Sir William Berkeley (1605-1677) was a governor appointed by King Charles I. He arrived in Virginia in 1642 and governored till the 1670s. He wanted to expand the colony westward so he sent explorers across the Blue Ridge Mountains. He organized a force that put down the 1644 Indian uprising, captured Opechancanough against Berkeley's orders, and killed him. Whlie he did manage to get the land he wanted, he didn't allow white settlement west of a line until he negotiated with the tribes.
He was co-proprietor of New Jersey from 1664 to 1674. He sold his share to a group of quarrelsome Quakers because of the political difficulties created by New York Governor Richard Nicolls , George Carteret, and himself. He effectively split New Jersey into two colonies: East Jersey (belonging to other proprietor Sir George Carteret) and West Jersey. The colony was divided until 1702 when West Jersey went bankrupt and the colony was given back to the English crown, who unified the colony again.
External links