Edward Winslow Politician

Edward Winslow (1595 – 1655) was a Separatist who traveled on the Mayflower in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both Edward Winslow and his brother, Gilbert Winslow signed the Mayflower Compact. In Plymouth he served in a number of governmental positions such as assistant governor, three times was governor and also was the colony’s agent in London. In early 1621 he had been one of several key leaders that Governor Bradford depended on after the death of John Carver. He was the author of several important pamphlets, including Good Newes from New England and co-wrote with William Bradford the historic Mourt's Relation, which ends with an account of the First Thanksgiving and the abundance of the New World. By 1646 Winslow had traveled to England to serve the Puritan government of Oliver Cromwell, never to return to Plymouth. In 1655 he died of fever while on a British naval expedition in the Caribbean against the Spanish. His is the only Plymouth colonist with an extant portrait, and this can be seen at Pilgrim Hall, Plymouth, Massachusetts.