Hiram Pitt Bennet (September 2, 1826 – November 11, 1914) was a Congressional delegate from the Territory of Colorado and

Colorado Secretary of State The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold. Structur ...

Biography

Bennet was born in

Carthage, Maine Carthage is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 census. History First known as Plantation No. 4, Abbott's Purchase, it was part of a large tract of land bought in 1815 by Jacob Abbott of Wilton, N ...

, and moved to Ohio with his parents, who settled in Richland County in 1831. He attended public and private schools in Ohio. Bennet attended the Ohio Wesleyan University in

Delaware, Ohio Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio ...

, before taking a teaching job in northwestern Missouri in 1850. He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1851, practicing in western Iowa and later in

Glenwood, Iowa Glenwood is a city in, and the county seat of, Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,073 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,358 in 2000. History Located in a hollow of the Loess Hills on the east side of the Missouri River, ...

. He served as judge of the circuit court of Iowa in 1852. Bennet moved to the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

in 1854, settled in Nebraska City, and continued the practice of law. He unsuccessfully contested in 1855 as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

the election of Bird B. Chapman to the Thirty-fourth Congress. He served as member of the Territorial council in 1856, and as member of the Territorial House of Representatives in 1858, where he served as speaker. Bennet moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1859 and continued the practice of law.

Career

Upon the admission of the Territory to representation, Bennet was elected as a Conservative Republican, a Delegate to the Thirty-seventh Congress. He was the first Territorial Representative for Colorado in 1862. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress and served from August 19, 1861, to March 3, 1865. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1864. Bennet played an important role in obtaining statehood for Colorado, introducing the first bill on statehood in 1863. Bennet served as Secretary of State of Colorado in 1867. He was appointed postmaster of

, on March 26, 1869, and served until May 27, 1874, when a successor was appointed. Bennet served as a member of the first State senate in 1876. He was appointed "State Agent" in 1888, and served until 1895, recovering lands belonging to the State of Colorado which had been wrongfully disposed of.

Death and legacy

Bennet retired in 1899 and resided in

, until his death, November 11, 1914. He is interred in Riverside Cemetery. The town of

Bennett, Colorado The Town of Bennett is a Statutory Town located in Adams and Arapahoe counties, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,862 at the 2020 United States Census with 2,443 residing in Adams County and 419 residing in Arapahoe County. B ...

was named for Bennet.

References

External links

The State of Colorado: The History of Bennett - A Proud Heritage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Hiram Pitt 1826 births 1914 deaths Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Republican Party Colorado state senators Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory Secretaries of State of Colorado People from Franklin County, Maine People from Richland County, Ohio People from Glenwood, Iowa 19th-century American politicians People from Nebraska City, Nebraska