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Secondary sourceBook1896

The Life of Thomas Hutchinson, Royal Governor of Massachusetts Bay

James Kendall Hosmer · 1896

An 1896 biography of Hutchinson by James K. Hosmer, covering his career as royal governor of Massachusetts Bay.

This biography examines Hutchinson's full career and his controversial role as royal governor of Massachusetts Bay.

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The Life of Thomas Hutchinson, Royal Governor of Massachusetts BayPDF · 500 pages
James Kendall Hosmer, The Life of Thomas Hutchinson, Royal Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, 1896.

About this source

What it is

This is a biography of Thomas Hutchinson written by James Kendall Hosmer and published in 1896. It traces Hutchinson's life from his youth, through his career in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, to his time as royal governor during the tense years before the American Revolution.

Why it matters

Written over a century after Hutchinson's death, this book reflects how later American historians judged a man who remained loyal to Britain while his colony moved toward independence. It is a secondary source, shaped by the author's own perspective and the sources available to him.

Look closer

  • Why might an American historian in 1896 be interested in writing about a loyalist governor?
  • How could the author's title, calling Hutchinson a

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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