Sir Harry Vane

Sir Henry Vane (1613 – 14 June 1662), often referred to as Harry Vane and Henry Vane the Younger to distinguish him from his father, was an English politician and colonial administrator. He was briefly present in North America, serving one term as the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1636-37), and supported the creation of Roger Williams' Rhode Island Colony and Harvard College. A proponent of religious tolerance, as governor, he defended Anne Hutchinson and her right to teach religious topics in her home; this put him in direct conflict with the Puritan leaders in the Massachusetts Colony. He returned to England after losing re-election and eventually, Hutchinson was banned from the colony. He was a leading Parliamentarian during the English Civil War and worked closely with Oliver Cromwell. He played no part in the execution of King Charles I in 1649. He left Parliament in disgust at Pride's Purge in December 1648 and did not return until weeks after the King's execution. He refused to take an oath approving the King's execution. Vane served on the Council of State that functioned as the government executive during the Interregnum, but split with Cromwell over issues of governance and removed himself from power when Cromwell dissolved Parliament in 1653. He returned to power during the short-lived Commonwealth period from 1659–1660, following the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658 and the failure the rule of his son and successor Richard Cromwell. His fight for government reform, a constitution, and civil and religious liberties made him a man "too dangerous to let live" in King Charles II's view. He was arrested under orders from Charles II following his restoration to the throne in 1660. After a long debate, Vane was exempted from the Indemnity and Oblivion Act, and he was denied the amnesty granted to most men for their roles in the Civil War and Interregnum. Although he was formally granted clemency by Charles II, he was indicted for high treason by a Middlesex grand jury after charges were presented by the king's attorney general, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, in 1662. In a court proceeding in which he was denied counsel and the opportunity to properly prepare a defence, he was convicted by a Royalist jury. Charles withdrew his earlier clemency, and Vane was beheaded on Tower Hill on 14 June 1662. Vane was recognised by his political peers as a competent administrator and persuasive negotiator and politician. His politics were driven by a desire for religious tolerance in an era when governments were used to establish official churches and suppress dissenting views. Although his views were in a small minority, he was able to successfully build coalitions to advance his agenda. His actions contributed to both the rise and downfall of the English Commonwealth. His books and pamphlets written on political and religious subjects are still analysed today. His writing A Healing Question advocated for a constitutional convention, pre-dating the American Constitutional Convention by over a century. Vane is remembered in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as an early champion of liberty. The New England Historical and Genealogical Society wrote of him in 1848: Those who have been accustomed to view Roger Williams in his true character, – a great and wonderful man, a pioneer in establishing religious and consequently political liberty, – must accord the same virtues to Sir Henry Vane. It is true, the latter did not lay down his life here in our…