Richard Bennett | |
|---|---|
| Governor of the Virginia Colony | |
| In office 30 April 1652 – 31 March 1655 | |
| Preceded by | Sir William Berkeley |
| Succeeded by | Edward Digges |
| Member of the Virginia Governor's Council | |
| In office 1639 – 1675 | |
| Member of the House of Burgesses for Warrosquyoake | |
| In office 1629 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Bennett |
| Succeeded by | John Atkins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | baptized August 6, 1609 Wiveliscombe, Somerset, England |
| Died | 1676 Bennett's Choice plantation, Virginia Colony, British America |
| Spouse | Mrs Mary Ann Utie |
| Children | Richard, Anna Bennett Bland Codd, Elizabeth Scarborough |
| Parent | Thomas Bennett |
| Profession | Governor, military officer, planter |
Richard Bennett (1608 – 12 April 1675) was an English planter and Governor of the Colony of Virginia, serving 1652–1655. He had first come to the Virginia colony in 1629 to represent his merchant uncle Edward Bennett's business, managing his plantation known as Bennett's Welcome in Warrascoyack (later known as Isle of Wight County).[1] Two decades later, Bennett immigrated to the Maryland colony with his family, and settled on the Severn River in Anne Arundel County.[2]
Bennett also acquired his own land patents, ultimately owning and developing thousands of acres in Virginia and Maryland. Initially, he settled with other Puritans in Nansemond. There he and others later converted to become Quakers under the influence of George Fox. In 1665 he acquired 2500 acres at what is known as Bennett's Adventure, developing a plantation on Wicomico Creek in Wicomico County, Maryland.