View source for Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick

{{Short description|Irish military officer and colonial administrator (1634–1715)}}
{{for|the Irish judge, his great-uncle|Thomas Dongan (judge)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2010}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix= [[The Right Honourable]]
|name = The Earl of Limerick
|image = Colonel Thomas Dongan.jpg
|image_size = 220
|caption = Portrait of Dongan from [[Castleton, Staten Island|Castleton Manor, Staten Island]]
|office = [[List of colonial governors of New York|Governor of New York]]
|term_start = August 1683
|term_end = 11 August 1688
|monarch = [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]<br>[[James II of England|James II & VII]]
|predecessor = [[Edmund Andros]]
|successor = [[Edmund Andros]] (as Governor-General of the [[Dominion of New England]])
|birth_date = 1634
|birth_place = [[Castletown Kildrought]], Ireland
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1715|12|14|1634|1|1}} <!-- Birth month and day unknown -->
|death_place = [[London]], England
|resting_place = 
| parents   = [[Sir John Dongan, 2nd Baronet]]<br>Mary Talbot
| spouse    =
| relations = [[Sir William Talbot, 1st Baronet]] (grandfather)<br>[[Sir Robert Talbot, 2nd Baronet]] (uncle)<br>[[Peter Talbot (archbishop)|Peter Talbot]] (uncle)<br>[[Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell]]
| signature = Thomas Dongan signature.svg
}}

'''Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick'''{{efn|Other spellings of Dongan's last name include: '''Duggan''' and '''Dungon''', and even '''Duncan''' or '''Doñea'''.<ref name=channing1907>[[#channing1907|Channing, 1907]], p. 336</ref>}} (1634 – 14 December 1715) was an Irish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the [[List of colonial governors of New York|governor of New York]] from 1683 to 1688. He called the first representative legislature in the [[Province of New York]] and granted the colony's first charter of liberties. Dongan's negotiations and subsequent alliance with the [[Iroquois]] brought a degree of security from attacks by the French and their Indian allies.

==Early life and family==
Dongan was born in 1634 into an old Gaelic Norman (Irish Catholic) family in Castletown Kildrought (now [[Celbridge]]), [[County Kildare]], in the [[Kingdom of Ireland]], the seventh and youngest son of [[Sir John Dongan, 2nd Baronet]], Member of the [[Parliament of Ireland|Irish Parliament]], and his wife Mary Talbot, daughter of [[Sir William Talbot, 1st Baronet]], and Alison Netterville.<ref>[[#wauchope2004|Wauchope, 2004]], pp. 523–524</ref><ref name=driscoll130-131>[[#driscoll1913|Driscoll, 1913]], pp. 130–131</ref> Dongan's maternal uncles were [[Peter Talbot (bishop)|Peter Talbot]], Archbishop of Dublin (1673–1679), and [[Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell]], who was lord-deputy of Ireland during the reign of [[James II of England|James II]]. After the beheading of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], Dongan's father, a supporter of the [[House of Stuart]], and his family, fled to France, where Thomas obtained a commission in the [[French Royal Army]].<ref>[[#browne1934|Browne, 1934]], pp. 489–490</ref>

==Career==

While in France, he served in an [[Irish military diaspora|Irish regiment]] of the French army under [[George Hamilton, Comte d'Hamilton]]. He stayed in France after the [[Stuart Restoration]] and achieved the rank of [[colonel]] in 1674.<ref name=driscoll130-131/>

After the [[Treaty of Nijmegen]] ended the [[Franco-Dutch War]] in 1678, Dongan returned to England in obedience to the order that recalled all English subjects in French military service. Fellow officer [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], arranged to have him granted a high-ranking commission in the [[English Army]] force designated for service in [[Flanders]] and a pension.<ref>Kenyon, J.P. ''The Popish Plot'' 2nd ed., 2000 Phoenix Press p. 117</ref> That same year, he was appointed lieutenant-governor of [[English Tangier]], which had been granted to England as part of the dowry of [[Catherine of Braganza]]. He served as part of the [[Tangier Garrison]] which defended the settlement.

