How did Jeremy Bentham influence John Stuart Mill’s early ideas?

Jeremy Bentham, the father of modern utilitarianism, exerted a profound influence on John Stuart Mill’s early intellectual development, primarily through the mediation of Mill’s father, James Mill, and direct exposure to Bentham’s writings.123

Key aspects of this influence include:

• Foundational Doctrine: In 1822, Mill read P.-E.-L. Dumont’s exposition of Bentham’s doctrines, which made a lasting impression on him. This led Mill to establish the Utilitarian Society in 1822–23, adopting the name from a novel.3
• Active Engagement: Mill became deeply involved in the movement of "philosophical radicalism," which tested institutions by the principle of utility. He contributed to the Westminster Review, an organ founded by Bentham to spread these principles, and edited Bentham’s Rationale of Judicial Evidence.134
• Ideological Framework: Mill initially adopted the utilitarian view that human action is governed by the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain.12

While Mill remained a utilitarian throughout his life, he eventually sought to broaden Bentham’s original, more rigid framework by distinguishing between higher and lower qualities of pleasure.5