Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/324

 COGGESHALL

COGGESHALL

Somerset county in 1808, and there the son was educated, attending the public schools and Som- erset academy. After teaching school for a few years he studied law under the Hon. Jeremiah S. Black and was admitted to the bar in 1851. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention, Charles- ton, S.C, in 1860, and in 1862 he was elected a representative in the 38th congress, was re-elected to the 39th congress, serving

1863-67, and in 1866 declined a renomina- tion. In 1867 Presi- Ayi fst y dent Johnson ap-

'^'■'^h^7ii/P//jyPiZ^. pointed him an as- sessor of internal rev- enue. He resmned his law practice in Somerset and was a representative in the 46th congress, 1879-81. He was a delegate to several Democratic conventions, and in 1886 was elected president of the Somerset county bar association. He was married in 1854 to Nora, daughter of Jacob Kim- mell, Esq., of Berlin, Pa., and their son, A. Bruce Coflfroth, became a prominent lawyer in Lincoln, NeVjraska.

COGGESHALL, John, first president of Rhode Island, was born in England about 1581. He came to Boston, Mass., with his wife Mary and three children, John, Joshua and Ann, landing Sept. 16, 1632. He was descended from Thomas de Coggeshall, the owner of vast estates in Essex and Suffolk, 1135-1154. John Coggeshall entered his name and that of his wife on the original rec- ords of the church of Roxbury, of which John Eliot was pastor, and was admitted as a freeman Nov. 6, 1632. In 1634 he removed to Boston and became a merchant, and the same year was one of the board of selectmen and a deacon in the Boston church. His name also heads the list of deputies to the first general court of Massachu- setts from Boston, May 14, 1634, and he served, with three interruptions, until Nov. 2, 1637. He was banished from tlie court and from Massa- chusetts for defending Ann Hutchinson and settled with William Coddington, John Clarke, the Hutchinsons and others on the island of Aquidneck by advice of Roger Williams. They laid out the town of Portsmouth and when they, outgrew the place, founded the town of New- port. On the return of Roger Williams from England with a charter, they organized a gov- ernment in September, 1644. John Coggesliall was elected president, and Roger Williams as- sistant for Providence, William Coddington for Newport, and Randall Holden for Warwick.

John Coggeshall, president of Rhode Island, died while in ofiice at Newport, R.I., Nov. 27, 1647.

COGGESHALL, John, deputy governor of Rhode Island, was born in England in 1618; son of John and Mary Coggeshall. His father was first president of Rhode Island. The son was well educated and had unvisual social advantages. Upon the death of his father in 1647 he succeeded to his estates. He was commissioner of Newport upon the reorganization of the government in 1654 and held the office until Nov. 24, 1663. He was an original grantee of the royal charter under which he was elected, May 4, 1664, assist- ant governor, and was five times re-elected. He was treasurer of the colony, 1664-66, and 1683-86, and deputy of Newport, 1665, 1668 and 1669. In 1665 he was appointed to receive the king's com- missioners, Carr, Cartwright and Maverick, and in 1665 was made a justice of the peace by these commissioners. In 1673 he was elected deputy governor but refused to serve. In 1676 he was elected an assistant and was also chosen recorder. He secured peaceable possession of the entire western portion of Rhode Island from Connecti- cut. In 1683 and again in 1684 he was deputy for Newport and was also elected assistant. He was chosen major-general of the forces of the island in 1684 and in 1685 was again assistant. In 1686 he was elected deputy governor with Walter Clarke as governor. He was appointed uj^on the usurpation of Governor Andros, Dec. 30, 1636, one of his council at Boston, and upon the fall of Andros and the arrival of the news of the acces- sion of William and Mary, Governor Clarke de- clined to take authority and Coggeshall assumed the reins of government and safely carried it through until Governor Ball was elected, Cogges- hall continuing as deputy governor. In 1690 he declined the governorship to which he was elected and in 1701 he was again deputy for New- port. He died in Newport, R.I., Oct. 1, 1708.

COGGESHALL, Joshua, founder of the Quakers in Rhode Island, was born in England, Dec. 22, 1631 ; son of John and Mary Coggeshall. He came to Boston, Mass., with his i^arents in 1632. He became possessed of a large farm on the west I'oad, Newport, R.I., was married to Joan West and had seven children: Mary, Joshua, John, Josiah, Daniel, Humilis and Caleb, and their descendants in 1890 were estimated to num- ber 5000. He was a deputy in 1664 and assistant, 1672-76. He was a member of the committee of safety, during the time of King Philip's war. He helped to found Quakerism in the colony and stood as an advocate of religious liberty. In 1660 when out of the bounds of his territory he was seized, his horse taken from him and sold, and he placed in Plymouth jail. He witnessed the persecution of his coreligionists William Robin-