In 1741, he moved to
Exeter,
New Hampshire, where he headed a private school for a year, and afterwards a public school for a year. From 1767 to 1775, he served on the council of
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, the governor of the
Province of New Hampshire. He represented Exeter in the
New Hampshire General Court from 1771 to 1773, and also served as a judge of the inferior court of common pleas from 1772 to 1775. He also served as the deputy of the first
New Hampshire Provincial Congress and a member of the Provincial Council. In 1772, he was chosen to be the colonel of a militia called the Exeter cadets. In 1762, he became the first major donor of
Dartmouth College, when he sent a gift to
Eleazar Wheelock. In 1770, as the college, then named
Moor's Charity School, wished to relocate to
Hanover, New Hampshire, Phillips donated large sums of money and land to the college. He also donated £37 to the college, establishing the Phillips Professorship of Theology. He and his wife founded
Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1781, donating $134,000, and served as the president of the Board of Trustees until his death. His nephew,
Samuel Phillips, Jr., had, three years prior, founded the nearby
Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts. Inspired by the success of the school, Phillips was encouraged by his nephew to create his own school in Exeter. John Phillips' donations in land and money totaled $31,000. These two schools, longtime rivals, are among the oldest and most prestigious
preparatory schools in the United States. == Personal life ==