Henry Nathaniel Benson, Sr. (August 1, 1872 – May 10, 1960) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer. Election ...

from 1929 to 1933. Benson was born in Norseland,

Nicollet County, Minnesota Nicollet County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,454. Its county seat is St. Peter. Nicollet County is part of the Mankato– North Mankato, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. History In ...

. He was the son of Peter Benson and Malena (Pehrson) Benson. Benson received his bachelor's degree from

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavus gets its n ...

in 1893 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Patent Law ( ...

in 1895. He then practiced law in

St. Peter, Minnesota St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. It is 10 miles north of the Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area. The population was 12,066 at the 2020 census. St. Peter is the county seat of Nicollet County and home ...

. Benson served as St. Peter city attorney and Nicollet County probate judge. Benson was active in the Republican Party. He served in the

Minnesota State Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

from 1911 to 1923. Benson then served as

from 1929 to 1933. He then continued his law practice in St. Peter, Minnesota. He was also chairman of the Committee for the Augustana Pension Fund and President of the Lutheran Brotherhood of the

Augustana Lutheran Church The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church (previously the Augustana Lutheran Synod and also Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America and Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod in North America) was a Lutheran churc ...

. Benson died in a hospital in St. Peter, Minnesota from complications from a hip fracture and surgery.'Henry Benson, Former Attorney General, Dead,' Winona Daily News, May 11, 1960

Notes

1872 births 1960 deaths People from Nicollet County, Minnesota Gustavus Adolphus College alumni University of Minnesota Law School alumni Minnesota state court judges Minnesota attorneys general Republican Party Minnesota state senators American Lutherans American people of Swedish descent People from St. Peter, Minnesota {{Minnesota-politician-stub