John pike biography

American politician

John Pike (1613–1688/89) was a founder of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey and a judge and politician of the early colony of New Jersey.

Early life and education

Pike was born in Wiltshire, England. He came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 with his father, John Pike (1572–1654), who first settled in Newbury.

John pike biography

In 1665, acting on the invitation of Governor Philip Carteret, a number of Newbury residents formed a corporation to settle in Woodbridge, named after Rev. John Woodbridge, a Newbury clergyman.^[1]

The younger John Pike, one of the original nine "associates" of Woodbridge, was granted some 300 acres (1.2 km²) in Woodbridge in 1665, more than the common freeholders.

He was "the prominent man of the town" in its early years. He was elected President of Woodbridge, and in 1671 was appointed to the Governor's Council. After 1675, he was appointed captain of the militia, and afterward was known as Capt.

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