This week in Christian history: ‘Father of Connecticut’ dies; ‘Cross of Gold’ speech; ex-slave ordained

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, July 05, 2020

Thomas Hooker dies — July 7, 1647

Theologian and preacher Thomas Hooker (1586-1647) and a company of supporters reach the Connecticut river. Hooker is credited with helping to found Connecticut colony. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Thomas Hooker, Puritan preacher, theologian, and political theorist known as the “father of Connecticut,” passed away.

A native of Leicestershire, England, Hooker immigrated to colonial America in 1633 and eventually settled at the future site of Hartford, where he helped spread Puritan beliefs.

“Not only was Hooker one of the leading figures in the Connecticut Colony; he was also one of the leading Puritan theologians in New England,” wrote Nancy Finlay of the website Connecticut History.

“His trek to Hartford was the symbolic beginning of America’s westward expansion, and his principles (stated in A Survey of the Summe of Church-Discipline and in his numerous sermons) not only supported the dominance of the Puritan church in succeeding centuries but also provided a tentative basis for American democracy.”