John Forbes Benjamin (January 23, 1817 – March 8, 1877) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Missouri. Born in Cicero, New York, Benjamin attended the public schools. He moved to Texas in 1845 and to Missouri in 1848. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Shelbyville, Missouri Shelbyville is a city in Shelby County, Missouri, United States. The population was 518 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Shelby County. History Shelbyville was platted in 1836. Like the county in which it is located, Shelbyville wa ...

, in 1848. He served as Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives 1850–1852. He served as presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of in 1856. He entered the Union Army as a private in 1861 and was subsequently promoted to the ranks of captain, major, lieutenant colonel, and brevet brigadier general. Provost marshal of the Eighth District of Missouri in 1863 and 1864. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1864. Benjamin was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, and Forty-first Congresses (March 4, 1865 – March 4, 1871). He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Expenditures (Forty-first Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1870. He resumed the practice of law in Shelbyville. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1872 to the Forty-third Congress. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1874 and engaged in banking. He died in Washington, D.C., March 8, 1877. He was interred in a private cemetery at

Shelbina, Missouri Shelbina is a city in southern Shelby County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census. History Shelbina was platted in 1857 when the railroad was extended to that point. The name "Shelbina" is derived from Shelby Co ...

. Benjamin is the namesake of the community of

Benjamin, Missouri Benjamin is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. History A post office called Benjamin was established in 1869, and remained in operation until 1926. The community has the name of John F. Benjamin John ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benjamin, John Forbes 1817 births 1877 deaths Union Army generals Missouri Democrats Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri 1856 United States presidential electors People from Cicero, New York 19th-century American legislators People from Shelbyville, Missouri