John Oliver

John Oliver (c. 1616, died 1646) was a Puritan minister in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and one of the earliest graduates of Harvard College Known as "the Scholar", he served as an early member of Massachusetts General Court in 1637 and as its treasurer and selectman. and was a senior sergeant in Captain John Underhill's garrison at the Castle in Boston Harbor by 1639.

Family and early life John Oliver was the son of Thomas Oliver (d. June 1, 1658) who arrived in Boston from London with his wife Ann (d. 1635) and seven children aboard the William and Francis on June 5, 1632. Thomas and Ann's children were: when sixteen or seventeen years old. He was disarmed and dismissed from his position. Recanting, he “acknowledged his error” and made the significant decision to attend the recently founded Harvard College as a divinity student.

Oliver graduated in the Class of 1645 with Jeremiah Holland, William Ames, John Russell, Samuel Stow, James Ward and Robert Johnson.

Death John Oliver died of "malignant fever" April 12, 1646 around his thirtieth year of life. On his passing, John Winthrop wrote:

"[the] fever swept away some precious ones amongst us, especially one Mr. John Oliver, a gracious young man, not full thirty years of age, an expert soldier, and excellent surveyor of land, and one who, for the sweetness of his disposition and usefulness through public spirit, was generally beloved and greatly lamented. For some few years past he had given himself up to the ministry of the gospel, and was becoming very hopeful that way (being a good scholar and of able gifts otherwise), and had exercised publicly for two years."

Further, John Hull wrote:

"1646, April 11, died Mr. John Oliver, one of choice parts, endued with variety of able gifts for the generation; but God took him away in his youth, to the saddening of very many godly hearts and threatening of the rising generation."