English naval officer; born in St. Ouen,
Jersey, in 1599.
Charles I. appointed him governor of the
Island of Jersey; and when the civil war broke out he was comptroller of the navy, and esteemed by all parties.
Leaving the sea, he went with his family to
Jersey, but soon afterwards returned to help his royal master.
In 1645 he was created a baronet, and returned to his government of
Jersey, where he received and sheltered the
Prince of
Wales (afterwards Charles II.) when the royal cause was ruined in
England.
Other refugees of distinction were there, and he defended the island gallantly against the forces of
Cromwell.
At the Restoration he rode with the
King in his triumphant entry into
London.
Carteret became one of the privy council, vice-chamberlain, and treasurer of the navy.
Being a personal friend of James,
Duke of
York, to whom Charles II.
granted New Netherland,
Carteret and
Berkeley (another favorite) easily obtained a grant of territory between the
Hudson and
Delaware rivers, which, in gratitude for his services in the
Island of Jersey, was called
New Jersey.
Carteret retained his share of the province until his death, in 1680, leaving his widow,
Lady Elizabeth, executrix of his estate.
Sir George was one of the grantees of the Carolinas, and a portion of that domain was called
Carteret colony.
Governor Andros, of New York, claimed political jurisdiction, in the name of the
Duke of
York, over all
New Jersey.
Philip Carteret, governor of
east Jersey, denied it, and the two governors were in open opposition.
A friendly meeting of the two magistrates, on
Staten Island, was proposed.
Carteret declined it; and
Andros warned him to forbear exercising any jurisdiction in
east Jersey, and announced that he should erect a fort to aid him (
Andros) in the exercise of his authority.
Carteret defied him; and when, a month later,
Andros went to
New Jersey, seeking a peaceful conference,
Carteret met him with a military force.
As
Andros came without troops, he was permitted to land.
The conference was fruitless.
A few weeks later
Carteret was taken from his bed, in his house at
Elizabethtown, at night, by New York soldiers, and carried to that city and placed in the hands of the sheriff.
He was tried in May (1678), and though
Andros sent his jurors out three times, with instructions to bring in a verdict of guilty, he was acquitted.
But he was compelled to give security that he would not again assume political authority in
New Jersey.
The Assembly of New Jersey were asked to accept the duke's laws, but they preferred their own. At the same time they accepted the government of
Andros, but with reluctance.
Carteret went to
England with complaints, and the case was laid before the duke by his widow after his death.
The Friends, of
west Jersey, had already presented their complaints against
Andros, and the case was referred to the duke's commissioners.
These, advised by
Sir William Jones, decided that
James's grant reserved no jurisdiction, and that none could be rightly claimed.
This decided the matter for
east Jersey also, and in August and October, 1680, the duke signed documents relinquishing all rights over
east and
west Jersey.
