Benson Wood
Benson Wood | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 19th district | |
In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 | |
Preceded by | James R. Williams |
Succeeded by | Andrew J. Hunter |
Member of the Illinois Senate | |
In office 1872 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Bridgewater, Pennsylvania | March 31, 1839
Died | August 27, 1915 Effingham, Illinois | (aged 76)
Political party | Republican Party |
Benson Wood (March 31, 1839 – August 27, 1915) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
Early life and military service
[edit]Born near Bridgewater, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, Wood attended the common schools, Montrose (Pennsylvania) Academy, and Wyoming (Pennsylvania) Seminary. He moved to Illinois in 1859 and for two years was principal of a village school in Lee County. During the Civil War, he enlisted as first lieutenant of Company C, thirty-fourth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, September 7, 1861. He was promoted to captain May 1, 1862. He was honorably discharged on January 29, 1863.
Legal career and entry into politics
[edit]Wood graduated from the Union College of Law in 1864. He was admitted to the bar in 1864 and engaged in the practice of law in Effingham, Illinois. He served as member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1872, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876 and 1888. He served as mayor of Effingham, Illinois 1881-1883.
Congressional career
[edit]Wood was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He resumed the practice of law in Effingham, Illinois. He served as president of the Effingham State Bank 1903-1912, and chairman of the board of directors 1912-1915. He died in Effingham on August 27, 1915. He was interred in Oakridge Cemetery.
References
[edit]- United States Congress. "Benson Wood (id: W000691)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-03-26
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- 1839 births
- 1915 deaths
- Illinois lawyers
- University of Chicago Law School alumni
- Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives
- Politicians from Beaver County, Pennsylvania
- People of Illinois in the American Civil War
- Union Army officers
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- 19th-century American legislators
- People from Effingham, Illinois
- Mayors of places in Illinois
- 19th-century American lawyers
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania
- 19th-century Illinois politicians