27. From Pirate to Lieutenant Governor
In 1669, Henry Morgan pillaged the wealthy Spanish settlements around Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. In 1671, he mounted his most daring and ambitious expedition, when he led a fleet of 36 ships and 2000 pirates against Panama City. Landing on Panama’s Caribbean coast, Morgan led his men across the isthmus and through thick jungles to attack and seize the city on the Pacific coast.
However, England had signed a peace treaty with Spain by then. To appease the livid Spanish, Morgan was arrested and sent to London for appearances’ sake, but upon arrival, he was lionized and treated as a hero. In 1674, he was knighted by King Charles II and sent to Jamaica as its Lieutenant Governor. There Morgan remained, a wealthy plantation owner and powerful political figure, occasionally subbing in as governor during that officeholder’s absence, until his death in 1688.