==Governor of New York==

In September 1682, James, Duke of York, as Lord Proprietor of the [[Province of New York]], appointed Dongan as [[vice-admiral]] in the [[Royal Navy]] and governor to replace [[Edmund Andros]]<ref name="appointment">[https://archive.org/stream/memorialhistoryo01wilsuoft The Memorial History of the City of New York], p. [https://archive.org/stream/memorialhistoryo01wilsuoft#page/400/mode/2up 400] (appointment) and [https://archive.org/stream/memorialhistoryo01wilsuoft#page/453/mode/1up 453] (supersession)</ref> "Dongan's long service in the French army had made him conversant with the French character and diplomacy and his campaigns in the [[Low Countries]] had given him a knowledge of the Dutch language."<ref name=phelan1911>[[#phelan1911|Phelan, 1911]], pp. 207–237</ref> James also granted him an estate on [[Staten Island, New York|Staten Island]]. The estate eventually became the town of [[Castleton, Staten Island|Castleton]]; later, another section of the island was named [[Dongan Hills, Staten Island|Dongan Hills]] in honour of Dongan.

Dongan landed in [[Boston]] on 10 August 1683, crossed [[Long Island Sound]], and passed through the small settlements in the eastern part of the island and he made his way to [[Fort Amsterdam|Fort James]], arriving on 25 August. In October, Rev. Henry Selyns reported to the Amsterdam Classis, "...our new governor has at last arrived. His excellency is a person of knowledge refinement and modesty. I have had the pleasure of receiving a call from him and I have the privilege of calling on him whenever I desire."<ref name=phelan1911/>

In 1683, at the time of Dongan's appointment the province was bankrupt and in a state of rebellion. Dongan was able to restore order and stability. On October 14 of that year he convened the first-ever representative assembly in New York history at [[Fort Amsterdam|Fort James]]. The [[New York General Assembly]], under the wise supervision of Dongan, passed an act entitled ''[[Charter of Liberties and Privileges]]''.<ref>[[#brodhead1872|Brodhead, 1872]], v. ii, pp. 383–384</ref><ref>[[#andrews1964|Andrews, 1964, pp. 114–115]]</ref> It decreed that the supreme legislative power under the Duke of York shall reside in a governor, council, and the people convened in general assembly; conferred upon the members of the assembly rights and privileges making them a body coequal to and independent of the [[Parliament of England]]; established town, county, and general courts of justice; solemnly proclaimed the right of religious liberty; and passed acts enunciating certain constitutional liberties, e.g. taxes could be levied only by the people met in general assembly; right of suffrage; and no martial law or quartering of the soldiers without the consent of the inhabitants.<ref name=driscoll130-131/>

Dongan soon incurred the ill will of [[William Penn]] who was negotiating with the Iroquois for the purchase of the upper [[Susquehanna Valley]]. Dongan went to [[Albany, New York|Albany]], and declared that the sale would be "prejudicial to His Highness's interests". The [[Cayugas]] sold the property to New York with the consent of the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk]]. Years later, when back in England and in favour at the Court of James II, Penn would use his influence to prejudice the king against Dongan.<ref name=phelan1911/>

[[File:Dongan Statue.JPG|thumbnail|Statue of Thomas Dongan in Dongan Park adjacent to Dongan Place, [[Poughkeepsie, NY]], dedicated June 1930 by NY Governor [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]].]]

On 22 July 1686, Governor Dongan granted Albany a municipal charter, now known as the [[Dongan Charter]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=City Charter {{!}} Albany, NY |url=https://www.albanyny.gov/518/City-Charter |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=www.albanyny.gov}}</ref> Almost identical in form to the charter awarded to New York City just three months earlier, the Albany charter was the result of negotiations conducted between royal officials and [[Robert Livingston the Elder]] and [[Pieter Schuyler]]. The charter incorporated the city of Albany, establishing a separate municipal entity in the midst of the [[Van Rensselaer Manor]].<ref>[http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/charter.html "The Dongan Charter", New York State Museum]</ref>

Dongan established the boundary lines of the province by settling disputes with [[Connecticut]] on the East, with the French Governor of [[Canada (New France)|Canada]] on the North, and with [[Pennsylvania]] on the South, thus marking out the present limits of New York State.<ref name=driscoll130-131/> Regarding Canada, it was necessary to secure the friendship of the [[Iroquois]]. This became the subject of a deal of correspondence between Dongan and his counterpart to the north. "...[C]ertainly our rum doth as little hurt as your brandy and in the opinion of Christians is much more wholesome."<ref name=channing1907/> Dongan, along with [[Francis Howard, 5th Baron Howard of Effingham|Lord Howard of Effingham]], Governor of Virginia, journeyed to the Iroquois nation around [[Albany, New York|Albany]] in 1684, and convened assembly with them, garnering support, and approval. He was called "corlur" by the Iroquois Chief, a term from the Irish language "Coṁairleoir," used in Parliamentary deference to the Speaker, and meaning "advisor."<ref name=driscoll130-131/><ref>[[#phelan1933|Phelan, 1933]], pp. 64–66</ref><ref>[[#browne1934|Browne, 1934]], pp. 495–496</ref>

