Benning Wentworth
| Benning Wentworth | |
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Portrait of Governor Benning Wentworth (1760) by Joseph Blackburn
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| Governor of the Province of New Hampshire | |
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In office 1741–1766 |
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| Preceded by | John Wentworth (elder) (acting) |
| Succeeded by | John Wentworth (younger) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 July 1696 Portsmouth, Province of New Hampshire |
| Died |
14 October 1770 (aged 74) Portsmouth, Province of New Hampshire |
| Spouse(s) | Abigail Ruck Martha Hilton |
| Signature |  |
Benning Wentworth (24 July 1696 – 14 October 1770) was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.
The eldest child of Lieutenant Governor John Wentworth, he was a great-grandson of "Elder" William Wentworth. Benning was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Under his father's leadership, the Wentworths had become one of the most prominent political and merchant families in the small colony.
Benning Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715. He became a merchant at Portsmouth, and frequently represented the town in the provincial assembly. He was appointed as a King's Councillor, 12 October 1734.
A series of twists of fate brought Wentworth to the governor's chair in 1741. His father, a relation of Charles Watson-Wentworth, the Marquis of Rockingham, had lobbied colonial officials to establish a separate governorship for New Hampshire. Until then it had been under the oversight of the governor of the neighboring (and much larger) Province of Massachusetts Bay. Jonathan Belcher, governor of both provinces during the 1730s and a Massachusetts native, had during his tenure issued many land grants to Massachusetts interests in disputed areas west of the Merrimack River. There were claims that he was biased in his awards. The dispute finally reached the highest levels of King George II's government by the late 1730s, and the Board of Trade decided to separate the two governorships.
At the time, Wentworth was in London dealing with a personal financial crisis. He had delivered a shipment of timber to Spain in 1733, but was not paid by the Spanish because of an episode of difficult diplomatic relations at the time. Wentworth had had to borrow money to pay his own creditors, and had lobbied London to secure payment from Spain. The diplomatic moves were unsuccessful (the War of Jenkins' Ear started in 1739 as a result of these disputes), and Wentworth was forced into bankruptcy. As part of the bankruptcy, he claimed £11,000 were owed him by the British government due to the Spanish failure to pay. His London creditors agreed to forgo immediate repayment of the debt if the government gave him the governorship of New Hampshire. This was agreed, on the condition that Wentworth abandon his claim against the British government.
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