# Benjamin Lester

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{{for|the British politician born in 1779|Benjamin Lester Lester}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
thumb|Image of Benjamin Lester

'''Benjamin Lester''' (13 July 1724 – 25 January 1802) was a British politician and merchant involved in the [Newfoundland](/source/Colony_of_Newfoundland) fishery.

He was born in [Poole](/source/Poole), England, the son of Rachell Taverner and Francis Lester, who was a merchant and also served as mayor of Poole, and the nephew of [William Taverner](/source/William_Taverner_(surveyor)). His father was involved in the Newfoundland fish trade and Lester went to Newfoundland around 1737, working for another merchant from Poole involved in the fishery. He married his cousin Susannah Taverner around 1750. After the death of his employers, he entered the fish trade on his own, partnering with his brother Isaac. His operations were based in the area of [Trinity](/source/Trinity%2C_Newfoundland_and_Labrador). During the 1760s, he began building a large brick house there, now preserved as the Lester-Garland house. In 1762, he was forced to temporarily surrender Trinity to the [French](/source/France). Lester continued to return to Newfoundland for the fishing season until 1776. After that, he continued to manage operations from England and his business continued to expand until he owned a fleet of almost 30 ships, making his the largest in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poolemuseum.org.uk/collections/collection-highlights/benjamin-lester/|title=Portrait of Benjamin Lester|publisher=The Poole Museum}}</ref> Lester was also involved in the trade in [seal](/source/Pinniped)s.

In England, he lobbied for the exclusion of the Americans from the fish trade. He also opposed the concession of [Saint-Pierre and Miquelon](/source/Saint-Pierre_and_Miquelon) to France. Lester served as mayor of Poole in 1779 and from 1781 to 1783 and was Member of Parliament representing [Poole](/source/Poole_(UK_Parliament_constituency)) from 1790 to 1796.

He was uncle to [Lieutenant General](/source/Lieutenant-general_(United_Kingdom)) [Sir Frederick Parkinson Lester](/source/Frederick_Lester) through his elder brother John Lester of Racquet Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/lester-benjamin-1724-1802|title=Lester, Benjamin (1724-1802), of Poole, Dorset|publisher=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986}}</ref>

After his death in Poole in 1802, his son-in-law [George Garland](/source/George_Garland_(MP)), who had married Lester's daughter Amy, took over the operation of the business which Lester had established.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

* {{cite DCB |first=D.F. |last=Beamish |title=Lester, Benjamin |volume=5 |url=https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/lester_benjamin_5E.html}}

== External links ==
*[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-benjamin-lester Hansard]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110708084410/http://www.boroughofpoole.com/go.php?structureID=U46405d3d22e69&ref=S464C3F9E5C0C5 Benjamin Lester – Borough of Poole]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef
 | before  = [William Morton Pitt](/source/William_Morton_Pitt)
 | before2 = [Michael Angelo Taylor](/source/Michael_Angelo_Taylor)
}}
{{s-ttl
 | title = [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament) for [Poole](/source/Poole_(UK_Parliament_constituency))
 | years = [1790](/source/1790_British_general_election)–[1796](/source/1796_British_general_election)
 | with  = [Hon. Charles Stuart](/source/Charles_Stuart_(1753%E2%80%931801)) 1790–91
 | with2 = [Michael Angelo Taylor](/source/Michael_Angelo_Taylor) 1791–96
}}
{{s-aft
 | after  = [John Jeffery](/source/John_Jeffery_(c.1751-1822))
 | after2 = [Hon. Charles Stuart](/source/Charles_Stuart_(1753%E2%80%931801))
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Benjamin}}
Category:1724 births
Category:1802 deaths
Category:18th-century British merchants
Category:Mayors of Poole
Category:Newfoundland Colony people
Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Category:British MPs 1790–1796

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Benjamin Lester](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lester) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Lester?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.