Benjamin Stephenson (July 8, 1769 – October 10, 1822) was the Congressional Delegate for the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...

from 1814 until 1817, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention which enabled Illinois' statehood.

Early and family life

Born in Gettysburg,

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County, and was named for the secon ...

to the former Maria Reed (1742-1828) and her husband James Stephenson (1740-1804), the family moved to Martinsburg, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) by 1790, where his father died in 1804. His eldest brother William would move to Knoxville, Tennessee with their mother and sisters, and his middle brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

would remain in western Virginia, serve in the militia and likewise become a congressman. He married Lucy Swearingen (1788-1850), daughter of Virginia militia Col. Van Swearingen; their son

James W. Stephenson James W. Stephenson (1806–August 1838) was an American militia officer and politician from the state of Illinois. He was born in Virginia but spent most of his youth in Edwardsville, Illinois. In 1825 he was indicted for the murder of a fa ...

would become an Illinois state senator and embroiled in scandals.

Career

Stephenson moved to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

before his father's death in 1804, and then further westward to the

around 1809. He became sheriff of

Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States: *Randolph County, Alabama *Randolph County, Arkansas *Randolph County, Georgia *Randolph County, Illinois *Randolph County, Indiana *Randolph County, Missouri *Randolph County, Nort ...

, Illinois in 1809. A colonel in the Illinois militia, Stephenson commanded a regiment during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. In 1813 he was appointed

adjutant general of Illinois The adjutant general of Illinois is the senior officer of the Illinois Army National Guard, Illinois Air National Guard, and state defense forces of Illinois. The Illinois Naval Militia was also part of the adjutant general's command, until it was ...

. A

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

and ally of Governor

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 ...

, Stephenson served as the representative of the Illinois Territory in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

from 1814 to 1816, after which he became receiver of Public Monies, appointed by Edwards. Stephenson was a representative to the convention that wrote the first constitution for the State of

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 ...

in 1818. In 1820, Stephenson owned seven slaves in Madison County.

Death and legacy

Stephenson died on October 10, 1822, and is buried in Edwardsville,

Madison County, Illinois Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in Illinois and the most popu ...

. His widow soon moved to

Carlinville Carlinville is a city and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. It is also the home of Blackburn College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian church, and the former home of Prairie Farms Dairy. As of the 202 ...

Macoupin County, Illinois Macoupin County is located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 47,765. The county seat is Carlinville. The primary industry is agriculture, consisting of crops of corn (maize), soybeans, and so ...

, where she was buried in 1850. Stephenson County, Illinois was named for him. The

Benjamin Stephenson House The Benjamin Stephenson House is a Federal style home built in 1820 in the city of Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. The house was constructed by prominent Edwardsville citizen and Illinois politician Benjamin Stephenson. He died shortly a ...

in Edwardsville, which he finished shortly before his death, remains and was placed 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 1980. Now owned by the City of Edwardsville, it is one of the oldest houses still standing in the State.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephenson, Benjamin 1769 births 1822 deaths Illinois sheriffs Adjutants General of Illinois American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Territory Illinois Democratic-Republicans Military personnel from Martinsburg, West Virginia People from Edwardsville, Illinois People from Randolph County, Illinois Politicians from Martinsburg, West Virginia Stephenson County, Illinois

Early and family life

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links