Benjamin Martyn was an English writer and government official. He served as the only secretary for the Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America

Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America

The Trustees for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America, or simply the Georgia Trustees, was organized by James Edward Oglethorpe and associates following Parliamentary investigations into prison conditions in Britain. The organization petitioned for a royal charter in July, 1731,...

 from 1732 to 1752. He then served as the colony’s agent for the Crown from February, 1753 until 1763.

Literary career

Before he was retained by the Georgia Trustees, Martyn authored a well-received tragedy, Timoleon, in 1730, an effort supported by Alexander Pope. He and Pope collaborated on an effort to erect a monument to Shakespeare. Martyn was instrumental in founding the society for the Encouragement of Learning in 1736.

Martyn was retained by Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 4th Earl of Shaftesbury , 4th Earl of Shaftesbury.The 4th Earl served as Lord Lieutenant of Dorset from 1734 until his death.-Family Legacy:...

, a Georgia Trustee, to write a biography of his great grandfather, Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury

Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles...

. The 1st earl was a notable figure in seventeenth century English politics and with philosopher John Locke

John Locke

John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...

 designed the settlement plan for the Carolina Colony.

The Georgia Trustees

Martyn authored several publications for the Trustees on the colony, including “Some Account of the Trustees Design for the Establishment of the Colony of Georgia in America,” based on a tract written by James Oglethorpe

James Oglethorpe

James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...

.