Benjamin Babock Thurston (June 29, 1804 – May 17, 1886) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Rhode Island. Born in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, Thurston attended the common schools, and later engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served as member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives 1831-1837, and as

Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gover ...

from 1837 to 1838 serving under Governor John B. Francis. Thurston was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1849 to the Thirty-first Congress. Thurston was elected as a

to the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses and as a candidate of the American Party to the

Thirty-fourth Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...

(March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (Thirty-second Congress), Committee on Patents (Thirty-third Congress), Committee on Accounts (Thirty-fourth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1857. After leaving Congress, Thurston moved to New London, Connecticut, where he served as member of the

board of aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members them ...

in 1862 and 1863. He served as member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1869 and 1870. He resumed mercantile pursuits. He died in New London, Connecticut, May 17, 1886. He was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Benjamin Babock 1804 births 1886 deaths People from Hopkinton, Rhode Island Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of Rhode Island Politicians from New London, Connecticut Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Rhode Island Know Nothings Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century American politicians