Benjamin Tasker

Benjamin Tasker Sr. (* 1690 ; † June 19, 1768 in Annapolis , later in the US state of Maryland ) was a British colonial governor of the Province of Maryland .

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Nothing is known about Benjamin Tasker's youth and schooling. Between 1719 and 1742 he was in Annapolis as Naval Officer responsible for port affairs. At the same time he was also politically active in the Province of Maryland. He was a member of both Annapolis City Council and (at different times) both houses of the colonial parliament. From 1722 until his death, he was a member of the governor's council of the colony , which he chaired for a time. Between 1721 and 1757 he was also mayor of Annapolis several times. In 1731 he was one of the founders of the Baltimore Ironworks Company . After the death of Colonial Governor Samuel Ogle , he took over his post as the highest-ranking politician until the arrival of the new Governor Horatio Sharpe . He held this office in 1752 and 1753. During his long time as a politician in Maryland, he experienced various crises, wars including the Seven Years War in North America , Indian wars and the so-called Cresap's War, a border conflict with the Province of Pennsylvania , the first ended in 1767 with the establishment of the Mason-Dixon Line as a border. Benjamin Tasker experienced this event in the year before his death.

Benjamin Tasker was married to Ann Bladen, a sister of Colonial Governor Thomas Bladen who had 10 children. This included the daughter Anne (1728-1817), who was married to the significantly older colonial governor Sam Ogle. From this marriage came Benjamin Ogle , who was governor of the US state of Maryland from 1798 to 1801. Another child of Benjamin Tasker Sr. was Benjamin Tasker Jr. (1720-1760), who was also politically active in Maryland and, among other things, like his father, held the office of mayor of Annapolis.

Web links

• Mention of Tasker in his son's biography