Wentworth Cheswell

Wentworth Cheswill ( – ) was an American assessor, auditor, Justice of the Peace, teacher and Revolutionary War soldier in Newmarket, New Hampshire. From 1768 to his death in 1817, he served in local government every year but one.

Some sources consider Cheswill to be the first African American elected to public office in the history of the United States, as well as the first African American judicial officer. Around the time of his marriage, he purchased a plot of land from his father. In 1801, he was among the founders of the first library in the town and provided in his will for public access to his personal library.

Early life and education Cheswill was the only child born in Newmarket, New Hampshire, to Hopestill Cheswill, a free biracial man whose father had been enslaved or indentured, and his wife, Katherine (Keniston) Cheswill, a white woman. Hopestill Cheswill was a master housewright and carpenter who worked mostly in the thriving city of Portsmouth.

Wentworth Cheswill attended Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. There he studied with the Harvard graduate Samuel Moody, who taught the classical subjects of Latin and Greek, reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as swimming and horsemanship.

Early career After completing his education, Cheswill returned to Newmarket to become a schoolmaster. In 1765, he purchased his first parcel of land from his father. By early 1767, he was an established landowner with more than and held a pew in the meetinghouse. A deed shows that Richard purchased from the Hilton grant in 1717.

Cheswill was first elected to public office in 1768 as the town constable, and later was elected to local offices every year (except for 1788) until his death in 1817, to positions such as town selectman, auditor, assessor, and others. He is believed to be the first African American elected to public office in the history of the United States. He preceded Alexander Twilight of Vermont (1836), Joseph Hayne Rainey of South Carolina (1870), and John Mercer Langston of Virginia (1888) for the title.

Marriage and family Cheswill married Mary Davis of Durham on 13 September 1767. Eleven months later, the first of their 13 children was born. Their children were: Paul (1768), Thomas (1770), Samuel (1772), Sarah (1774), Mary (1775), Elizabeth (1778), Nancy (1780), Mehitable (1782), William (1785), a daughter (name unknown) (1785), Martha (1788), a daughter (name unknown) (1792), and Abigail (1792).

His son Thomas Cheswill attended Phillips Exeter Academy and later became a deacon. Thomas' wife and children remained in Newmarket, and are buried in Riverside Cemetery.

Cheswill served under John Langdon as a private (rank) in a select company called "Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers." Langdon's company made the 250-mile march to Saratoga, New York, to join with the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates, defeating British General John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, which was the first major American victory in the Revolution. Cheswill supported his family as a teacher, and was elected and appointed to serve in local government for all but one year of the remainder of his life, as selectman, auditor, assessor, and other roles.

He was interested in artifacts from the town. He wrote reports on his fieldwork and he has been called the first archeologist in New Hampshire. The scholars W. Dennis Chesley and Mary B. Mcallister have said, "Cheswell's writings clearly contain the seeds of modern archaeological theory."

In 1801, Cheswill and other men established the first library in Newmarket, the Newmarket Social Library. Note: As a mixed-race person, there is little evidence about how Cheswill's racial identification was perceived in his lifetime. He was listed as white on the census (mixed-race was not an option on the census yet), but Morril's reference suggests he was considered mulatto by some contemporaries.

Cheswill is sometimes called the "black Paul Revere," and his messenger work for the patriot cause in New Hampshire is compared with Paul Revere's midnight ride.

Wentworth's grandfather Richard Cheswill, a former slave of African ancestry, is the first known resident by that surname in New England. PBS Frontline Online discussed the Cheswell family among mixed-race American families in its web feature Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families, associated with its program Secret Daughter (1996), based on the life and family of producer June Cross.

In 2007, a New Hampshire historical marker (number 209) highlighting Wentworth Cheswill's accomplishments was erected at the Cheswill gravesite in Newmarket. There have also been efforts to erect a statue in his honor. DiLorenzo has also sponsored an effort to commission a portrait of Cheswill to be hung in the New Hampshire State House. This portrait was unveiled July 10th, 2026.