Benjamin F. Prescott

Benjamin F. Prescott

Benjamin Franklin Prescott (born February 26, 1833 in Epping , Rockingham County , New Hampshire , †  February 21, 1894 in Concord , New Hampshire) was an American politician and from 1877 to 1879 governor of the state of New Hampshire.

Early years and political advancement

Benjamin Prescott attended Pembroke Academy , Phillips Exeter Academy, and then Dartmouth College until 1856 . After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1859. In this job he only worked for a short time. Then he worked in the journalistic field. He became the publisher of the newspaper "Independent Democrat", which was against slavery and supported Abraham Lincoln .

Prescott became a member of the Republican Party . From 1859 to 1874 he was in New Hampshire on the board of the local party organization. He was also on the board of the New Hampshire Electoral College from 1860 to 1880 in the six presidential elections of that time. Between 1865 and 1869 he was special envoy of the US Treasury Department for the area of ​​the New England states . From 1872 to 1873 and again between 1875 and 1876 he was Secretary of State in the New Hampshire government.

New Hampshire Governor

In 1877, Benjamin Prescott was elected governor of his state. He took up his new office on June 7, 1877 and, after being re-elected in 1878, could remain in this office until June 5, 1879. During this time eleven amendments to the state constitution were ratified and a new penal institution was established. The regular election dates for public offices have been adapted to current federal practice and are set for the first Tuesday in November. The term of office of the New Hampshire governor was extended from one year to two years. Prescott was the last governor to serve two more one-year terms.

Governor Prescott was best known for creating a kind of hall of fame for prominent citizens of New Hampshire. He collected pictures, busts and sculptures of the most famous people of his state and exhibited them in both the government building and the Historical Society of New Hampshire. The governor himself became a member of some historical associations and a curator of some schools.

Another résumé

In 1880 Prescott headed the New Hampshire delegation to the Republican National Convention , where James A. Garfield was nominated as a presidential candidate. Between 1887 and 1893 he was a member of his state's Railway Committee and wrote two historical treatises. Benjamin Prescott died in 1894. He was married to Mary Little Noyes, with whom he had one child.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 3, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Benjamin Prescott in the National Governors Association (English)
• Biography of New Hampshire (English)