Francis Bernard
Francis Bernard
A mild-mannered Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who cannot control the riotous town of Boston.
From the Card:
- Success as Governor of New Jersey earns you the governorship of Massachusetts.
- There is “most perfect harmony” in Massachusetts when you arrive, but having to enforce unpopular British taxes soon makes you a hated figure.
- Though trained in law, you also dabble in architecture, designing Harvard Hall in Cambridge.
- After asking for troops to be sent to Boston to help suppress the riots, things go from bad to worse. Soon after you are removed from service and pass the governorship to Thomas Hutchinson.
Francis Bernard was the Royal Governor of Massachusetts during the years that the discontent that lead to the American Revolution began. Despite having successfully governed New Jersey before coming to New England, he had very little success after he came to Boston. It is tempting to wonder how history might have changed if a more skillful governor had been in power during those crucial years.
For more information on Francis Bernard, try:
- Francis Bernard from Mass.gov- This short biography is a general summary of Thomas Hutchinson’s life and political career.
- Sir Francis Bernard from Oxford Dictionary of National Biography- A short biography from the institution that holds his portrait.
- The Infamas Govener: Francis Bernard and the origins of the American Revolution by Colin Nicolson- This is an in-depth, scholarly biography of the governor and his career.
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