Dongan established the first post office in New York in 1686 with the objective of promoting better communication between the American colonies.<ref name=driscoll130-131/> In a 1687 report on the colony to the Committee on Trade in London, he also presciently described its remarkable early religious heterogeneity, which only grew across the centuries: "Here bee not many of the Church of England; few Roman Catholicks; abundance of Quakers preachers men and Women especially; Singing Quakers, Ranting Quakers; Sabbatarians Antisabbatarians; Some Anabaptists, some Independents; some Jews; in short of all sorts of opinions there are some, and the most part of none at all."<ref>"Gov. Dongan's Report on the Province of New York," ed. E. B. O'Callaghan, ''Documentary History of the State of New York'' (Albany, 1849), I, 186</ref>

[[File:Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick.jpg|thumb|right|Line drawing of Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick]]
James later consolidated the colonial governments of New York, [[New Jersey]] and the [[United Colonies of New England]] into the [[Dominion of New England]] and appointed [[Edmund Andros]], the former Governor-General of New York, as Governor-General. Dongan transferred his governorship back to Andros on 11 August 1688.<ref name="appointment"/> He retired to his Staten Island estate, where he remained until July 1689. During [[Leisler's Rebellion]], fearing for his safety, he fled back to England.<ref>[[#browne1934|Browne, 1934]], pp. 498–499</ref>

Dongan was to execute [[land grant]]s establishing several towns throughout New York State including the eastern [[Long Island]] communities of [[East Hampton (town), New York|East Hampton]] and [[Southampton (town), New York|Southampton]]. These grants, called the ''Dongan Patents, ''set up Town Trustees as the governing bodies with a mission of managing [[common land]] for common good. The Dongan Patents still hold force of law and have been upheld by the [[US Supreme Court]] with the Trustees—rather than town boards, city councils or even the State Legislature—still managing much of the common land in the state.{{Dubious|date=November 2009}}

In 1698, his brother [[William Dongan, 1st Earl of Limerick]], died without issue. Because of his service to [[the Crown]] as a military officer and as provincial governor, Dongan was granted his brother's title in the [[Peerage of Ireland]] and a portion of his brother's forfeited estates by a special [[Act of Parliament in the UK|Act of Parliament]] for his relief. In 1709, Lord Limerick sold his 2,300-acre property at Celbridge to [[William Conolly]].

==Death==
Dongan lived in [[London]] for the last years of his life and died a poor man and without direct heirs on 14 December 1715 at the age of 81. In his will, dated 1713, he wished that he be buried with expenses not to exceed £100, and bequeathed the remainder of his estate to his niece, the wife of Colonel Nugent, who later became [[Marshal of France]]. Dongan's titles became extinct upon his death. He was buried in [[Old St. Pancras]] churchyard, London.<ref name=driscoll130-131/><ref>[[#wauchope2004|Wauchope, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004]]</ref>

==Legacy==
{{Blockquote
|text=One of the greatest constructive statesmen ever sent to any English colony. The assembly which he created passed an act known as "The Charter of Liberties and Privileges" which assumed the sovereignty of the people and proclaimed religious liberty, the right of suffrage, trial by jury and no taxation without the consent of the assembly. Dongan's charter was the Magna Charta of American constitutional liberty. Many of its principles are embedded in the structure of our federal government.
|author=[[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]
|source=''Inscription on a statue of Thomas Dongan in Dongan Park adjacent to Dongan Place, [[Poughkeepsie, NY]]''
}}

==Notes==
The last name of Dongan was later changed to Dungan to emulate the Irish dialect pronunciation of Dongan which sounds like Dungan. All Dungans today are related to this familial line.{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{Reflist|30em}}

*Ref.  John Dongan of Dublin, An Elizabethan Gentleman And His Family. Baltimore; Gateway Press, 1996, pp. 141–151 reference Gov. Thomas Dongan.

