Benjamin Edwards (August 12, 1753 – November 13, 1829) was an American merchant and political leader from

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

. He represented the third district of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

for a very short time in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1795 after

Uriah Forrest Uriah Forrest (1756 – July 6, 1805) was an American statesman and military leader from Maryland. Forrest was born in St. Mary's County in the Province of Maryland, near Leonardtown.Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb outside of Washington D.C. It is approximately south of D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest growing, and highest ...

; the son of Haden Edwards and Penelope (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Sanford) Edwards. He attended the common schools.

Career

Edwards was a prominent farmer and merchant in

. For about twenty-five years, he lived at Mount Pleasant farm, which was nine miles from the Montgomery County court house. He served as a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

for several years. He was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. He was a mentor to William Wirt, who later became the longest serving

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

. In 1795, after the resignation of Representative

in the

. He served just two months before he was succeeded by

Jeremiah Crabb Jeremiah Crabb (1760February 19, 1800) was a United States representative from Maryland. Jeremiah Crabb was born in the Province of Maryland in 1760, the son of Henry Wright Crabb. He served in the American Revolutionary War as second lieutenan ...

Later life

Late in life, Edwards migrated westward to the new settlement of Elkton in

Todd County, Kentucky Todd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,460. Its county seat is Elkton. The county is named for Colonel John Todd, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782 during t ...

. Here, he built a new house, named Edwards Hall, in 1821. The house remained in Edwards' family after his death; here his daughter Emily bore Edwards' grandson Benjamin Helm Bristow. Still standing, it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1974.

Personal life

Edwards was married to Margaret Beall (1754–1826), who was known as the "Beauty of Montgomery." She was a daughter of Col. Ninian Beall, an immigrant from Scotland who started his life in America as an

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment ...

and ended up as a major landowner and merchant who owned

Woodley Mansion Woodley is a Federal-style hilltop house in Washington, D.C., constructed in 1801. It has served as the home to Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, and Henry L. Stimson, and is now the home of the Maret School. When originally built, it was base ...

.Kilborne, Allerton. Woodley and Its Residents. Arcadia, 2008 Together, they were the parents of thirteen children, including: *

Ninian Edwards Ninian Edwards (March 17, 1775July 20, 1833) was a founding political figure of the State of Illinois. He served as the first and only governor of the Illinois Territory from 1809 to until the territory was dissolved in 1818. He was then one of t ...

(1775–1833), who later served as Governor and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

for

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

; he married Elvira Lane, in 1803. * Mary Edwards (1777–1871), who married Henry Whitaker, brother of William White Whitaker. After his death, she married Maj. Benjamin Helm of

Elizabethtown, Kentucky Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,531 at the 2010 census, and was estimated at 30,289 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019, making it the 11th-largest city ...

; she was the mother of Emily (née Helm)

Bristow Bristow, or Bristowe, can refer to the following. People * Bristow (surname) * W.S. Bristowe (1901–1979), English naturalist Places ;In the United States * Bristow, Indiana * Bristow, Iowa * Bristow, Mississippi * Bristow, Missouri * Bristow ...

and grandmother of

Benjamin Bristow Benjamin Helm Bristow (June 20, 1832 – June 22, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 30th U.S. Treasury Secretary and the first Solicitor General. A Union military officer, Bristow was a Republican Party reformer an ...

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

under President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. * Penelope Edwards (1779–1845), who married William White Whitaker. * Elisha Beall Edwards (1781–1823), who married Lucy Richardson in 1811. After her death, he married Martha Feliciana Upshow. * Presley Edwards (1784–1833), who married Hester Pope in 1810. * Elizabeth Edwards (1786–1833), who married John Grey; parents of U.S. Representative from Kentucky Benjamin Edwards Grey. * Margaret Edwards (1788–1851), who died unmarried. * Matilda Edwards (1790–1878), who married Rev. Franceway Ranna Cossitt, the founder of Cumberland College, in 1834. * Lucretia Maria Edwards (1792–1863), who married Gen.

Duff Green Duff Green (August 15, 1791June 10, 1875) was an American teacher, military leader, Democratic Party politician, journalist, author, diplomat and industrialist. Early life and education Green, the son of William and Lucy Ann (Marshall) Green, w ...

, a teacher, military leader, journalist, author, and industrialist who served as U.S. Minister to Mexico. *

Cyrus Edwards Cyrus Edwards (June 17, 1793 – August 31, 1877) was an American lawyer and politician. Edwards was born in Montgomery County, Maryland. He moved with his family to Kentucky. Edwards studied law and was admitted to the Illinois bar in Kaskask ...

(1793–1877), a member of the Whig Party who served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

and in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...

who married Nancy Harriet Reed (1802–1834) in 1818. After her death, he married teacher Sophia Loomis (1809–1897), in 1837. * Benjamin Franklin Edwards (1797–1877), who married Elizabeth Green (1797–1876) in 1819. * Rachel Edwards (1800–1828), who married Rev. William C. Warfield. * Washington Edwards, who died young. Edwards died on November 13, 1829 in

Elkton, Kentucky Elkton is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Todd County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,062 at the 2010 census. History The city was founded by Major John Gray and established by the state assembly in 1820. It is ...

Descendants

Through his son Ninian, he was a grandfather of Ninian,

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

Benjamin Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's thir ...

, Julia Edwards.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Benjamin 1753 births 1829 deaths Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland People from Montgomery County, Maryland People from Todd County, Kentucky Beall family of Maryland