CORN'BURY, EDWARD HYDE, Lord, third Earl of Clarendon (1661-1723). An English politician, Governor of the colonies of New York and New Jersey from 1702 to 1708. He was a member of Parliament for Wiltshire from 1685 to 1695, and for Christchurch from 1695 to 1701, and in September, 1701, was appointed Governor of the Province of New York by King William, to whose side he had treacherously deserted in 1688, from that of his uncle. James IT. He reached New York in May, 170•, was confirmed in Ids office by his cousin. Queen Anne, on the death of King William, and later in the year was also appointed first royal Governor of New Jersey. In both New York and New Jersey Lis arbitrary policy, his religious intolerance, his administrative incapacity, and his dissolute habits soon made him extremely unpopular, while in New York the dislike of the people was considerably intensified by his fraudulent appro priation of public funds and his attempts to override the Legislature, which insisted on its right to appoint a treasurer of its own for the "receipt and disbursement of any moneys the Legislature might order to be raised for public purposes," and contended that "the Assembly as representatives of the people of this province are entitled to the same privileges and have a right to the same powers and authorities as the House of Commons enjoy." Finally, as a result of lists of grievances passed by the legislatures of both colonies, Co•nbury was removed from office in 1708, and was immediately thrown into prison in New York by his creditors: but, on his becom ing third Earl of Clarendon by the death of his father in 1709. he was enabled to pay off
his debts and returned to England. lie became a Privy Councilor in 1711 and was envoy extraor to Holland in 1714. During his term as Governor of New York and New Jersey. he was fond of appearing in public dressed as a Ivoinan, and Lewis 11orris, a contemporary, wrote: "Ile dresses publicly in women's clothes every day and puts a. stop to all public business while he is pleasing himself with that peculiar but de testable maggot." William Smith, in his History of the Lute Province of New York (New York, 1829-30), speaks of him as follows: "We never had a governor so universally detested, nor one who so richly deserves the public abhorrence. In spite of his noble descent, his behavior was trilling, mean, and extravagant. The indigna tion of the people was kindled by his despotic rule, savage bigotry, insatiable avarice, and in justice not only to the public, but even his private creditors." Consult: Wil*on, Memorial History of the City of New York, vol. ii. (New York, 1891-93) ; and Gordon, A History of New Jersey (Trenton, 1S34).