Major Thomas Savage (c. 1607 – February 14, 1682) was an English-born merchant, military officer and politician who thrice served as the speaker of the Massachusetts General Court.
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Early life
Thomas Savage was born c. 1607 in Taunton, Somerset. He was reportedly the son of William Savage, a blacksmith whose father was possibly Sir John Savage, 1st Baronet. Confusion exists over Savage's parentage, with the Dictionary of National Biography stating that although "nothing definite can be established about his parentage", colonial administrator Edward Randolph described him as "a gentleman of very good family in England".
On 9 January 1621, he began an apprenticeship at the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, a livery company in the English capital of London. 14 years later in 1635, Savage emigrated from England to the Colony of Massachusetts Bay onboard the merchant ship Planter. Fellow passengers included Henry Vane the Younger, John Winthrop the Younger and Hugh Peter. The Planter eventually arrived in Boston Harbour on October 1635.
After arriving in the colony, he settled down in Boston, becoming a member of the settlement's Puritan church on January 1636 prior to being admitted as a freeman of Massachusetts Bay in May of that year. In 1637, Savage co-founded the Military Company of Massachusetts, a volunteer company of the militia established to train fellow settlers in military tactics; the company was granted a charter by Governor John Winthrop on March 13, 1638.