Benjamin Franklin Prescott (February 26, 1833 – February 21, 1895) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician from

Epping, New Hampshire Epping is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,125 at the 2020 census, up from 6,411 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 Census figures. Retrieved March 23, 2011. The ...

, who served as the 36th

governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

Early life and education

Benjamin F. Prescott was born in

, on February 26, 1833. He attended

Pembroke Academy Pembroke Academy is a public secondary school in Pembroke, New Hampshire. History Pembroke Academy was incorporated on June 25, 1818, as a private school, and on May 25, 1819, the first building was dedicated. The academy opened with 48 students o ...

and

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

before graduating from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1856.

Career

Prescott studied law and was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar Association. He then established a private legal practice in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

and became active in the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He served as secretary of the Republican State Committee from 1859 to 1874. He was also secretary of New Hampshire's Electoral College members every four years from 1860 to 1880. In 1859, Prescott became editor of the ''Independent Democrat'', a Republican newspaper that opposed slavery and endorsed the

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

administration. Prescott was a New England special agent for the United States Department of the Treasury from 1865 to 1869, responsible to audit and report on the activities of customs collectors at border crossing and ports. He was New Hampshire Secretary of State from 1872 to 1873 and 1875 to 1876. In 1877, Prescott was elected to a one-year term as governor. He was reelected in 1878, and served from June 7, 1877, to June 5, 1879. During his term, the state constitution as revised and construction began on a new state prison in Concord. Prescott remained active in politics after leaving office, serving as chairman of the 1880 state Republican convention and a Delegate to the

1880 Republican National Convention The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the offic ...

. From 1887 to 1893, Prescott served on the state New Hampshire Board of Railroad Commissioners. In addition to his political activities, Prescott was an author and was involved with several historical organizations. He was vice president of the New Hampshire Historical Society, President of the Bennington Battle Monument Commission, and a Fellow of Great Britain's Royal Historical Society. He was also a trustee of the

New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (NHC) was founded and incorporated in 1866, as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College. In 1893, NHC moved to Durham, where it became the University of New Ha ...

and

Personal life

Prescott died in Epping on February 21, 1895. He was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord. The

Benjamin Franklin Prescott House The Benjamin Franklin Prescott House is a historic house on Prescott Street in Epping, New Hampshire. Built in 1875 for politician (and future Governor of New Hampshire) Benjamin Franklin Prescott, it is the town's finest example of Second Empir ...

is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

External links

Prescott at New Hampshire's Division of Historic Resources
*

at
National Governors Association
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Prescott, Benjamin 1833 births 1895 deaths People from Epping, New Hampshire Republican Party governors of New Hampshire Dartmouth College alumni 19th-century American politicians