Benjamin Bullivant
1st Attorney General of the
Dominion of New England[1][2]
In office
July 26, 1686 – April 1687
Appointed byJoseph Dudley[1]
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byGiles Masters
Clerk of the Superior Court[1]
Preceded byNone
Succeeded byGiles Masters
Personal details
ProfessionPhysician;[1] Apothecary[1][3]
Signature

Benjamin Bullivant was appointed by Joseph Dudley[1] as the first Attorney General of the Dominion of New England.

Bullivant was a founder, and the first churchwarden of King's Chapel,[1][4] Boston.

Bullivant was brought up in a noble household in England, and resided in London prior to moving to United States. By roughly 1685, Bullivant moved from London to Boston. Bullivant's professions were that of a Physician and Apothecary.

While living in Boston, Bullivant was apprehensive on becoming Attorney General, but because of his knowledge of the laws, he was forced to accept the position. According to friend of Bullivant, John Dunton, Bullivant's stint as Attorney General was not extreme and focused more on peaceful approaches to problems.

Bullivant likely brought a wife over from England, as his daughter Hannah was baptized January 3rd 1685/86, at the Old South Church. Although it seems neither he nor his wife were members of said church.

Bullivant was the Senior Warden of King's Chapel from 1686-1687.[5]

Bullivant was appointed to Attorney General under Edmund Andros, Governor of the Dominion of New England. Andros' rule as governor was authoritarian and turbulent, which caused him to be overthrown in the 1689 Boston revolt. Bullivant, who had played a "conspicuous" part during his administration was in turn arrested and imprisoned for 8 weeks in a common jail. He was then detained for many months in Boston before escaping to England, after his petitions to the King of England. Although it seems he must have returned to Boston later in his life.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Davis, William Thomas (1900), History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts: Including the Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies, the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and the Commonwealth, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Company, p. 53
  2. ↑ Davis, William Thomas (1900), History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts: Including the Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies, the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and the Commonwealth, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Company, p. 79
  3. ↑ Davis, William Thomas (1900), History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts: Including the Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies, the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and the Commonwealth, Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Book Company, p. 293
  4. ↑ Foote, Henry Wilder (1900), Annals of King's Chapel from the Puritan Age of New England to the Present Day, Volume 1, Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown Company, p. 46
  5. ↑ Foote, H. W.; et al. (1878). "March Meeting, 1878. Letter from Peter O. Hutchinson; Journal of Dr. Benjamin Bullivant; Letter from Richard Henry Lee; Letter of Edward Winslow; Memoir of George Bemis; Memoir of James Savage". Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Vol. 16. p. 102. JSTOR 25079530.
  6. ↑ Foote, H. W.; Ames, Ellis; Hoar, E. R.; Hillard, George S. (1878). "March Meeting, 1878. Letter from Peter O. Hutchinson; Journal of Dr. Benjamin Bullivant; Letter from Richard Henry Lee; Letter of Edward Winslow; Memoir of George Bemis; Memoir of James Savage". Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Vol. 16. p. 103. JSTOR 25079530.
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