Willis Benson Machen (April 10, 1810 – September 29, 1893) was a Democratic U.S. Senator from

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 ...

Early life

Willis Benson Machen was born the son of Henry Ballenger Machen and Nancy Machen (née Tarrant) on April 10, 1810 in

Caldwell County, Kentucky Caldwell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,649. Its county seat is Princeton. The county was formed in 1809 from Livingston County, Kentucky and named for John Caldwell, who ...

(now

Lyon County, Kentucky Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,680. Its county seat is Eddyville. The county was formed from Caldwell County, Kentucky in 1854 and named for former Congressman Chitt ...

).''National Cyclopedia'', p. 395. He attended the common schools of the area and became a farmer. Machen attended Cumberland College in

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits near Eddyville. In addition to farming, Machen worked at the Livingston iron forge.Kleber, p. 598. Soon, he and a partner opened their own business, but it failed and nearly led Machen to financial ruin.Milford, p. 3. Eventually, he was able to repay his debts, and he began building turnpikes. An injury forced him to abandon that course as well, so he turned to the practice of law. He was admitted to the bar in 1844 and quickly built up a large clientele. Machen was married three times and was widowed twice. Machen married, first, Margaret Aurelia Lyon (1819–1852), daughter of U.S. Representative

Chittenden Lyon Chittenden Lyon (February 22, 1787 – November 23, 1842) was an American businessman and politician from Kentucky. He was most notable for his service as a United States representative from 1827 to 1833. Biography Chittenden Lyon was born in ...

and granddaughter of U.S. Representative Colonel

Matthew Lyon Matthew Lyon (July 14, 1749 – August 1, 1822) was an Irish-born American printer, farmer, soldier and politician, who served as a United States representative from both Vermont and Kentucky. Lyon represented Vermont in Congress from 1797 to ...

, on December 28, 1835. They had at least six children: a daughter, Mary J. Machen (1838–1854) and five sons, Edward Chittenden Machen (1840–1845), Henry Lyon Machen (1843–1893), Edward C. Machen (1846–after 1887), Willis Benson Machen Jr. (1849–1851) and Willis Benson Machen III (1851–1852).Johnson. His wife died in 1852 and in the same year he married his second wife Eliza N. Dobbins (1829–1859). They had three children: one son, John S. Machen and two daughters, Mary E. Machen and Elizabeth Machen. He was again widowed in 1859. He married thirdly Victoria Theresa Mims (1838–1895), daughter of John Harrison Mims and Caroline Hanson (Cresap) Mims, on September 10, 1859. They had eight children (at least three died in childhood): sons, Frank P. Machen, Willis B. Machen (IV) (1872–1903), Charles Victor Machen and Albert Sidney Machen (1875–1876) and daughters, Minerva Buckner "Minnie" (Machen) Sayre (1860–1958) (the wife of Anthony D. Sayre and mother of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald), Maggie Davis Machen (1862-1864), Caroline Mims Machen (1874–1874) and Marjorie Lee (Machen) Rieke (1881–1913).

Political career

Machen was delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1849, was a member of the Kentucky Senate in 1854, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1856 and 1860. When a group of secessionist Kentuckians formed a Confederate government for the state, the Kentucky Confederate legislative council elected Machen as its president. Machen represented

Kentucky's 1st congressional district Kentucky's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in Western Kentucky, the district takes in Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Paducah and Murray. The district is represented by Rep ...

in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

, serving on the Accounts and Ways and Means Committees. He was re-elected to the Second Confederate Congress and worked in the quartermaster and commissary departments. In total, he served in the Confederate Congress from February 22, 1862 until its dissolution in April 1865. After the close of the war, Machen, fearing reprisals for his alignment with the Confederacy, fled to Canada; his third wife and daughters Minnie and Marjorie joined him there. In 1869,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ulysses S. Grant issued a pardon for Machen, and he returned to Kentucky.Cline, p. 17. Friends encouraged Machen to run for governor, but there were questions about his eligibility, and he declined.Milford, p. 4. On July 9, 1872, Kentucky's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

nominated Machen for the office of

Vice-President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice pr ...

; he received one electoral vote. On September 22, 1872,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Preston H. Leslie appointed Machen 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 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Garrett Davis Garrett Davis (September 10, 1801 – September 22, 1872) was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky. Early life Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Dav ...

. When the Kentucky Senate re-convened, he was formally elected to the seat on January 21, 1873, defeating

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 ...

Tarvin Baker by a vote of 104–18. He served from September 27, 1872, to March 3, 1873.

Later life

Following his congressional tenure, he resumed agricultural interests. He also jointly owned several iron furnaces in Lyon County; it was at one of these furnaces that William Kelly invented his process for making steel rails. In 1880, Machen was appointed to the Kentucky Railroad Commission, serving one full term. Following his term on the railroad commission, Machen retired to Mineral Mound, his estate on the Cumberland River near Eddyville, where he raised tobacco. He died on September 29, 1893, at the Western Asylum in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and was interred in Riverview Cemetery in Eddyville. Today, Machen's former estate is the site of Mineral Mound State Park. Machen was the grandfather of

Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Fitzgerald (; July 24, 1900 – March 10, 1948) was an American novelist, painter, dancer, and socialite. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, she was noted for her beauty and high spirits, and was dubbed by her husband F. Scott Fitzgerald ...

.. He died before she was born.

References

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Early life

Political career

Later life

References

Further reading