Spencer Phips facts for kids

Spencer Phips (born June 6, 1685 – died April 4, 1757) was an important government leader in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was born Spencer Bennett. He was adopted by his uncle-in-law, Sir William Phips, who was a governor of Massachusetts. Spencer then took his uncle's last name. Spencer Phips worked for many years in the local government. He was part of the provincial assembly and the governor's council. In 1732, he became the lieutenant governor. He held this job until he died. He also served as the acting governor two times.

Early Life and Family

Spencer Bennett was born on June 6, 1685, in Rowley, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father, David Bennett, was a doctor in the area. His mother Rebecca's sister, Mary, was married to Sir William Phips. Sir William Phips became the first governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1692.

William Phips and his wife did not have children of their own. So, they adopted Spencer. In 1716, Spencer officially changed his name to Phips. He went to Harvard College and finished his studies in 1703. He was at the top of his class because his family was well-known.

In 1706, Spencer Phips bought a large area of land in eastern Cambridge. He made his home there. In 1707, he married Elizabeth Hutchinson. They had eleven children together. Five of their children, one son and four daughters, were still alive when Spencer Phips died.

Sir William Phips adopted Spencer Phips.

In 1713, Spencer Phips was chosen to be a justice of the peace for Middlesex County. This meant he helped keep law and order. He also became a colonel in a cavalry group for the local army. In 1721, he started his political career. He was elected to the provincial assembly, which was like a local parliament. However, he was then chosen to be on the governor's council that same year. So, he served on the council instead of the assembly until 1724.

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts

In March 1732, the lieutenant governor, William Tailer, passed away. Spencer Phips was then chosen for the job. He worked as lieutenant governor under Governors Jonathan Belcher and William Shirley. He stayed in this role until his death.

During his time as lieutenant governor, Spencer Phips was acting governor twice for long periods. This happened when Governor Shirley was away. The first time was in 1749. Governor Shirley left for several years to talk with France about land borders. He came back in 1753. Later, in 1756, Phips took over again. This was when Governor Shirley went back to England.

When Governor Shirley was away starting in 1749, Spencer Phips was seen as a somewhat weak leader. Shirley had told Phips not to fill important job openings. He also said that any choices Phips made would end when Shirley returned. The local assembly, led by people like Thomas Hutchinson, had a lot of power. They did not like the idea of printing more paper money, which could cause prices to rise.

Spencer Phips helped put in place new money rules suggested by Hutchinson. These rules helped solve the province's long-standing problems with paper money losing its value. In 1751, he signed a law that allowed people to trade their paper money for silver money. He also stopped a plan to print even more paper money.

Helping Acadian Families

From 1754 to 1756, Governor Shirley was often away dealing with military matters during the French and Indian War. So, Spencer Phips took on the governor's duties. A main issue during this time was the arrival of many Acadians in November 1755. The British Army had moved these families from Nova Scotia after the Battle of Fort Beauséjour.

About 1,000 Acadian families arrived. Housing and caring for them cost a lot of money. The province's treasury was already low because of the war. Spencer Phips wrote to Nova Scotia Governor Charles Lawrence. He asked for money to help pay for the care of the Acadian families. In 1756, some Acadian families who had been moved to Georgia were found sailing north. They seemed to want to go back to Nova Scotia. Phips again told Governor Lawrence that Massachusetts could not take in any more families.

Dealing with Native American Relations in Maine

Spencer Phips was one of the landowners of a large area in what is now central Maine. In 1719, these landowners started to build towns there, like Thomaston and Warren. The local Abenaki people did not like these new settlements. They said that their leaders who had agreed to the land sales did not have the right to do so. This disagreement led to a conflict known as Dummer's War (1723–1727).

In November 1749, Phips announced that the fighting between Massachusetts and the Abenaki was over. The Abenaki had sided with New France during the recent King George's War (1744–1748). However, they had not signed the peace treaty that ended the European war. The next month, one Abenaki person was killed and two were hurt by settlers in Wiscasset, Maine.

This event caused problems between the colony's leaders and its citizens. Phips wanted to keep peace with the Abenaki. But the local people thought the killings should not be punished. Crowds of people helped the suspects escape more than once. Only one of the accused men was tried in court, and he was found not guilty. This failure to get justice made tensions higher with the Abenaki. Some Abenaki groups then started attacking frontier towns. Massachusetts leaders were able to calm things down by giving valuable gifts to the affected Abenaki families. The issue was finally settled at a peace meeting in 1752.

However, a bigger war, along with disagreements on the frontier, brought conflict to Maine again. In March 1754, Governor Shirley heard rumors that the French were building forts in northern Maine. He ordered the province to get ready for war again. He ordered the building of Fort Halifax on the Kennebec River. This made the Abenakis increase their attacks. Because of these attacks, Massachusetts declared war on the Abenakis, "except for the Penobscot Tribe only."

The Penobscots were caught between the two sides. The French saw them as pro-British, and the Maine colonists did not trust them. Many Penobscots started to side with the French after a group of New England soldiers attacked a Native fishing party without reason at Owls Head in July 1755.

In November 1755, while Governor Shirley was away, Phips declared war on the Penobscot. He offered money for scalps. This was a common but terrible practice at the time. Within a year, the Massachusetts assembly voted to raise the amount of money offered for scalps even higher. After a major attack on St. George in spring 1758, Governor Thomas Pownall would take control of the Penobscot River and the tribe's homeland by force in 1759.

Later Years and Passing

Spencer Phips' second time as acting governor was short. It began after Governor Shirley was called back to England. During this time, Thomas Hutchinson, a key member of Shirley's government, had a lot of influence. Spencer Phips was old and not well. He died six months after Governor Shirley left for England. The governor's council then managed things until the new governor, Thomas Pownall, arrived.

The town of Spencer, Massachusetts is named after Spencer Phips.