Person

John Clarke (Baptist minister)

1609–1676 · 17th century

John Clarke was an English physician and Baptist minister who co-founded the colony of Rhode Island. With William Coddington he founded Portsmouth in 1638 and Newport in 1639, where he established one of the first Baptist churches in America. He spent twelve years in England as the colony's agent and in 1663 obtained from Charles II a royal charter that guaranteed full liberty of religious conscience.

John Clarke (Baptist minister)
Image: Guilliam de Ville · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). John Clarke (Baptist minister). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-clarke-baptist-minister
MLA
“John Clarke (Baptist minister).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-clarke-baptist-minister. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “John Clarke (Baptist minister).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-clarke-baptist-minister.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘John Clarke (Baptist minister)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/john-clarke-baptist-minister (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