John Carver was the first governor of Plymouth Colony. A leader of the Separatist Congregation in Leiden, Netherlands, Carver was instrumental in the efforts to create the new colony. He is credited with organizing the Mayflower journey, is said to be the first to sign the Mayflower Compact before the ship's arrival, and to have played a key role in choosing Plymouth as the site of the settlement. Carver died in the spring of 1621, reportedly of sun stroke while working in the field shortly after his election as governor.
