Myles Standish

Miles Standish, (c. 1584 - October 3, 1656), was an English-born professional soldier hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for their Plymouth colony in America. Eventually he became a full member and a leader of the community. Arriving on the Mayflower with the first Pilgrims, he concentrated on colonial defense and relations with the Indians. Later, Standish represented (1625-26) Plymouth in England. He also served for many years as assistant to the governor and as the colony's treasurer (1644-49). Standish was one of the founders (1632) of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. Although one of the most influential figures in colonial New England, he is best remembered through the fictional account of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Courtship of Miles Standish.