Thomas Hooker was a prominent English-born Puritan colonial leader and theologian. He is considered one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut after leading a group of about 100 settlers from Massachusetts. Hooker was a leading advocate for universal Christian suffrage, which influenced the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a document often cited as one of the first written constitutions. His powerful sermons and writings on Christian living had a profound impact on religious and political thought in colonial New England.