Benjamin Tasker Sr.


Benjamin Tasker Sr. was the 21st Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1752 to 1753.
He also occupied a number of other significant colonial offices, including, on various occasions, being elected Mayor of Annapolis.

Career

Tasker became a naval officer at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1719 and served until 1742. He also served in the municipal and provincial government as: member and president of the Governor's Council, 1722–1768; member of the Lower House of the Maryland Legislature, 1715–1717, 1720–1722; member of the Upper House, 1722–1766, 1768; President of the Upper House, 1734–1766, 1768; Annapolis alderman, 1720, 1754–1766; Mayor of Annapolis, 1721–1722, 1726–1727, 1747–1748, 1750–1753, 1756–1757; President of the Council in 1752; acting governor of Maryland, 1753.
In 1731, Tasker was one of the founders of the Baltimore Ironworks Company.
In 1740, Governor Samuel Ogle was dispatched to England following England's declaration of war against Spain. He left Tasker with his power of attorney and in addition "the task of supervising the construction of a new house at Belair."

Family

Tasker married Ann Bladen, daughter of William Bladen Attorney-General of Maryland, in 1711. They had ten children.
On his death in 1768, Benjamin Tasker was buried in St. Anne's Churchyard in Annapolis. His tombstone reads:

Legacy

Benjamin Tasker Middle School, in Bowie, Maryland, is named after him.