John Wentworth (judge)
Encyclopedia
John Wentworth was a jurist, soldier, and leader of the American Revolution
in New Hampshire
. He was often referred to as the Judge or as Colonel John to distinguish him from his cousin, the John Wentworth
who was the colony's governor.
. After service in the French and Indian War
, he moved to Somersworth
and was elected to the colonial assembly from 1768-1775. In that assembly he served several terms as speaker. He served as a judge of common pleas, and starting in 1776 as a justice in the New Hampshire supreme court, in spite of the fact that he neither studied nor practiced law.
As the revolution neared, he was active in the committees of correspondence, and later the Committee of Safety. After the Assembly was prorogued in 1774, a rebel counterpart met as the Exeter Convention. At their first meeting, on July 21 he was elected president. He died in Somersworth.
, represented New Hampshire in the Continental Congress
.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. He was often referred to as the Judge or as Colonel John to distinguish him from his cousin, the John Wentworth
John Wentworth (governor)
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
who was the colony's governor.
Biography
This John Wentworth was born in Dover, New HampshireDover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
. After service in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, he moved to Somersworth
Somersworth, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,477 people, 4,687 households, and 3,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.4 people per square mile . There were 4,841 housing units at an average density of 494.9 per square mile...
and was elected to the colonial assembly from 1768-1775. In that assembly he served several terms as speaker. He served as a judge of common pleas, and starting in 1776 as a justice in the New Hampshire supreme court, in spite of the fact that he neither studied nor practiced law.
As the revolution neared, he was active in the committees of correspondence, and later the Committee of Safety. After the Assembly was prorogued in 1774, a rebel counterpart met as the Exeter Convention. At their first meeting, on July 21 he was elected president. He died in Somersworth.
Family
John survived his third wife, and left nine out of fourteen children. John's son, John Wentworth Jr.John Wentworth Jr.
John Wentworth, Jr. was a lawyer who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire and a signer of the Articles of Confederation.-Biography:...
, represented New Hampshire in the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
.