Daniel Fisher (Massachusetts)

Daniel Fisher (1618-1683) was a politician from Dedham, Massachusetts and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Deputies.

This article is about the colonial American politician. For his son, see Daniel Fisher (Dedham). For other uses, see Daniel Fisher.

Personal life

Fisher was baptized in Syleham, Suffolk, England in 1618.[1] He came to Massachusetts with his father and family, and his uncle Joshua Fisher and his family, aboard the ship Rose.[1] He was married in 1641 in Dedham to Abigail Marrett and together they had seven children.[1] Fisher's father, Anthony,[1] and son, Daniel, also served in the Great and General Court.[2] His son was said to be his "heir to his energetic ardor in the cause of freedom."[3]

He was a member of the First Church and Parish in Dedham.[4] He died in 1683.[5] The Fisher School, now in Westwood, Massachusetts, was named in his honor.[6]

Public service

Fisher served in the Great and General Court of Massachusetts as a representative from Dedham.[7] Being elected to the post showed the great esteem in which the people of Dedham held Fisher as it was the one body the townsmen recognized as superior to their own Town Meeting.[8]

In colonial Massachusetts, each town sent two deputies to the General Court each year. Fisher was one of ten men who served in the role from the time of the Town's founding in 1636 to 1686 and, after 1650 was one of three, including Eleazer Lusher and Joshua Fisher, who "virtually monopolized the post."[9] In 1671, he and Joshua were among a small minority of the General Court who voted against giving doctrinal authority to clergy.[7]

He was elected Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Deputies in 1680 and served in the role for three years.[9] After serving in the House of Deputies, Fisher was elected to the Massachusetts Council of Assistants, a body in rank just below the Governor and Deputy Governor.[9]

Fisher was also elected to serve as a Selectman in Dedham in 1650.[10] In total, he served in this post for 32 years.[11]

References

1. Williams, Alicia Crane (September 8, 2017). "The Fishers of Dedham". Vita Brevis. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
2. Goodwin 1982, pp. 40-41.
3. Goodwin 1982, p. 41.
4. Lockridge 1985, p. 31.
5. Lockridge 1985, p. 84.
6. Slafter 1905, p. 231.
7. Lockridge 1985, p. 35.
8. Lockridge 1985, pp. 45-46.
9. Lockridge 1985, p. 45.
10. Lockridge 1985, p. 43n.
11. Worthington 1827, p. 79-81.

Works cited

• Lockridge, Kenneth (1985). A New England Town. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-95459-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

• Goodwin, Nathaniel (1982). Genealogical Notes Or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Masschusetts. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 978-0-8063-0159-4. Retrieved 31 August 2019.

• Slafter, Carlos (1905). A Record of Education: The Schools and Teachers of Dedham, Massachusetts 1644-1904. Dedham Transcript Press. 1642-3.

• Worthington, Erastus (1827). The history of Dedham: from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827. Dutton and Wentworth. Retrieved November 8, 2019.