He was elected president of the Council (May 15,1607), but his arbitrary manners, the fact that he was a Roman Catholic, and the suspicion that he was friendly toward Spain led to his deposition in September.
He was elected president of the Council (May 15,1607), effectively becoming the first elected official in the Americas. According to fellow colonist and rival Captain John Smith Wingfield's arbitrary manners, the (false) accusation that he was a Roman Catholic, and the suspicion that he was friendly toward Spain led to his deposition in September.