Portrait by John Smibert, c. 1731

Benjamin Lynde (September 22, 1666 – January 28, 1749) 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,[1] established in an area where they had extensive land holdings. His son Benjamin Jr. also served as a Massachusetts chief justice.

References

  1. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 192.
Legal offices Preceded byJohn Walley Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature 1712–1728 Succeeded byJohn Cushing Sr. Preceded bySamuel Sewall Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature 1729–1745 Succeeded byPaul Dudley


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