Benjamin H. Brewster

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Benjamin H. Brewster

Benjamin Harris Brewster (born October 13, 1816 in Salem County , New Jersey , †  April 4, 1888 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) was an American lawyer and politician ( Republican Party ) who served in the cabinet of US President Chester A. Arthur served as Minister of Justice .

Studies and professional career

Brewster first completed a general education course at Princeton College , which he finished in 1834 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) . He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1838.

Brewster was the son-in-law of Robert J. Walker , US Treasury Secretary under President James K. Polk .

Political career

Special Commissioner and Attorney General of Pennsylvania

In 1846, at the request of his father-in-law Robert Walker, President Polk appointed him commissioner to decide the Cherokee's claims for damages against the United States. This involved claims for damages by the Indians due to the forced relocations carried out in 1838 and 1839 on the basis of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, in which several thousand Indians perished on the so-called path of tears .

1867 appointed him governor of Pennsylvania, John W. Geary , the Attorney General of the State. He remained in this office until 1869.

Minister of Justice under President Arthur

After the assassination of US President James A. Garfield him appointed his successor Chester A. Arthur on December 16, 1881 as Minister of Justice ( Attorney General ) in his Cabinet after Wayne MacVeagh had resigned immediately after the death of the President on September 19, 1881 . He held the office of Justice Minister until the end of Arthur's term on March 4, 1885.

As such, the president named him chief prosecutor in the so-called Star Route bribery scandal, in which United States Postal Service employees were accused of accepting bribes for granting postal licenses in the western and southern United States. In addition, during his tenure on January 16, 1883, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act , named after US Senator George H. Pendleton , was enacted, which abolished the end of the previous system ( spoils system ) of assigning posts to party friends after election victories.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Brewster, Benjamin H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brewster, Benjamin Harris (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 13, 1816
PLACE OF BIRTH Salem County , New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH April 4, 1888
Place of death Philadelphia , Pennsylvania