Benjamin Tasker Sr. ( – June 19, 1768) was the 21st

Proprietary Governor Proprietary colonies were a type of colony in English America which existed during the early modern period. In English overseas possessions established from the 17th century onwards, all land in the colonies belonged to the Crown, which held ul ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

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 a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States 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 Baltim ...

, to Rebecca Isaacs (née Brooke) and Thomas Tasker. Tasker became a naval officer at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, 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 British constitution. The British monarch issued colonial charters that established either royal colonies, propriet ...

, 1722–1768; member of the

Lower House A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

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 chambe ...

, 1715–1717, 1720–1722; member of the

Upper House An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...

, 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 jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

, 1720, 1754–1766;

, 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 Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-larges ...

Company. In 1740, Governor

Samuel Ogle Samuel Ogle ( 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, No ...

was dispatched to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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 ( – 9 August 1718) was an English-born barrister and clerk. He was an Attorney-General of the Province of Maryland, in what is now the United States, and was briefly the Secretary of the province. Bladen was also elected t ...

Attorney-General of Maryland, in on July 31, 1711. They had ten children: *William Tasker (1713-1715) *Bladen Tasker (1719-1721) * Benjamin Tasker Jr. (1720–1760), Mayor of Annapolis and slave trader. *Bladen Tasker (1722-1723). * Anne Tasker (1728–1817), married the much older Gov.

(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 (American Revolution), Loyalist politician, Mayor of Annapolis, and an influential American lawyer in the period immediately before the American Revolution. His ...

in 1749. * Elizabeth Tasker (1726–1789) married

Christopher Lowndes Christopher Lowndes (baptized June 19, 1713January 8, 1785) was a leading merchant in colonial Bladensburg, Maryland, Bladensburg, Prince George's County, Maryland. He was named Commissioner of the town of Bladensburg in 1745, and in 1753 he was ...

(1713–1785), merchant of

Bladensburg, Maryland Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,657 at the 2020 census. Areas in Bladensburg are located within ZIP code 20710. Bladensburg is from Washington, D.C. History Originally called Garr ...

and slave trading partner of Benjamin Tasker Jr. 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 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,329. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County; i ...

, is named after him.

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