of Brasenose College Oxford (his two sons emigrated to Va.) was GW's gggfather. |
Brasenose,
Oxford (same college as current PM Cameron) |
A Laurence Wasshington [sic] was registered at Oxford
University in 1567 (at birth?). Another Laurence Washington, likely his son, registered
at Oxford University in 1594, from Northamptonshire. The Lawrences of Ashton
Hall, Lancs., were intermarried with the de Lancasters and the Washingtons. (http://www.lawrencefamhis.com/ashton-o/p230.htm.)
George
Washington (1732-99), first U.S. President (1789-1797), was born at Bridges
Creek, Virginia. His great-grandfather John Washington and his brother Lawrence settled there in 1658 from
Dillicar in Co. Westmorland. The background of the flag of Westmorland, just
west of Durham County and Yorkshire, is the red-and-white stripes of the de
Lancaster family, one form of whose crest has a single star in the canton. The multiple Washington stars are a family addition.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-tepper-marlin/washington-coat-of-arms_b_1906733.html
http://nyctimetraveler.blogspot.com/2013/03/george-washington-ties-to-oxford.html
Many believe the U.S. stars and stripes are derived at least indirectly from GW’s family coat of arms, which feature red (Gules) stars (Mullets) and stripes (Bars). (The District of Columbia flag is a direct copy of the Washington family red-and-white stars and stripes.) The Washington, Md., flag has blue stars. |
USA,
VA
DC
|
GW’s earliest recorded ancestor was Patric FitzDolfin de
Offerton, whose son William de Hertburn served the bishop of Durham, and who
in 1185 was granted the manor of Washington in return for the service of
attending the episcopal hunt with four greyhounds. The family lived on the
estate for 400 years, but in 1613 it was sold back to the church. http://www.4crests.com/washington-coat-of-arms.html Ancestry of George Washington (the use of the
de Lancaster stripes suggests the family is related) : #Patric
FitzDolfin de Offerton, c. 1145-1182 #William FitzPatric de Hertburn, c.
1165-1194 #William de Washington, c. 1180-1239 #Walter de Washington, c. 1212-1264
#William de Washington, c. 1240-1288
#Robert de Washington, 1265-1324 #Robert de
Washington, c. 1296-1348 #John de Washington, c. 1346-1408 #John de
Washington, c. 1380-1423
#Robert Washington, 1404-1483 #Robert
Washington, 1455-1528 #John Washington, 1478-1528 #Lawrence Washington,
1500-1583
#Robert Washington, c. 1544-1623 #Lawrence Washington, c. 1567-1616 #Rev. Lawrence Washington, 1602-1653 Brasenose College gggfather #John Washington, c. 1631-1677 migrated to USA ggfather #Lawrence Washington, 1659-1698 gfather #Augustine Washington, 1694-1743 father #George Washington, 1732-1799, first President http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancestry_of_George_Washington&action=edit§ion=3 |
1732
|
James Oglethorpe
|
Corpus Christi,
Oxford
|
Reformer, exposed
terrible conditions in debtor prisons. Saw Georgia as haven for refugees from
Britain’s prisons. In fact, the actual immigrants were skilled people.
|
GA
|
Landed 1732, settled near present Savannah, GA, in 1733.
Negotiated with Indians for land, created forts. Georgia established as a
buffer between Spanish Florida and South Carolina. Abolished slavery.
Tolerant of all religions except Roman Catholicism. Named Governor of
Georgia.
|
1776
(book)
|
Adam Smith
|
Balliol, Ox
|
Led opposition to
tariffs on trade. The Wealth of Nations was published in 1776.
|
USA
|
Founder of free-trade
classical economics, originator of the concept of the invisible hand
operating in markets. Opposed mercantilist ideas in “The Wealth of Nations.”
|
1632
|
Calvert, 1st and 2nd Barons
Baltimore and brother
|
Trinity, Ox
|
Founder. Roman
Catholic, sought a place where Catholics could find refuge, bc they were not
allowed to colonize Virginia, Georgia and other colonies. Pioneer in
religious tolerance. 1st Baron Calvert got the land in Md. carved out of Virginia for Catholics. One son went to America and the other stayed behind to take the title and work in government. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-educated-calverts-settle-maryland.html
|
MD
|
George Calvert, 1st
Lord Baltimore, secured rights to Maryland as a Catholic haven in the way of
expansion of anti-Catholic Virginia. Cecilius Calvert continued this interest
as 2nd Lord Baltimore and his brother became the first governor.
They worked both sides of the Atlantic as Virginians tried to fight back against the loss of some of their land.
|
c. 1710
|
John 2nd Baron Carteret, 2nd
Earl Granville
|
Christ Church,
Oxford
|
Founder, Carolinas. Inherited from his ggfather Sir George Carteret one-eighth of Province of Carolina along the Virginia border. Unlike
other owners, he refused to sell back to the Crown. Granville County named after
him. Oxford, NC named for his alma mater (http://www1.oxfordnc.org/index.html).
Was the real power in the government when Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington (Trinity, Oxford graduate) was Britain's 2nd PM, after Walpole, for two years. |
NC, SC
|
Descendant was
grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales. Jonathan Swift said of him: “He
carried away [from Oxford] more Greek, Latin and Philosophy than properly
became a person of his rank.” Migration tended to be southward, with
Virginians coming down to the Carolina for cheaper land. South Carolina split
away (as Delaware did from Pennsylvania) in 1719-1729.
|
1758
|
William Pitt the Elder (1st Earl
of Chatham)
|
Trinity, Ox
|
Kicked Out French +
Allied Indians. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2013/03/bornemans-french-and-indian-war-shows.html
|
USA
|
Pitt had the
imperial vision that supported British soldiers going to the colonies and
chasing French forces to Canada (and eventually out of North America).
http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-in-usa-2-making-independence.html
|
1773
|
Frederick Lord North
|
Trinity, Oxford
|
Overtaxed the
colonies to pay for Pitt’s wars. http://ox-cam-nyc.blogspot.com/2012/09/oxford-in-america-3-making-independence.html
|
USA
|
Pitt was greatly
opposed to making the colonies pay.
|
1620
|
Oxford Pilgrims
|
Oxford
|
Colonist
|
MA
|
Various pilgrims
landing at Plymouth etc. attended Oxford
|
1681
|
William Penn
|
Christ Church,
Oxford
|
Founded Pennsylvania
as an extension of New Jersey, which had been purchased as a Quaker haven. Like
the Calverts, he was a pioneer of religious tolerance. Founded Philadelphia,
whose charter became a basis of the U.S. Constitution. Became close to the
founder of the Quakers, George Fox. Persecuted for his views, a jury’s
refusal to convict him resulted in a breakthrough in the law of jury nullification.
|
PA, DE, NJ
|
Son of a supporter
of the King of England, who was knighted and made an admiral, Penn – although
he broke with his father on religious and peace issues - was given the land
that is now known as Pennsylvania and Delaware as settlement of a debt owed
by King Charles. A visionary, he created a colony committed to peace and
envisioned a union of all the colonies, as well as a similar union in Europe.
Charles II named Pennsylvania after William Penn’s father. Delaware split off
bc the leaders of this area did not like being under a Quaker government.
|
Date
|
Cambridge
|
College
|
US Connection
|
State
|
Comment
|
1636
|
John Harvard
|
Emma-nuel,
Cam-
bridge
|
Colonist
|
MA
|
Donated his library to Harvard, thereby gave
the College his name. Among the influential colonists were a number of
Cambridge (hence Harvard's city name)
graduates. http://bit.ly/14bpApf
|
Flag of Georgia
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