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Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont (sometimes spelled Bellamont, 1636 ? 5 March 1700/1[1]), known as The Lord Coote between 1683 and 1689, was a member of the English Parliament and a colonial governor. Born in Ireland, he was an early supporter of William and Mary, siding with them in the Glorious Revolution.
In 1695 he was given commissions as governor of the provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, and New Hampshire, which he held until his death. He did not arrive in the New World until 1698, and spent most of his tenure as governor in New York. He spent a little over a year in Massachusetts, and only two weeks in New Hampshire. His time in New York was marked by divisive politics resulting from Leisler's Rebellion (1689?1691), and difficult and ultimately unsuccessful negotiations to keep the Iroquois from engaging in peace talks with New France. Frontier issues were also in the forefront during his time in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where lumber and security from the Abenaki threat dominated his tenure.
more: Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Coote
Colonial Governor. The first mention of Coote in English history is as a member of Parliament for the burrough of Dwitwich, England. In November 1689 King William III named him the Earl of Bellomont and six years later appointed him Provincial Governor of New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He was ordered by the King to put an end to the destructive piracy situation, and as a result on October 10, 1695 reached an agreement with pirate, Captain Kidd empowering him to deal with the pirates in whatever way he felt necessary. In the agreement it was stipulated that all prizes taken from the French should be disposed of in the way directed by law; but that all captures from pirates should be sold for the benefit of the owners and crew, twenty five per cent of the gross proceeds going to the crew in lieu of pay, the remaining seventy five per cent to be divided between Bellomont, and Kidd. Coote's commission as Governor was delayed for financial and political reasons, and as a result wasn't able to depart for New York until late 1697, arriving in New York on April 2, 1698. The Governor made a favorable initial impression upon the people of New York. He was tall, good looking and industrious, looking much younger than he was. After only being in the Province a week resentment of his new policies began to take place. The majority of inhabitants in New York at the time were of Dutch descent and had very little regard for the English. Each successive attempt on Coote's part to perform his duty served but to increase their dislike and resentment. He was slandered, vilified and hated to the day of his death, and even after his death the people took delight in insulting his memory. A remarkable feature of Bellomont's career was that he refused to increase his fortune by affiliation or collusion with public or private plunder, although at the time no province under the English Crown offered more abundant or safer ways for amassing great wealth than the Province of New York. He served less than four years as Governor before his death, never achieving the kind of reforms he planned. He was originally buried in the chapel of the Fort at the Battery in New York city, then occupied by the royal military forces for pubic worship. In 1790 when the fort was taken down and the Battery leveled, his coffin was removed and re interred at St. Paul's Churchyard.
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1636 - 1701 (65 years)
