Joseph Dudley - Service Under Governor Andros

Service Under Governor Andros

When Governor Andros arrived in December 1686 he immediately assumed the reins of power. Dudley sat on his council, and served as judge of the superior court and censor of the press. He also sat on the committee that worked to harmonize legislation across the dominion.

Although Andros' appointed council was intended to represent all of the combined territories, the difficulties of travel and the failure of the government to reimburse travel expenses meant that his council was dominated by representatives from Boston and Plymouth. Dudley and Randolph were widely regarded as being a significant part of the "tyranny" of Andros' reign. Dudley's position as judge brought him the harshest criticisms and complaints, in particular when he enforced unpopular laws concerning taxes, town meetings, and land titles imposed by Andros.

When word of the 1688 Glorious Revolution arrived in Massachusetts, a mob rose up and arrested Andros in April 1689. Dudley was away from the city, but was arrested upon his return. Since he was ill, he was released into house arrest upon payment of a £1,000 bond, but a mob descended on his home and carried him back to jail. He stayed in jail for ten months, in part for his own safety, and was then sent back to England at the command of King William along with Andros and other dominion leaders. Colonial authorities brought charges against Andros and Dudley, but since none of their agents in London were prepared to take responsibility for making those charges in court, they were dismissed, and both men were freed. The defense he prepared against those charges demonstrated to the Lords of Trade his willingness and ability to follow crown policy directives.

Dudley, stranded in London with limited connections, appealed to Blathwayt for assistance. He also asked a business associate, Daniel Coxe, for help in finding a new position. Coxe, a proprietor of West Jersey, considered Dudley for the post of lieutenant governor there. Through these or other connections, Dudley was eventually recommended as chief of council to the new governor of New York, Henry Sloughter, a position he took up in 1691. In addition to his council duties, he negotiated with New York's Indians, and sat as chief judge in the trial of Jacob Leisler, who had led the rebellion that in 1689 overthrew Andros' lieutenant governor, Francis Nicholson. The trial was controversial, and Dudley's role made him many enemies. Leisler was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death. Governor Sloughter was initially opposed to immediately executing Leisler and his son-in-law Jacob Milborne, preferring to defer the decision to the king. Under pressure from anti-Leisler forces in his council, Sloughter changed his mind, and the two men were executed on 16 May 1691. Cotton Mather claimed that Dudley was an influential force arguing for Leisler's execution, but this is disputed by testimony from anti-Leisler councillor Nicholas Bayard.

Dudley left New York for his home in Roxbury in 1692, and re-established connections with political friends like William Stoughton, who had just been appointed lieutenant governor of the newly chartered Province of Massachusetts Bay under Sir William Phips.