Person

William Shirley

1694–1771 · 18th century

William Shirley was a British lawyer and governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1741 to 1749 and 1753 to 1756. He organised the New England expedition that captured the French fortress of Louisbourg in 1745 and briefly commanded British forces in North America in the French and Indian War.

William Shirley
Image: Thomas Hudson · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Province of Massachusetts Bay

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). William Shirley. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-shirley
MLA
“William Shirley.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-shirley. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “William Shirley.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-shirley.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘William Shirley’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/william-shirley (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