Carver, John (1576?-1621), became the first governor of Plymouth Colony immediately after the signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620. As governor, he made a peace treaty with the Indian chief Massasoit that lasted many years. Carver’s piety and wisdom greatly aided the colonists during a difficult period of adjustment after they arrived in America. Carver was born in Nottinghamshire, England. He became a merchant before joining the Pilgrim church in Leiden, Holland, about 1610. A few years later, he became a deacon in the church and helped negotiate with the merchants who financed the Pilgrim voyage. Four months after he arrived in Massachusetts, Carver died of sunstroke while working in the fields on April 12, 1621.
