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Tryon, William

(Encyclopedia)Tryon, William, 1729–88, English colonial governor in North America. After a distinguished army career he was appointed (1764) lieutenant governor of North Carolina and succeeded (1765) Arthur Dobbs...

Prence, Thomas

(Encyclopedia)Prence or Prince, Thomas, 1600–1673, American colonial governor, b. England. His Puritan family joined the Pilgrim community in Leiden in Thomas's youth. In 1621 he went to Plymouth Colony, where he...

Santo Domingo, former Spanish colony

(Encyclopedia)Santo Domingo sänˈtō dōmēngˈgō [key], former Spanish colony on the island of Hispaniola. The name has also been used for the Dominican Republic, and in early days it applied to Haiti. Columbus ...

Penn, William, founder of Pennsylvania

(Encyclopedia)Penn, William, 1644–1718, English Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania, b. London, England; son of Sir William Penn. Penn became involved in the affairs of the American colonies when in 1675 he was ap...

Cushing, William Barker

(Encyclopedia)Cushing, William Barker, 1842–74, Union naval hero in the Civil War, b. Delafield, Wis., educated at Annapolis. Cushing became noted for a series of daredevil exploits, particularly for his sinking ...

Alden, John

(Encyclopedia)Alden, John, c.1599–1687, Puritan settler in Plymouth Colony. He came to America on the Mayflower and was prominent as assistant to the governor of the colony. He moved (c.1627) to Duxbury and there...

Coddington, William

(Encyclopedia)Coddington, William, 1601–78, one of the founders of Rhode Island, probably b. Boston, England. He came to America in 1630 as an officer of the Massachusetts Bay Company and was its treasurer from 1...

Johnson, William Samuel

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, William Samuel, 1727–1819, American political leader and president of Columbia College (1787–1800), b. Stratford, Conn. A lawyer in Connecticut, he soon became a leading figure in the col...

Connaught, Arthur William Patrick Albert, duke of

(Encyclopedia)Connaught, Arthur William Patrick Albert, duke of kŏnˈôt [key], 1850–1942, English prince; son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, brother of Edward VII. Trained for a military career, he served...

Paca, William

(Encyclopedia)Paca, William pāˈkə, păkˈə [key], 1740–99, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. near Abingdon, Md. A lawyer and Maryland legislator, he se...