John Winthrop (1588–1649) was an early Puritan leader whose vision for a godly commonwealth created the basis for an established religion that remained in place in Massachusetts until well after adoption of the First Amendment. It was, however, eventually superseded by ideas of separation of church and state
He used his political ties to push programs through bipartisan support including his acts on Civil Rights and Medicare/Medicaid. He helped pass the Voting Act of 1965
