List of colonial governors of Massachusetts

Popham Colony: 1607–08

The Popham Colony was founded on the coast of present-day Phippsburg, Maine in 1607 as a colonization attempt by the Virginia Company of Plymouth. The colony lasted about one year before being abandoned. One of its principal backers was Sir John Popham; his nephew George was the colony's governor for most of its existence. George Popham died in the colony in 1608, and was replaced by Ralegh Gilbert. He and the remaining colonists abandoned the colony after word arrived that John Popham and Gilbert's older brother, Sir John Gilbert had died.

Plymouth Colony: 1620–86, 1689–92

The Plymouth Colony originated as a land grant issued by the London Virginia Company to a group of English religious separatists who had fled to Holland to avoid religious persecution. Their migration to the New World in 1620 aboard the Mayflower was funded by the Merchant Adventurers, who sent additional settlers to engage in profit-making activities in the colony. The settlers had intended to establish a colony near the mouth of the Hudson River, within the bounds of the London Virginia Company's territory, but conditions on the crossing led them to establish it instead on the shores of Cape Cod Bay at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. The colonists eventually acquired a land grant from the Plymouth Council for New England in 1621, but its early governance took place under the terms of the Mayflower Compact, a document drafted by the colonists aboard the Mayflower before they landed. In 1630 the colony acquired a formal charter with authority to govern from the Plymouth Council, but it was unsuccessful in attempts to acquire a royal charter that would guarantee its territory against other claimants.

The colony held annual elections for its offices. Between 1620 and 1680 the colony was ruled by a governor, who appointed a temporary replacement if he left the colony. In 1681 they began also electing a deputy governor, who would serve in the governor's absence. The colony's rule was dominated by William Bradford, who served more than thirty terms as governor. The colony was incorporated into the Dominion of New England in 1686. After the dominion was dissolved in 1689, the colony temporarily reverted to its previous rule. In 1691 it was incorporated by charter into the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which took effect in 1692 with the arrival of the new royal governor, Sir William Phips.

Wessagusset Colony: 1622–23

The Wessagusset Colony (sometimes called the Weston Colony or Weymouth Colony) was a short-lived trading colony located in present-day Weymouth, Massachusetts. It was settled in August 1622 by between 50 and 60 colonists who were ill-prepared for colonial life. After settling without adequate provisions and harming relations with local Native Americans, the colony was dissolved in late March 1623. The surviving colonists either joined the Plymouth Colony or returned to England.

Governor-General of New England: 1623–24

In 1623, Robert Gorges was commissioned as Governor-General of New England by King Charles I to oversee Plymouth, Wessagusset, and future New England colonies. Gorges established a small colony on the site of the recently failed Wessagusset Colony; his effort was abandoned after one year for financial reasons. Some of his settlers thereafter remained in the area without formal governance, moving to occupy the Shawmut Peninsula (future site of Boston, Massachusetts) among other places.

Massachusetts Bay Colony: 1629–86, 1689–92

The Massachusetts Bay Company was established in 1628, and was funded in part by investors in the failed Dorchester Company. In that year, the company elected Matthew Cradock as its governor and received a grant from the Plymouth Council for New England for land roughly between the Charles and Merrimack Rivers. The company dispatched John Endecott and a small company of settlers to Massachusetts Bay not long after acquiring the grant. In 1629 the company acquired a royal charter as a means to guarantee its grant against other claims, and elected Endecott as the first colonial governor, while Cradock continued to govern the company in London. In August 1629 the company's shareholders reorganized the company so that the charter could be removed to the colony, merging corporate and colonial administration. John Winthrop was elected governor in October, but did not formally take charge of the colony until he arrived in 1630. Colonial officials (governor, deputy governor, and the council of assistants) were thereafter elected annually by the freemen of the colony. The governorship was dominated by a small group of early settlers, who sought to ensure that the vision of a Puritan settlement was maintained: in addition to Winthrop and Endecott, Richard Bellingham, John Leverett, and Simon Bradstreet all served extended terms. These men, and Thomas Dudley (who served four one-year terms as governor), were regularly in positions of importance when they were not serving as governor.

Following the restoration of Charles II to the throne in 1660, the colony's governance and religious attitudes came under greater scrutiny, which finally led to the revocation of its charter in 1684. King James II then established the Dominion of New England, an appointed regime not well received in the colonies. It took effect in 1686 and lasted until 1689, when the Glorious Revolution toppled James and led to the arrest in Massachusetts of the Dominion's unpopular governor, Sir Edmund Andros. The colony reverted to its previous rule on a provisional basis, because it then lacked any sort of legal charter. In 1691 King William III merged the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay along with the territory of Maine, the islands south of Cape Cod (including Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands), and recently captured Nova Scotia (which included present-day New Brunswick) to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay. This new governmental structure took effect in 1692, with the arrival of the new royal governor, Sir William Phips.

Dominion of New England: 1686–89

The Dominion of New England was established by King James II in order to bring the fractious colonies of New England more firmly under united crown control, and to streamline the costs associated with colonial administration. All of the New England colonies, as well as the provinces of New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey all eventually came under its authority. Sir Edmund Andros, who governed the Dominion for most of its existence, alienated many New Englanders, insisting on introducing the Church of England into Puritan Boston and vacating land titles issued under the old charter. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 deposed James, Massachusetts political operatives conspired to have Andros arrested and returned to England. All of the affected colonies reverted to their previous rule, although Massachusetts did so without formal constitutional authority because its charter had been revoked. William and Mary eventually issued new charters; in the process of doing so they combined the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony and other territories into the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Plans to establish the dominion had started under King Charles II early in the 1680s. He initially selected Colonel Percy Kirke as the dominion's governor in 1684. Kirke's commission was approved by James, but was then withdrawn after Kirke's controversially harsh actions in putting down Monmouth's Rebellion in 1685. As an interim measure before Andros' commission could be finalized, Joseph Dudley, son of Thomas Dudley, was given a commission as "President of the Council of New England" with limited powers.

Province of Massachusetts Bay: 1692–1775

The royal charter for the Province of Massachusetts Bay was issued in 1691. The territory it encompassed included the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Plymouth Colony, the territories of Maine and Nova Scotia (which then included present-day New Brunswick), and the proprietary plantation holdings of Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and other islands off the southern coast of Cape Cod. The government did not formally begin operating until the first governor, Sir William Phips, arrived in 1692. The province was governed by civilian governors until 1774, when Thomas Hutchinson was replaced by Lieutenant General Thomas Gage amid rising tensions between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Parliament. Gage, the province's last royal governor, was effectively powerless beyond Boston, and was recalled after the June 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. By then the province was already being run de facto by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, which continued to govern until 1780. Following the adoption of a state constitution in 1779, the newly formed Commonwealth of Massachusetts elected John Hancock as its first governor.

Under the terms of the royal charter, both the governor and lieutenant governor were appointed by the crown. The charter contained a provision that the governor's council would assume the duties of the governor should both governor and lieutenant governor be absent from the colony. This occurred three times:

1. When acting governor William Stoughton died in 1701, the council governed until the arrival of Joseph Dudley.
2. Following the death of Queen Anne in 1714, the commissions she had issued expired six months later. Although her successor, King George I, issued an order continuing all commissions, this order did not reach Massachusetts before the six months expired. The council asserted its authority, claiming that the commissions of Joseph Dudley and William Tailer had expired, and ruled from February 4 until March 21, 1715, when the king's order arrived.
3. After acting governor Spencer Phips died in 1757, the council governed until the arrival of Thomas Pownall.