Statesman; born in
Shrewsbury, England, in 1600; was a successful merchant in
London, and, being much attached to
John Davenport (q. v.), came with him to
America, in 1637, and accompanied him to the banks of the Quinnipiac and assisted in the preliminary work of founding the New Haven colony.
He went to
Hartford, where he was chosen governor in 1639, and ruled the
Connecticut colony from 1640 to 1654, alternately, every other year, with
John Haynes (q. v.). On the death of his elder brother,
Mr. Hopkins returned to
England, where he became warden of the fleet, commissioner of the admiralty, and member of Parliament.
In 1643
Mr. Hopkins aided in forming the
New England Confederacy, and he never lost his interest in the colonies.
At his death, in
London, March, 1657, he bequeathed much of his estate to
New England institutions of learning—for the support of grammar schools in
Hartford and New Haven, which are still kept up. He also left a donation of £ 500, which, by a decree in chancery, went to Harvard College.