Benjamin F. Bonham (October 8, 1828 – June 2, 1906) was an American educator, politician, and judge in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He was the 9th chief justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

's highest court from 1870 to 1876. Prior to joining the court he was in the

Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Representati ...

and the first State Legislature. Later the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

native served as United States Consul General in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Early life

Bonham was born October 8, 1828, near

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His parents were John Bonham and the former Sarah Jones. Benjamin was raised in Knoxville and

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

, where he received his education at the local schools. After his own education he taught school in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. In 1853 he moved to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

Oregon

After arriving in Oregon he took up teaching again, this time at

French Prairie French Prairie is located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem. It was named for some of the earliest settlers of that part of the Oregon Country, Fr ...

and in Salem. During this time Bonham also studied law, and then joined the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1856. Beginning in 1858 he started his political career when he was elected to the Territorial Legislature. Later that year he served in Oregon's last Territorial Legislature as the citizens awaited statehood. Bonham was then elected to the state's first legislature, serving as a Democrat from Marion County. Each time he served in the legislature, he served in the lower chamber

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. In 1859, he married in Salem to Mildred A. Baker; they would have seven children. In 1870, Bonham was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court to replace

Reuben P. Boise Reuben Patrick Boise (June 9, 1819 – April 10, 1907) was an American attorney, judge and politician in the Oregon Territory and the early years of the state of Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he immigrated to Oregon in 1850, where he woul ...

, who would then replace Bonham six years later when Bonham's term ended.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on January 22, 2008. While on the court, Bonham served as chief justice from 1874 to 1876. Bonham narrowly lost to Boise by 18 votes after having a 44-vote lead at one point during the vote count.Ralph James Mooney; Raymond H. Warns, Jr. Governing a New State: Public Law Decisions by the Early Oregon Supreme Court. ''Law and History Review'', Vol. 6, No. 1. (Spring, 1988), pp. 25-93.

Later years

In 1885,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

appointed Bonham to be Consul General to British-controlled

at Calcutta. Later he returned to Salem where he served as postmaster from 1894 to 1898, and was a professor at

Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...

. He then returned to the practice of law until he died in Salem on June 2, 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonham, Benjamin F. 1906 deaths 1828 births Members of the Oregon House of Representatives Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature 19th-century American legislators Politicians from Salem, Oregon Educators from Oregon Willamette University College of Law faculty Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Oregon postmasters Politicians from Knoxville, Tennessee Lawyers from Salem, Oregon American diplomats 19th-century American judges Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court