Sir William Phips

Phips, Sir William

Sir William Phips, adventurer, colonial governor (b near Kennebec, Maine 2 Feb 1650/51; d at London, Eng 18 Feb 1694/95). Knighted for recovering a sunken treasure ship off Haiti in 1686-87, Phips captured and plundered PORT-ROYAL 19 May 1690 and later that year brought 32 ships and over 2000 militiamen before QUÉBEC. His summons to surrender elicited Gov FRONTENAC 's response that he had no answer "save from the mouths of my cannon." The attack was haphazard and disastrous and Phips made sail for Boston. Despite his defeat, he was named first royal governor of Massachusetts in 1692. He was summoned to England in 1694 to answer charges of maladministration but died before the investigation was completed.