British-born American politician, Governor of Virginia from 1727 through 1749.
Gooch’s tenure as governor was characterized by his unusual political effectiveness. One of his greatest successes was the passage of the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 which raised the quality of Virginia’s tobacco and reduced fraud; this greatly increased the demand for Virginia tobacco in Europe.
Gooch’s military policy focused on protecting the western territory from Native Americans and French encroachment. He promoted the settlement of the Shenandoah Valley in order to buffer the rest of the colony from Indian attacks, and to prevent the French from settling the land. However, in the early 1730s, Western expansion was fraught by the Iroquois invasion each spring. Gooch decided to broker peace between the Six Nations and their southern enemies, to end the warfare. He hired Conrad Weiser who was successful in negotiating an armistice, allowing Gooch to authorize settlement of the Shenandoah Valley.
Gooch was made a baronet in 1746 and a major general in 1747. In 1749, Gooch left Virginia and returned to England. He married Rebecca Staunton (for whom Staunton, Virginia is named), the daughter of a squire in Middlesex, England. They had a son.
Gooch honored himself with the naming of Goochland County, Virginia in 1727. Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet died on 17 December 1751 in London.
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