Benjamin Lynde (September 22, 1666 – January 28, 1745)[1] was a lawyer and magistrate of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Born in Salem, he was sent to England by his parents, where he read law at the Middle Temple. He was the first Chief Justice (appointed associate 1712, chief justice 1729) of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature, the province's highest court, to have formal training as a lawyer. Lynde's family gave its name to the town of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire,[2] established in an area where they had extensive land holdings. His son Benjamin Jr. also served as a Massachusetts chief justice. He is buried at the Salem Burying Point amongst other prominent historical figures of the time.

Benjamin Lynde Sr.
portrait by John Smibert
Born22 September 1666 Edit this on Wikidata
Died28 January 1745 Edit this on Wikidata (aged 78)
Alma mater
OccupationJudge Edit this on Wikidata
Spouse(s)Mary Browne Lynde Edit this on Wikidata
ChildrenBenjamin Lynde Jr. Edit this on Wikidata

References

edit
  1. ^ "The diaries of Benjamin Lynde and of Benjamin Lynde, Jr.; with an appendix". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  2. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 192.
Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature
1712–1728
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature
1729–1745
Succeeded by