Bradstreet, Simon, 1603–97, colonial governor of Massachusetts, b. Lincolnshire, England. He emigrated to New England in 1630 and was assistant in the Massachusetts Bay Company for 49 years (1630–79) and for part of that time served as secretary (1630–36). In 1634, Bradstreet was sent with four others to the Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut colonies to negotiate concerning the formation of the New England Confederation, and on its organization became one of two Massachusetts representatives, a post he retained for 33 years. After the Restoration, John Norton and he went to England and succeeded in persuading Charles II to confirm the colony's charter. His first period as governor (1679–86) was followed by the unsuccessful royal administration of Sir Edmund Andros. He served as governor again, from 1689 to 1692. Anne Bradstreet was his wife.
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