Newport Settlement 1639

1639 First Founders
Newport was founded in 1639. Its eight founders and first officers were Nicholas Easton, William Coddington, John Clarke, John Coggeshall, William Brenton, Jeremy Clark, Thomas Hazard, and Henry Bull. They left Portsmouth, Rhode Island after a political fallout with Anne Hutchinson and her followers.[citation needed] As part of the agreement, Coddington and his followers took control of the southern side of the island. They were soon joined by Nicholas Easton, who had recently been expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for holding heretical beliefs. The settlement grew to be the largest of the four original settlements of Rhode Island, which also included the Colony of Providence Plantations and Shawomett. Many of the first colonists in Newport became Baptists, and the second Baptist congregation in Rhode Island was formed in 1640 under the leadership of John Clarke.


 * 1) Nicholas Easton,
 * 2) William Coddington,
 * 3) John Clarke,
 * 4) John Coggeshall,
 * 5) William Brenton,
 * 6) Jeremiah Clark (1605-1651) - future colonial Governor,  husband of Frances Latham (1609-1677), "Mother of Governors" -
 * 7) Thomas Hazard,
 * 8) Henry Bull.

Latter History
Peace did not last long in Newport, as many did not like Coddington's autocratic style. As a result, a counter-faction was formed by 1650, led by Nicholas Easton, and the Coddington/Easton divide dominated Newport politics for much of the 17th century.[citation needed] Newport became the most important port in colonial Rhode Island; a public school was established in 1640.

In 1658, a group of Jews were allowed to settle in Newport who were fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal.[5] The Newport congregation is now referred to as Congregation Jeshuat Israel and is the second-oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It meets in Touro Synagogue, the oldest standing synagogue in the United States.

In 1663, the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations received its Royal Charter, and Benedict Arnold was elected its first Governor at Newport. Upon its completion in 1741, the Old Colony House served as a seat of Rhode Island's government at the head of what is now known as Washington Square, until the current Rhode Island State House in Providence was completed in 1904 and Providence became the state's sole capital city.

The commercial activity which raised Newport to its fame as a rich port was begun by a second wave of Portuguese Jews who settled there about the middle of the 18th century. They had been practicing Judaism in secret for three hundred years in Portugal, liable to torture and murder by the Inquisition if they were caught, and were attracted to Rhode Island because of the freedom of worship there. They brought with them commercial experience and connections, capital, and a spirit of enterprise. Most prominent among those were Jacob Rodrigues Rivera who arrived in 1745 (died 1789), and Aaron Lopez who came in 1752. Rivera introduced into America the manufacture of sperm oil, which became one of the leading industries and made Newport rich. Newport's inhabitants who were engaged in whaling developed 17 manufactories of oil and candles and enjoyed a practical monopoly of this trade until the Revolution.