John Collins, American politician, 3rd Governor of Rhode Island (b. 1717)
John Collins (June 8, 1717 – March 4, 1795), was the third governor of the U.S. state of Rhode Island from 1786 to 1790. He was the last Independent to serve as governor of Rhode Island until Lincoln Chafee (2011–2015). He signed the Articles of Confederation and is thus considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.