John Wentworth Jr. (July 17, 1745 – January 10, 1787) was a Founding Father of the United States and a lawyer who served as a New Hampshire delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

, where he signed the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 Colonies of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by ...

Biography

He was born to Judge John Wentworth in Somersworth, New Hampshire in 1745, and is a descendant of "Elder" William Wentworth. He graduated from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1768 before studying law. He moved to Dover, New Hampshire where he started his practice. His cousin, Governor Wentworth, appointed him the probate register for

Strafford County Strafford County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 130,889. Its county seat is Dover. Strafford County was one of the five original counties identified for New Hampshire in 1769. It was n ...

, and he held that post until his death. He was active in the various revolutionary committees, and was elected to the convention (later the State Assembly) from Dover every year from 1776 to 1780. He was a member of the state council, supporting

Meshech Weare Meshech Weare (June 16, 1713January 14, 1786) was an American farmer, lawyer, and revolutionary statesman from Seabrook and Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. He served as the first president of New Hampshire. Before 1784 the position of governor wa ...

, from 1780 to 1784, and was a member of the New Hampshire Committee of Safety. That committee operated as the revolutionary government when the Assembly was not in session. In 1778 and 1779, he was selected as one of the delegates to the Continental Congress. His term of service gave him the chance to sign the Articles of Confederation when the Congress passed that plan to unify the colonies. As New Hampshire established a more stable government, he was elected to the State's Senate from 1784 to 1786. He died in Dover and is buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery there.''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''
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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, John Jr. 1745 births 1787 deaths American people of English descent Harvard University alumni Continental Congressmen from New Hampshire 18th-century American politicians Signers of the Articles of Confederation People of colonial New Hampshire People from Somersworth, New Hampshire People from Dover, New Hampshire Founding Fathers of the United States