John Tatham (colonist)

John Tatham (born c. 1642 – died c. July 1700) was an English colonial administrator and merchant who was nominated to serve as the Governor of East Jersey. While Tatham was ultimately rejected for the office, he did serve as de facto deputy governor, acting governor, and as a member of the Governor's Council. Later in life, he served as one of the founders of Burlington Township in present-day New Jersey.

Tatham was one of the earliest known Catholics to hold high political office in colonial America and maintained close ties with Catholic missionary activity in the Middle Colonies.

Early life

Tatham was born in England around 1642. As a young man, he was sent to Douai University in France to study for the priesthood, and became a Benedictine monk. He later left his order in 1678, after a supposed plot to kill Charles II inflamed hysteria against Catholics. Tatham arrived in North America by the early 1680s.^[1]

By 1681 he had acquired extensive landholdings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Neshaminy Falls, including a 5,000-acre purchase from William Penn. His name appears among the earliest purchasers of land in the province.^[2]

Tatham was a Roman Catholic at a time when Catholics faced legal and political disabilities throughout much of the English colonial world. Contemporary observers described him as a "Jacobite," reflecting his support for King James II and his Catholic faith. Tatham was married to Elizabeth Tatham, and they had at least three children.^[2][3]

Public life

Tatham first emerged prominently in public affairs as the principal American agent of Daniel Coxe. Coxe never visited America and relied upon Tatham to oversee his extensive landholdings, business interests, and governmental concerns in the colonies.^[4] Acting on Coxe's behalf, he helped administer and secure title to more than 62,000 acres of proprietary land in the colony.^[5] Tatham was associated with the establishment of an early pottery enterprise near the Assunpink Creek in present-day Trenton. Contemporary accounts attributed the project to his recommendation and knowledge of ceramic materials. Later historians described the operation as one of the first pottery established in English North America.^[4][6]

In 1687, after Coxe became Governor of West Jersey, he appointed Tatham as his deputy governor. By that time he was already a member of the Council of Proprietors.^[5] The West Jersey Assembly refused to recognize the appointment, citing Tatham's Jacobite affiliations.^[7] Despite this rejection, Tatham continued to act as Coxe's representative and remained deeply involved in public affairs throughout the province as his de facto deputy.^[4]

Tatham was among the proprietors of West Jersey and in 1687 was elected as one of the commissioners who exercised governmental authority on behalf of the proprietors. He participated in efforts to resolve the long-standing boundary disputes between East and West Jersey and played an important role in provincial administration.^[4]

Tatham worked with James Budd, Cox’s surveyor, but when Budd died under suspicious circumstances in 1690, Tatham was suspected of poisoning him. John Budd, James’ brother, accused Tatham, and Tatham sued Budd for defamation. The court ruled in Tatham's favor and awarded him damages.^[1]

Nomination as Governor

Following the death of Governor Robert Barclay in October 1690, the proprietors of East Jersey selected Tatham as governor, but no record exists of his confirmation to the office. Contemporary historian William A. Whitehead recorded that the proprietors appointed John Tatham to succeed Barclay before later naming Colonel Joseph Dudley in 1691. Evidence suggests that Tatham exercised de facto gubernatorial authority during the brief intervening period, although surviving records are fragmentary and later lists of New Jersey governors often omitted his name.^[8][9] Some nineteenth-century historians subsequently described him as New Jersey's "missing governor."^[4]

Governor's Council

After the defeat of James II's cause following the Battle of La Hogue in 1692, Tatham accepted the political realities of the Glorious Revolution and continued in public service under Governor Andrew Hamilton. Hamilton appointed him to the Governor's Council, where he remained an influential adviser. Under Governor Jeremiah Basse, Tatham continued his public service as a member of the Governor's Council. In 1698, he was summoned to assist the government during disputes involving the port of Perth Amboy and questions of New Jersey's rights and jurisdiction.^[4]

Burlington Township

Tatham participated in the organization and founding of Burlington Township. In 1694, he was elected Recorder of Burlington, served as a justice of the court, and played an active role in local governance. He chaired committees addressing public order, Sabbath observance, and the regulation of taverns. In 1695, Tatham helped establish one of Burlington's earliest public burial grounds.^[2][10]

His residence in Burlington served as a center of Catholic life in the colony. Jesuit missionaries traveling between New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland frequently stopped at his home, and contemporary evidence suggests that Mass was celebrated there as well. Historians have described the property as an important Catholic refuge and missionary station during a period when Catholic worship was often restricted elsewhere in English America.^[4]

Death

Tatham died in July 1700. An inventory completed that year valued his estate at more than £3,765, making him one of the wealthiest men in colonial New Jersey at the time.^[2]