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Andrews |first=Charles McLean |title=The colonial period of American history |volume=III |author-link=Charles McLean Andrews |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |year=1964 |isbn= |url=https://archive.org/details/colonialperiodof03andr |ref=andrews1964}}
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* {{cite journal |last=Browne |first=P. W.  |author-link= |title=Thomas Dongan: Soldier and Statesman: Irish-Catholic Governor of New York, 1683–1688 |journal=Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review |pages=489–501 |publisher=Messenger Publications |volume=23 |issue=91 |date=September 1934 |jstor=30079857 |doi= |ref=browne1934}}
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* {{cite book |last=Channing |first=Edward |title=Colonel Thomas Dongan, Governor of New York |volume= |author-link= |publisher=American Antiquarian Society |year=1907  |url=https://americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44817250.pdf |ref=channing1907}}
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* {{cite book |editor-last=Christoph |editor-first=Peter R. |title=The Dongan papers : 1683–1688 |volume= |author-link= |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=1993 |isbn= |url=https://archive.org/details/donganpapers16830000unse/page/n5/mode/2up |ref=christoph1993}}
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* {{cite book  |last=Driscoll |first= John T.  |title=Thomas Dongan |publisher=The Catholic Encyclopedia, Knight Of Columbus Special Edition |year=1913 |volume=5 |url=https://archive.org/details/V05CatholicEncyclopediaKOfC/page/129/mode/2up  |ref=driscoll1913}}
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* {{cite book |last=Kammen |first=Michael G. |title=Colonial New York : a history |volume= |author-link=Michael Kammen |publisher=Charles Scribner Sons |location=New York |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-68414-3255 |url=https://archive.org/details/colonialnewyorkh00kamm/page/n5/mode/2up |ref=kammen1975}} (Reprinted in 1996 {{isbn|978-0-19510-7791}}
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* {{cite journal |last=Phelan |first=Thomas |author-link= |title=Thomas Dongan, Catholic Colonial Governor of New York |journal=Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia |pages=207–237 |publisher= |volume=22 |issue=4 |date=December 1911 |jstor=44208940 |doi= |ref=phelan1911}}
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* {{cite book |last=Phelan |first=Rev. Thomas |title=Thomas Dongan, colonial governor of New York, 1683–1688 |volume= |author-link= |publisher=P.J. Kenedy & Sons |year=1933 |isbn= |url=https://archive.org/details/thomasdongancolo0000phel/page/n9/mode/2up |ref=phelan1933}}
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* {{cite book  |last=Wauchope |first=Piers |editor1=Matthew, Henry Colin Gray |editor2=Harrison, Brian |title=Oxford dictionary of national biography : in association with the British Academy : from the earliest times to the year 2000 |volume=XVI |author-link= |publisher= |year=2004 |orig-year= |isbn=0198613660 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198613660/page/n5/mode/2up |ref=wauchope2004}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031229085546/http://www.easthamptonlibrary.org/lic/lectures/christophlecture.htm Thomas Dongan and the East Hampton Patent]
*[http://www.limerickcity.ie/Library/LocalStudies/LocalStudiesFiles/M/MiscellaneousLimerickPeople/ ''Thomas Dongan in 'Miscellaneous Limerick People' file at Limerick City Library, Ireland'']

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef |before=[[Anthony Brockholls]] (acting) }}
{{s-ttl |title=[[List of colonial governors of New York|Governor of the Province of New York]] |years=1683–88 }}
{{s-aft |after=[[Francis Nicholson]] |as=Lieutenant Governor of the [[Dominion of New England]] for New York and the Jerseys }}
{{s-reg|ie}}
{{s-bef |before=[[William Dongan, 1st Earl of Limerick|William Dongan]] }}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Earl of Limerick]] |years=1698–1715 }}
{{s-non |reason=Extinct }}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Limerick, Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl Of}}
[[Category:Governors of the Province of New York]]
[[Category:People from Celbridge]]
[[Category:People from Staten Island]]
[[Category:Politicians from County Kildare]]
[[Category:1634 births]]
[[Category:1715 deaths]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies]]
[[Category:Irish colonial officials]]
[[Category:Irish soldiers]]
[[Category:Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison]]
[[Category:Members of the Irish House of Lords]]
[[Category:Earls of Limerick|2]]