Joseph Wanton Jr.

Joseph Wanton Jr. (1730โ€“1780) was a Loyalist, merchant, Deputy Governor of Rhode Island in 1764 and 1767, and owner of Hunter House in Newport, Rhode Island.

Joseph Wanton Jr.
38th and 40th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
In office
1764โ€“1765
GovernorStephen Hopkins
Preceded byJohn Gardner
Succeeded byElisha Brown
In office
1767โ€“1768
GovernorStephen Hopkins
Preceded byElisha Brown
Succeeded byNicholas Cooke
Personal details
BornFebruary 8, 1730
Newport, Rhode Island
DiedAugust 6, 1780 (1780-08-07) (aged 50)
Manhattan, New York
Resting placeTrinity Wall Street Church, Manhattan, New York
OccupationPrivateer, Deputy Governor

Early life and career

Wanton was born to Governor Joseph Wanton and Mary Winthrop Wanton of Newport on February 8, 1730. He graduated from Harvard University in 1751 and was involved with privateers during the French and Indian War, possibly where he attained the title of colonel. Wanton's first wife Abigail Honeyman died in 1771; they had 7 children. He was elected Deputy Governor of Rhode Island in 1764 and 1767.

Loyalist during Revolutionary War

Wanton was a loyalist during the American Revolution. He was accused of treason and imprisoned by Rhode Island General William West while the British occupied Narragansett Bay in 1776. When the British occupied Newport, Wanton raised troops for the Loyalist cause. In 1780, his property (Hunter House) was confiscated, and he fled Newport when the Americans reoccupied the city. Wanton likely died in New York in 1780 after fleeing there with the British.[1] In 1781, his widow Sarah Brenton Wanton unsuccessfully petitioned the State of Rhode Island to return the confiscated Wanton properties in Newport, Jamestown, Prudence Island, and Gould Island.

See also

References

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