John Alden was an English cooper and later colonial magistrate, best known for being one of the passengers on the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower which brought the English settlers, commonly known as Pilgrims, to Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. He was hired in Southampton, England, as the settlers' cooper, responsible for making and maintaining the barrels that the colony would need. He was on Governor Bradford's list of settlers and was one of the original signers of the Mayflower Compact. He had the choice to return to England but decided to remain in Plymouth Colony and married there. He was the seventh and last surviving signatory to the Mayflower Compact.