Benson Wood

Benson Wood

Benson Wood (born March 31, 1839 in Bridgewater , Susquehanna County , Pennsylvania , †  August 27, 1915 in Effingham , Illinois ) was an American politician . Between 1895 and 1897 he represented the state of Illinois in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Benson Wood attended his home public schools as well as Montrose Academy and Wyoming Seminary . In 1859 he moved to Illinois, where he taught as a teacher in Lee County for two years . During the Civil War , Wood served in the Union Army from 1861 to 1863 . He rose to the rank of captain. After a subsequent law degree at the University of Chicago and his admission to the bar in 1864, he began to work in this profession in Effingham. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Republican Party . In 1872 he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives . In 1876 and 1888 he was a delegate at the respective Republican National Conventions , at which Rutherford B. Hayes and later Benjamin Harrison were nominated as presidential candidates. Between 1881 and 1883 he was Mayor of Effingham.

In the congressional election of 1894 Wood was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 19th  constituency of Illinois , where he succeeded Democrat James R. Williams on March 4, 1895 . Since he was not confirmed in 1896, he could only serve one term in Congress until March 3, 1897 .

After his time in the US House of Representatives ended, Benson Wood practiced law again. Between 1903 and 1912 he served as President of Effingham State Bank . After that he was a board member of this bank until his death. He died in Effingham on August 27, 1915.

Web links

• Benson Wood in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Benson Wood in the database of Find a Grave (English)