Berkeley, << BURK lee or BAHRK lee, >> Sir William (1606-1677), became governor of colonial Virginia in 1642. Virginians had lived near the Atlantic Coast since the beginning of the colony. Berkeley helped open up the inland territory. He sent out explorers who crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains, and he led a force that put down an Indian attack in 1644. Berkeley also used his family’s powerful influence in England to defend the business interests of Virginia’s tobacco growers.
Berkeley was forced to resign in 1652 after the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell had gained control of England’s government. When King Charles II came to the throne in 1660, Berkeley again became governor of Virginia. He refused to send troops against attacking Indians in 1675. This refusal sparked Bacon’s Rebellion (see Bacon’s Rebellion ). He was called back to England in 1677.
Berkeley was born on July 3, 1606, near London. He died on July 9, 1677.
