John Winthrop, Magistrate, Minister, And Merchant, By Mark W. Crilly

John Winthrop was a religious Puritan leader, who led a large migration from England to America. Winthrop was a jack of all trades hence the title Mark W. Crilly selected; Magistrate, Minister, and Merchant. Winthrop at some point worked as either a magistrate, minister, and, merchant often times he would do two or more jobs simultaneously. Often times he would remain in his current position until he has accomplished a goal that gave him leverage in one or both of the other fields. Each of the ventures Winthrop engaged in would give him the upper hand while further driving his overall objective. When acquiring business deals he either utilized those individuals around him or he established new relationships. Similar to when he left England,
Winthrop’s intentions were to maintain relationships with men of importance in effort to build his name in the business world while gaining investors. It was evident that once those relationships were established, their business relationship would soon become nonexistent. For example, in The Life and Letters of Winthrop disclosed that he manipulated the investors in England to gain control. Winthrop effectively rescinded the terms of the patent, taking control of the company from those who based their investments on the assumption that the company would remain in London. “Winthrop's designs are apparent. The contents of this letter reveal that he had deceived his partners,” Crilly. Although Winthrop had the skill set of a businessman as displayed when he gained recognition for his entrepreneurial skills within the first four years of settlement; he did not grasp the concept of how good business practices lead to longevity and lasting relationships in the business world. Much unlike his typical behavior he did show a limited loyalty to those who followed him, for example Winthrop ensured that only shareholders or freeman would be eligible to become an elected official for the General Court. Overall this pushed his agenda, while employing those who followed or had similar
This method made it fairly easy for the shareholders and Winthrop to maintain control. Effortlessly, Winthrop’s manipulative business practices began to trickle over into his life as a leader, causing him to be voted out of office by his peers. “They were primarily annoyed at Winthrop because he persistently tried to subject them to his authority and because they feared his creation of lifetime tenure. In addition, the freemen were annoyed by ostensible acts of nepotism when Winthrop appointed his son a member of the magistrates.” Crilly. It became evident that Winthrop executed another well calculated plan to appoint his son and solidify his own position as a government official. Each action was for Winthrop’s personal gain, as he had repeatedly done in the past. Similar to when Winthrop became governor and Dudley became the deputy for Massachusetts. Winthrop and Dudley both allotted one thousands acres of land to themselves, Winthrop also gifted his wife with three thousand acres. In this instance he treated Dudley as he would any of his loyal followers when they were in agreeance with his