Benjamin Lynde (September 22, 1666 – January 28, 1745) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

of the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

. Born in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

, he was sent to England by his parents, where he read law at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

. He was the first Chief Justice (appointed associate 1712, chief justice 1729) of the

Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fun ...

, 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 Lyndeborough is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,702 at the 2020 census. History Originally granted by the Massachusetts General Court to veterans from Salem, Massachusetts, of New England's ...

, 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.

References

* Davis, William
''History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts''
1666 births 1745 deaths 17th-century American lawyers Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature Lawyers from Salem, Massachusetts Lyndeborough, New Hampshire Harvard College alumni 18th-century American judges Lawyers from colonial Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub