Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution.
Background
John Wentworth was born in Portsmouth, N. H. His father, Mark Hunking Wentworth, was a wealthy merchant and landowner and his mother, formerly Elizabeth Rindge, belonged to a prominent family of the province. He was descended on his father's side from William Wentworth, who emigrated from England to America sometime before 1639; his grandfather, John Wentworth, had served as lieutenant-governor of New Hampshire; his uncle, Benning Wentworth, held the office of governor for many years following 1741.
Education
John was graduated at Harvard College in 1755.
Career
He then entered his father's counting-house, and as early as 1759 became one of the proprietors of a township, which was named Wolfeborough, a holding which later absorbed much of his attention. In 1763 he went to England to represent his father's business interests and his sojourn there profoundly affected his subsequent career. He formed the acquaintance of influential and distinguished Englishmen, among them the Marquis of Rockingham, and he was appointed one of the agents for New Hampshire, serving with Barlow Trecothick, a London merchant. Pursuant to instructions from the provincial Assembly, he used his influence to help secure the repeal of the Stamp Act. Upon the forced resignation of his uncle, Benning Wentworth, he was himself appointed governor of New Hampshire, his commission being dated August 11, 1766. He was also made captain general of the militia and invested with admiralty jurisdiction, and was appointed to the post of surveyor general of His Majesty's Woods in America. He returned to America early in 1767, landing at Charleston, S. C. , on March 22. He journeyed northward through the colonies, making certain inspections pertaining to his duties as surveyor, and visiting prominent personages along the way. He took the oath of office as governor at Portsmouth, June 13, 1767. Wentworth entered upon his new duties possessed of remarkable advantages in the way of family and social prestige, education, knowledge of the world, tact and good sense, and attractive personality. His administration was characterized by energy and a sincere desire to further the welfare of his native province, though it is true that, in accordance with eighteenth-century practice, he saw no impropriety in giving preferment to personal friends and relatives, and appointed to the council several persons related to him by blood or marriage. He displayed great energy in administering the office of surveyor of the King's Woods, making tours of inspection and preventing the private cutting of timber reserved for the Royal Navy. He was especially interested in the development of the interior regions of the province. Grants of land and the organization of towns proceeded rapidly under his jurisdiction. He persuaded the Assembly to appropriate money for a survey, on the basis of which an excellent map of New Hampshire was published in 1784. He initiated a policy of road construction as a part of his program for developing the interior. As captain general he devoted attention to reorganizing the militia. A supporter of sound money, he secured the abolition of paper currency in 1771. He was keenly interested in the establishment of Dartmouth College, granting a charter in 1769 and assisting the project by making grants of land, subscribing to the fund, and personally devoting time and attention to the affairs of the college. He was a member of the original board of trustees. As early as 1768 he had begun the development of his estate at Wolfeborough, where he built a large and pretentious house. In 1771, one Peter Livius, a disgruntled member of the council, drew up a list of charges against Wentworth and his administration, which was later submitted to the home government. After a period of anxiety, in the course of which he formulated a vigorous refutation of the charges and a defense of his conduct, he was vindicated by the Privy Council in 1773. It was his misfortune that his administration had opened just as relations between the mother country and the colonies were being subjected to severe strain. As the revolutionary disturbances increased, he found himself in a difficult situation. He was unshaken in his loyalty to the Crown, though he disapproved of certain of its policies. He conducted himself with patience and tact, endeavoring to enforce the laws and to check any revolutionary moves. He was particularly anxious to prevent steps toward cooperation between New Hampshire and the other colonies. Events moved rapidly in 1774 and 1775, however, and with the increasing tension, overt acts against his authority were inevitable. At length he and his family took refuge on a British man-of-war at Portsmouth and in August 1775 he sailed for Boston. When the British evacuated Boston in March 1776, Wentworth proceeded with them to Halifax, later accompanying the military expedition to New York. In 1778 he went to England. During the war he was exiled by the New Hampshire revolutionary government and most of his property was confiscated. Appointed surveyor to what was left of the King's Woods in North America in 1783, he took up his post at Halifax. He became lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia (governor, to all intents and purposes) in 1792, an office which he held until 1808. In 1795 he was made a baronet. As in New Hampshire, he performed his duties as governor with success, his policies being concerned with improvement of transportation, education, and the organization of defense measures. He died at Halifax in his eighty-third year.
Achievements
Personality
He had been a devoted American until his exile and he never lost his feeling for his native land and province.
Connections
On November 11, 1769, he was married to his cousin, Frances (Wentworth), widow of Theodore Atkinson, Jr. , former secretary of the province, who was also Wentworth's first cousin.