William Grafton Delaney Worthington IV (1785–1856) was an American lawyer, judge and state Governor, and Secretary of the Territory of East Florida.
Through his maternal grandfather's sister, Jane Contee (1726–1812), who was married to John Hanson (1721–1783), a delegate to the Continental Congress who signed the Articles of Confederation and served as the 9th President of the Continental Congress, he was related to Alexander Contee Hanson (1786–1819), also a U.S. Representative, and later, U.S.
[1] Worthington was taken by his parents while very young to their home near Nottingham, when they removed to Prince George's County, Maryland.
After his marriage to Eliza, he inherited a landed estate from his grandfather, Col. Thomas Contee, and removed to Prince George's County.
However, this life was not stirring enough for his active mind, and in 1813 he was elected State Senator, for Prince George's County.
In 1815, Worthington was appointed Comptroller of the United States Treasury, to fill an existing vacancy, and for the next two years resided in Georgetown, D.C.
In 1817 President James Madison appointed him a special representative of this Government, to Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, and Peru.
In 1821, President James Monroe appointed him Governor and Secretary of the Territory of East Florida, and he resided for two years in St. Augustine, where his eldest son was born.
In 1830 he was appointed Associate Judge of the Baltimore City Courts, and held that position for several years.
After he retired from the bench he went to Spain, and from there to Greece, having in charge some matters entrusted to him by the State Department.