Thomas Hooker (1586–1647) was a prominent Puritan minister, theologian, and a founder of the Connecticut Colony. He entered Queens’ College as a sizar then migrated to Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1604, where he became a respected scholar and preacher aligned with Puritan ideals. After facing pressure for his nonconformist views in England, Hooker emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1633. Disagreeing with some aspects of colonial leadership, he led a group to found Hartford in 1636. Known as the “Father of Connecticut,” Hooker was instrumental in drafting the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, considered one of the first written constitutions that established democratic governance in the American colonies. Hooker died during the North American Influenza epidemic of 1647 at the age of 61. Learn more.