John Wentworth (governor)
| Sir John Wentworth, Bt | |
|---|---|
Wentworth by Robert Field, (Government House (Nova Scotia))
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| Governor of the Province of New Hampshire | |
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In office 1767–1775 |
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| Preceded by | Benning Wentworth |
| Succeeded by | Meshech Weare (as Governor of New Hampshire) |
| Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Nova Scotia | |
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In office 1792–1808 |
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| Monarch | George III |
| Preceded by | John Parr |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Prévost |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1737 Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
| Died |
8 April 1820 (aged 82) Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Atkinson |
| Signature |  |
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet (9 August 1737 – 8 April 1820) was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. He is buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Church (Halifax).
Wentworth was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 9, 1737. His ancestry went back to some of the earliest settlers of the Province of New Hampshire, and he was grandson of John Wentworth, who served as the province's lieutenant governor in the 1720s, a nephew to Governor Benning Wentworth, and a descendant of "Elder" William Wentworth. His father Mark was a major landowner and merchant in the province, and his mother, Elizabeth Rindge Wentworth, was also from the upper echelons of New Hampshire society. In 1751 he enrolled in Harvard College, receiving a BA in 1755 and an MA in 1758. During his time at Harvard, he was a classmate and became a close friend of future Founding Father and President of the United States John Adams.
In 1759 the young Wentworth made his first significant investment, joining a partnership in the purchase and development of land in the Lake Winnipesaukee area. Wentworth sat on a committee of partners that oversaw the settlement of the community, which the investors named Wolfeboro. In 1763 his father sent him to London to act on behalf of his merchant interests. Based on his father's introductions, he was soon mingling with the upper levels of British society. Among the connections he made was one with the Marquess of Rockingham, a distant relative (although neither was apparently aware of this) and a leading Whig politician. In 1765 Wentworth, still in London, was appointed by the province as one of its agents. That same year Rockingham became Prime Minister and led the repeal of the hated Stamp Act. Whether Wentworth influenced Rockingham's decision is uncertain, but New Hampshire's other agent, Barlow Trecothick, drafted with Rockingham a position paper on the matter, and Wentworth was clearly sympathetic to colonial opposition to the Stamp Act.
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