Kinsley Scott Bingham (December 16, 1808October 5, 1861) 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 ...

, a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, and the 11th governor of Michigan.

Early life in New York

Bingham (whose first name is sometimes spelled ''Kingsley'') was born to the farmer family of Calvin and Betsy (Scott) Bingham in

Camillus, New York Camillus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 24,167 at the 2010 census. The Town of Camillus is west of Syracuse. There is also a village named Camillus in the town. Much of the town is a western suburb of ...

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. Onondaga County is the core of the Syracuse, NY MSA. History The name ''Onondaga'' derives from ...

. He attended the common schools and studied law in Syracuse. In 1833, while still in New York, Bingham married Margaret Warden, who had recently moved with her brother Robert Warden and family from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Life and politics in Michigan

Bingham moved with his wife, in 1833 to

Green Oak Township, Michigan Green Oak Charter Township is a charter township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 19,539. In September 2005, the township board voted to incorporate as a charter township, ...

where he was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

and began a private practice. In 1834, his only child with Margaret, Kinsley W. Bingham (1838–1908), was born and his wife died four days later. He engaged in agricultural pursuits and held a number of local offices including

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, postmaster, and first judge of the

probate court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the Administration of an estate on death, administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts ma ...

of Livingston County. Bingham became a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

in 1837, was reelected four times and served as

speaker of the house The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

in 1838–1839, and 1842. In 1839, Bingham married Mary Warden, the younger sister of his first wife, and in 1840 their only child was born, James W. Bingham (1840–1862). In 1846, he was elected as a Democratic Representative from

Michigan's 3rd congressional district Michigan's 3rd congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in West Michigan. From 2003 to 2013, it consisted of the counties of Barry and Ionia, as well as all except the northwestern portion of Kent, including the city of Grand Ra ...

to the 30th and 31st Congresses, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 4, 1851. He was chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State in the 31st Congress. He was instrumental in securing approval for building the

Beaver Island Head Lighthouse The Beaver Head Light is located high on a bluff on the southern tip of Beaver Island. Boats trying to navigate North on Lake Michigan need to carefully work their way between Beaver Island and Gray's Reef. The cylindrical tower was built in ...

on the south end of Beaver Island in

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

. He was strongly opposed to the expansion of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and was one of minority of Democrats who supported the

Wilmot Proviso The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the ...

. Bingham was not a candidate for re-election in 1850 and resumed agricultural pursuits. He affiliated himself with the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery int ...

and was later 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 ...

Gubernatorial and senate career

In 1854, Bingham was elected as the 11th (and first Republican) governor of Michigan and was re-elected in 1856; he is among the first Republicans to be elected governor of any state. He was known as the farmer-Governor of Michigan and was instrumental in establishing the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (today,

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

) and other educational institutions such as the State Reform School. Also during his four years in office, a personal liberty law was sanctioned, legislation that regulated the lumber industry was authorized, and several new counties and villages were established. He was also a delegate from Michigan to the Republican National Convention in 1856 that nominated John C. Fremont for

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, who lost to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

James Buchanan. Bingham was elected as a

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1858 and served in the 36th and 37th Congresses from March 4, 1859, until his death on October 5, 1861. He was chairman of the

Committee on Enrolled Bills A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

in the 37th Congress. He campaigned actively for the election of

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 ...

in 1860.

Death and legacy

He died in Green Oak while in office at age 52 and was originally interred at a private family graveyard in Livingston County. He was reinterred at Old Village Cemetery of

Brighton, Michigan Brighton is a city in the Detroit metropolitan area in southeastern Livingston County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area. It is one of ...

. There are three townships named for him in Michigan: *

Bingham Township, Clinton County, Michigan Bingham Township is a civil township of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 2,859. The township is named for politician Kinsley S. Bingham, who served as Michigan's 11th govern ...

Bingham Township, Huron County, Michigan Bingham Township is a civil township of Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 1,751. The township is named for Kinsley S. Bingham, a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from and Govern ...

Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan Bingham Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,425. The township is named for Kinsley S. Bingham, a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator and Governo ...

Memorials

A painting of Bingham now hangs in the Michigan State Capitol.

References

External links

Political Graveyard

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bingham, Kinsley S. 1808 births 1861 deaths American justices of the peace Michigan postmasters Michigan state court judges Governors of Michigan Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Syracuse, New York People of Michigan in the American Civil War Republican Party United States senators from Michigan Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan Free Soilers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Republican Party governors of Michigan People from Camillus, New York Burials in Michigan 19th-century American politicians People from Livingston County, Michigan 19th-century American judges