Francis Norton

Francis Norton (1590 – July 27, 1667) was an early American merchant and settler of New England. He was a land grant colonial governor of what became the Province of New Hampshire.

Life and career

Norton was born in Bedfordshire, England in 1590, the son of William Norton and Dionisia Cholmeley.

By the 1630s, Norton was an established merchant in London. During this period he was acquainted with John Harvard, the future benefactor of Harvard University, and appears in a legal record involving a substantial financial obligation between the two men. He married Mary Houghton, a member of a well-connected English family, and together they raised five daughters who lived to adulthood. Norton also was co-owner and operator of a fur-trading partnership with a 21-year monopoly over all furs discovered along the Delaware River.

Public office

By the 1630s, Norton was listed in records as a haberdasher and worked as an agent for John Mason, the proprietor of the territory that later became New Hampshire. After Mason's 1635 death, Norton was retained by his widow to administer his holdings. He administered Mason's settlement (roughly including present-day Portsmouth and some nearby communities), and was styled as governor from 1638 to 1640. After his service administering Mason's settlement ended, Norton moved to Charlestown in Boston, Massachusetts. He was admitted to the Charlestown church in 1642.

Norton held the rank of Captain in the colonial militia in Charlestown. In 1647, Norton was elected as a selectman in Charlestown. He also served as deputy to the Massachusetts General Court until at least 1660.

Death

Norton died in Charlestown on July 27, 1667. His estate was valued at 667 pounds.