George Oliver Benton

George Oliver Benton (born June 22, 1915 in Jackson , Tennessee , †  October 9, 2001 ) was an American politician . Between 1947 and 1949, he was the de facto lieutenant governor of the state of Tennessee as President of the State Senate , even though this office was not formally introduced until 1951.

Career

George Benton attended public schools in his home country. He then studied until 1938 at Vanderbilt University . After completing a law degree at the same university and being admitted to the bar in 1940, he began to work in this profession. During World War II he was a major in the United States Marine Corps . After the war he practiced as a lawyer again. He was also a vice president of the Hub City Title Company and a director of the National Bank of Commerce .

Politically, he joined the Democratic Party . Between 1947 and 1951 he sat in the Senate of Tennessee, where he was its president from 1947 to 1949. In that capacity, he was Deputy Governor Jim Nance McCord . He thus actually held the office of lieutenant governor. This post was or is constitutionally anchored in most other states; in Tennessee this has only been the case since 1951. In 1969 and 1970, Benton was a board member of his party. However, it is not mentioned in the sources whether this was the state or federal executive. Since 1943 he was married to Theresa Anderson, with whom he had three children. He was a member of numerous organizations and associations and died on October 9, 2001.

Web links

• George Oliver Benton in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Political Graveyard
• George Benton on the list of Tennessee Senate Presidents