Benjamin Tasker Sr. ( – June 19, 1768) was the 21st
Proprietary Governor
A proprietary colony was a type of English colony mostly in North America and in the Caribbean in the 17th century. In the British Empire, all land belonged to the monarch, and it was his/her prerogative to divide. Therefore, all colonial proper ...
of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
from 1752 to 1753.
[
]
He also occupied a number of other significant colonial offices, including, on various occasions, being elected
Mayor of Annapolis
The Mayor of Annapolis is the chief political figure in the city of Annapolis, which is the capital city of Maryland. The mayor is elected to a four-year term.
List of Mayors of Annapolis
*1708–1720 Amos Garrett
*1720–1721 Thomas Lar ...
.
Career
Benjamin Tasker was born around 1690 in
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimore, the proprietors of t ...
to Rebecca Isaacs (née Brooke) and Thomas Tasker.
Tasker became a naval officer at
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, in 1719 and served until 1742. He also served in the municipal and provincial government as: member and president of the
Governor's Council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the Constitution of the United Kingdom, British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the e ...
, 1722–1768; member of the
Lower House
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of the
Maryland Legislature
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamb ...
, 1715–1717, 1720–1722; member of the
Upper House
An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...
, 1722–1766, 1768; President of the Upper House, 1734–1766, 1768; Annapolis
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
, 1720, 1754–1766;
Mayor of Annapolis
The Mayor of Annapolis is the chief political figure in the city of Annapolis, which is the capital city of Maryland. The mayor is elected to a four-year term.
List of Mayors of Annapolis
*1708–1720 Amos Garrett
*1720–1721 Thomas Lar ...
, 1721–1722, 1726–1727, 1747–1748, 1750–1753, 1756–1757; President of the Council in 1752; acting governor of Maryland, 1753.
In October 1731, Tasker was one of the founders of the
Baltimore Ironworks Company.
In 1740, Governor
Samuel Ogle
Samuel Ogle (c. 1694 – 3 May 1752) was the 16th, 18th and 20th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1731 to 1732, 1733 to 1742, and 1746/1747 to 1752.
Background
The Ogle family was quite prominent for many centuries in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, ...
was dispatched to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
following
England's declaration of war against Spain. He left Tasker with his
power of attorney
A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs (which may be financial or regarding health and welfare), business, or some other legal matter. The person auth ...
and in addition "the task of supervising the construction of a new house at Belair."
[
]
Family
Tasker married Ann Bladen, daughter of
William Bladen
William Bladen (1672–1718) was an English-born Attorney-General in Maryland, in what is now the United States, and briefly Secretary of that Province. He was the father of Thomas Bladen, Governor of Maryland and was the brother of Colonel ...
Attorney-General of Maryland, in on July 31, 1711.
[ They had ten children:
*William Tasker (1713-1715)
*Bladen Tasker (1719-1721)
* ]Benjamin Tasker Jr.
Colonel Benjamin Tasker Jr. (February 14, 1720–21 – October 17, 1760) was a politician and slave trader in colonial Maryland, and Mayor of Annapolis from 1754 to 1755. He was the son of Benjamin Tasker Sr., Provincial Governor of Maryla ...
(1720–1760), Mayor of Annapolis and slave trader.
*Bladen Tasker (1722-1723).
* Anne Tasker (1728–1817), married the much older Gov. Samuel Ogle
Samuel Ogle (c. 1694 – 3 May 1752) was the 16th, 18th and 20th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1731 to 1732, 1733 to 1742, and 1746/1747 to 1752.
Background
The Ogle family was quite prominent for many centuries in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, ...
(1694–1752).[
]
* Rebecca Tasker (1724–1797) married Daniel Dulany the Younger
Daniel Dulany the Younger (June 28, 1722 – March 17, 1797) was a Maryland Loyalist politician, Mayor of Annapolis, and an influential American lawyer in the period immediately before the American Revolution. His pamphlet ''Considerations on the ...
in 1749.
* Elizabeth Tasker (1726–1789) married Christopher Lowndes
Christopher Lowndes (baptized June 19, 1713 – January 8, 1785) was a leading merchant in colonial Bladensburg, Prince George's County, Maryland. He was named Commissioner of the town of Bladensburg in 1745, and in 1753 he was appointed one of ...
(1713–1785), merchant of Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland. The population was 9,657 at the 2020 census. Areas in Bladensburg are located within ZIP code 20710. Bladensburg is from central Washington.
History
Originally called Garrison's Landi ...
and slave trading partner of Benjamin Tasker Jr.
Colonel Benjamin Tasker Jr. (February 14, 1720–21 – October 17, 1760) was a politician and slave trader in colonial Maryland, and Mayor of Annapolis from 1754 to 1755. He was the son of Benjamin Tasker Sr., Provincial Governor of Maryla ...
[ in 1747.
*Bladen Tasker (1730-1731).
* Frances Ann Tasker (1738–1787), married the wealthy planter Robert Carter (of Nominy, Westmoreland County, Virginia) at the age of sixteen, in 1754.]
Death and legacy
Tasker died on June 19, 1768 in Annapolis. He was buried in St. Anne's Churchyard in Annapolis. His tombstone reads:
Legacy
Benjamin Tasker Middle School, in Bowie, Maryland
Bowie () is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous c ...
, is named after him.
See also
*Belair Mansion (Bowie, Maryland)
The Belair Mansion, located in the historic Collington area and in Bowie, Maryland, United States, built in c. 1745, is the Georgian style plantation house of Provincial Governor of Maryland, Samuel Ogle. Later home to another Maryland governo ...
References
Johnston, James H., ''From Slave Ship to Harvard: Yarrow Mamout and the History of an African Family'' (May 2012)
Retrieved August 2012.
Warfield, J. D. ''The Founders of Anne Arundel and Howard Counties, Maryland: A Genealogical and Biographical Review from Wills, Deeds and Church Records''
Retrieved August 2012
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tasker, Benjamin Sr.
1690 births
1768 deaths
People from Calvert County, Maryland
Colonial Governors of Maryland
Mayors of Annapolis, Maryland
Colonial politicians from Maryland
Tasker family