Executive Council of New Hampshire

New Hampshire has an Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch like the other 49 states and U.S Federal Government. New Hampshire is one of the few states which has an Executive Council. All other states have a council which merely advises the governor, however New Hampshire's Executive Council has the ability to check the power of the governor.

History

The Executive Council had its beginnings in 1679, when King Charles II issued a 3,438 word commission, on September 18. The Royal Commission separated the territory of New Hampshire from Massachusetts and directed that a new government be organized in the Province of New Hampshire. A President and a nine-member Council (representing the four towns of Portsmouth, Dover, Hampton and Exeter) were appointed by the king from the 4,000 settlers of the seacoast area and were required to assume office by January 21, 1680.

Related Topics:
King Charles II - Province of New Hampshire - Portsmouth - Dover - Hampton - Exeter

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Appointees to the Council and President were all Puritans, some with long associations with the Boston government and several had served in the Puritan Legislature at Boston. Some of the designated Council members were so firmly opposed to the new government that they considered refusing their appointed positions. When an ultimatum was presented that less desirable men would replace them, they all relented and took the oath of office on January 21, 1680.

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John Cutt, a wealthy Portsmouth merchant, was appointed the first President (later called Governor) of New Hampshire. The first official act of the President and Council was to create a legislative body, then called an Assembly, to raise taxes and establish public conduct laws. The president and council obtained listings of property owners in the four towns and posted those freeholders (voters) in each town, to elect representatives to the Assembly, which was convened on March 16, 1680.

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The first Assembly, of which the Council was the upper branch, was quick to express its opposition to the directives of the royal command. They promptly enacted a law that New Hampshire's property owners' titles, as granted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony over the years, would continue as valid, contraty to the ruling of the King. The legislators also joined with the president and his council in voting an apology to the Bay State for having been torn from their jurisdiction. They also expressed special appreciation for the favors they received through the 38 year affiliation.

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At that time, the Council's primary responsibility was to report on the activities of the president to the King, especially if he strayed from the crown's dictates.

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