From 1691 through 1732, he continuously held high offices of public trust in Rhode Island, culminating as Governor from 1727 to 1732. Jenckes was the son of Joseph and Esther (Ballard) Jenckes who lived in Lynn, Massachusetts before coming to Rhode Island. His father, the son of an earlier Joseph Jenckes, operated a sawmill in Warwick, but shortly thereafter settled in Providence. The subject Joseph Jenckes became a freeman in Providence in 1681, and ten years later began an extensive career of civil service to the colony.
