Portal:University of Oxford/Selected biography/53

Sir Henry Vane (1613–1662) was an English politician, statesman, and colonial governor. He was educated at Westminster School before enrolling at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he studied in spite of his refusal to take the necessary matriculation oaths. He served one term as the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and supported the creation of Roger Williams' Rhode Island Colony and Harvard College. He was a leading Parliamentarian during the English Civil War and worked closely with Oliver Cromwell. He played no part in the execution of King Charles I. Vane served on the Council of State that functioned as the government executive during the Interregnum, but split with Cromwell over issues of governance. He returned to power during the short-lived Commonwealth period in 1659–60, and was arrested under orders from King Charles II following his restoration to the throne. Vane was denied amnesty granted to most people for their roles in the Civil War and Interregnum. He was charged with high treason by Parliament in 1662, convicted by a partisan jury, and beheaded on Tower Hill. Vane was recognised by his political peers as a competent administrator and a persuasive negotiator and politician, and is remembered in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as an early champion of religious freedom. (more...)