Benjamin Charles Mead (February 17, 1873 – July 3, 1934) was an American lawyer from New York.

Life

Mead was born on February 17, 1873, in

Fleming, New York Fleming is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,475 at the 2020 census. The name is that of General George Fleming, an early settler. Fleming is at the northern end of Owasco Lake, south of Auburn. History T ...

, the son of J. Warren Mead, sheriff of Cayuga County and warden of the

Auburn State Prison Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility. History Constructed in 1816 as Auburn Pris ...

, and Eliza Clark. His grandfather James Mead also served as sheriff of the county. Mead graduated from the Auburn High School in 1891. He then went to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, graduating from there with an

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1896. In 1901, he graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

with an

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

He was admitted to the bar later that year and began practicing law in

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

. In 1902, Mead enlisted as a private in Company M, Third New York Infantry,

New York National Guard The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...

. He gradually rose through the ranks, serving on the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the south ...

in 1916 to 1917 as a captain of the company. In April 1917, after America entered

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was initially stationed in the

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

training camp in New York. In August 1917, he was mobilized with the N. Y. Division and sent to

Camp Wadsworth Camp Wadsworth was a World War I-era training facility for the United States Army. Located near Spartanburg, South Carolina, the post was in operation from its opening in July 1917 until it was inactivated in March 1919, following the Armistice ...

in South Carolina. In October 1917, he was transferred to Company M., 74th New York Infantry, New York National Guard. In January 1918, the regiment was renamed the 55th Pioneer Infantry. In May 1918, he was appointed Personnel Adjutant of the regiment. In September 1918, he was sent to France, where he served as Summary Court Officer of the Classification Camp in

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

. In January 1919, he returned to the United States, where he was a patient at the General Hospital in

Fort Ontario Fort Ontario is an American historic bastion fort situated by the City of Oswego in Oswego County, New York. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site. Geography and early history F ...

, New York. He was suffering from a leaky heart, pneumonia, the flu, and other ailments. He was still a patient at the hospital when he was discharged in July 1919. Mead served as Assistant

United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York The United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in 32 counties in the northern part of the State of New York. The current U.S. Attorney is Carla B. Freedman who was named on October 8, ...

from 1921 to 1926. He also served at one point as the Acting United States Attorney for the district. He was also a major in the Judge Advocates Department, Reserve Corps,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Mead was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was a deacon of the Auburn First

Baptist Church Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

. He was a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, the

Order of the Founders and Patriots of America The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (OFPA) is a non-profit, hereditary organization based in the United States that is dedicated to promoting patriotism and preserving historical records of the first colonists and their descendants. ...

, the Cayuga County Farm Bureau, and the Disabled Emergency Officers Association of the World War. He was vice-commander of his

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

post and president of the Cayuga County Bar Association. He was also a member of the Cayuga County Historical Society, the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, and the

Kiwanis Club Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

. In 1905, he married Adelaide Bourne. Their children were Elizabeth Bourne, Florence Anderson, Benjamin Charles Jr., Emma Adelaide, Warren Frederick, and Margaret Wayland. Mead died in Auburn City Hospital on July 3, 1934. He was buried in

Fort Hill Cemetery Fort Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Auburn, New York, United States. It was incorporated on May 15, 1851 under its official name: "Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn". It is known for its headstones of notable people ...

in Auburn.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Benjamin C. Mead
at ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Benjamin C. 1873 births 1934 deaths People from Fleming, New York Auburn High School (Auburn, New York) alumni Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers United States Attorneys for the Northern District of New York People from Auburn, New York New York National Guard personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Baptists from New York (state) American Freemasons Burials in New York (state)