Kentucky, and elected a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1845 to 1847, serving as a member of the Committee on Invalid Pensions, and declined a re-election. He is a lawyer, and distinguished in the West as an orator. He was also a member of the Peace Convention of 1861.

Bell, Peter H.-He was born in Virginia, and was a Representative in Congress, from Texas, from 1853 to 1857. He was also Governor of that State from 1849 to 1853, and subsequently Judge of the Supreme Court of that State.

Bell, Samuel.-Born in 1769, and died at Chester, New Hampshire, December 23, 1850. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1793; a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, from 1816 to 1819; Governor of the State, from 1819 to 1823; and a Senator in Congress, from 1823 to 1835, serving as a member of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Claims, and officiating as Chairman of the latter during the Twenty-third Congress.

Bellinger, Joseph.-He was a Representative in Congress, from South Carolina, from 1817 to 1819.

Belser, James E.-He was born in South Carolina, and was a Representative in Congress, from Alabama, from 1845 to 1847. Died at Montgomery, Alabama, January 16, 1859.

Benjamin, Judah P.-Was a Presidential Elector in 1849; he is a lawyer by profession; and was elected a Senator in Congress, from Louisiana, to serve from 1853 to 1859, serving as Chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims, and as a member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Commerce. In 1859 was re-elected for a term of six years. He is of Hebrew descent. He became identified with the Rebellion of 1861, and was AttorneyGeneral of the so-called "Southern Confederacy.'

Bennet, Benjamin.-Born_in 1762; was a Baptist minister, and a Representative in Congress, from New Jersey, from 1815 to 1819. He died at Middletown, New Jersey, October 8, 1840.

Bennet, Henry.-He was born in New Lisbon, Otsego County, New York, September 29, 1808; studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1832; and having been elected to Congress as a Representative from that State in 1848, has continued to be re-elected until the present time, so that at the end of the Thirty-fifth Congress he will have served in that capacity continuously, the period of ten years. During the Thirtyfourth Congress he was Chairman of the Committee on Public Lands, and reported a number of important bills for the benefit of the Western States, and during the Thirty-fifth Congress he served as a member of the same committee.

Bennett, Hiram P.-Was born in Carthage, Maine, September 2, 1826; received a common school education in Ohio; in 1852 he was elected to a Judgeship in Western Iowa; moved to Nebraska Territory in 1854, and was at once elected a member of the Territorial Council; in 1858 he was re-elected to the Nebraska Legislature, and made Speaker of the House; removed to Colorado Territory in 1859, and was chosen a Delegate therefrom to the Thirtyseventh Congress; and in 1862 was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress.

Bennett, H. S.-Born in Williamson County, Tennessee, March 7, 1807; received a limited education; studied law, and began to practise in 1830, when he removed to Mississippi, where he held the office of Circuit Judge for eight years, and of which State he was a Representative in Congress during the Thirty-fourth Congress. Of late years he has been devoted to planting.

Benson, Egbert.-He was eminent as a statesman and jurist, and died at Jamaica, New York, in August, 1833, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. He was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1789 to 1793, taking an active part in its deliberations. He had previously served as a delegate in the Continental Congress from 1784 to 1788. He was a graduate of Columbia College in 1765, and received literary honors from Harvard University in 1808, and from Dartmouth in 1811.

Benson, Samuel P.-He was born in the town of Winthrop, Maine; gra

duated at Bowdoin College in 1825; adopted the profession of law; was a member of the State Legislature in 1834 and 1836; Secretary of State in 1838 and 1841; and was elected a Representative in Congress, from Maine, in 1853, and was re-elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress, when he served as Chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs. He was at one time one of the overseers of Bowdoin College.

Benton, Charles S.-He was born in Maine, and was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1843

to 1849.

Benton, Samuel.-He was a Representative in Congress, from South Carolina, from 1793 to 1798.

Benton, Thomas Hart.-He was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina, March 14, 1782, and educated at Chapel Hill College. He left that institution without receiving a degree, and forthwith commenced the study of law in William and Mary College, Virginia, under Mr. St. George Tucker. In 1810 he entered the United States Army, but soon resigned his commission of lieutenant-colonel, and in 1811 was at Nashville, Tennessee, where he commenced the practice of the law. He soon afterwards emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, where he connected himself with the press as the editor of a newspaper, the Missouri Argus. In 1820 he was elected a member of the United States Senate, serving as chairman of many important committees, and remained in that body till the session of 1851, at which time he failed of re-election. As Missouri was not admitted into the Union till August 10, 1821, more than a year of Mr. Benton's first term of service expired before he took his seat. He occupied himself during this interval before taking his seat in Congress in acquiring a knowledge of the language and literature of Spain. Immediately after he appeared in the Senate he took a prominent part in the deliberations of that body, and rapidly rose to eminence and distinction.

Few

public measures were discussed between the years 1821 and 1851 that he did not participate in largely, and the influence he wielded was always felt and confessed by the country. He was one of the chief props and supporters of the administrations of Presidents Jackson and Van

As a

Buren. The people of Missouri long clung to him as their apostle and leader, and it required persevering effort to defeat him. But he had served them during the entire period of thirty years without interruption, and others, who aspired to honors he enjoyed, became impatient for an opportunity to supplant him. His defeat was the consequence. Colonel Benton was distinguished for his learning, iron will, practical mind, and strong memory. public speaker he was not interesting or calculated to produce an effect on the passions of an audience, but his speeches were read with avidity, always producing a decided influence. He was elected a Representative in the Thirty-third Congress for the District of St. Louis, and on his retirement from public life devoted himself to the preparation of a valuable register of the debates in Congress, upon which he labored until his death, which occurred in Washington, on the 10th of April, 1858, of cancer in the stomach.

Bergen, John T.-He was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1831 to 1833.

Bernhisel, John M.-Born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, June 23, 1799; graduated in the Medi-. cal Department of Pennsylvania University; engaged in the practice of medicine; and was elected a Delegate to the Thirty-fifth Congress, from the Territory of Utah. Re-elected to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses.

Berrien, John McP.-Born in New Jersey, August 23, 1781, but when a child removed with his father to Georgia. He graduated at Princeton in his fifteenth year, and was admitted to the bar in 1799. In 1809 he was elected Solicitor-General, and the next year Judge of the Eastern Circuit. During the war of 1812 he had command of a regiment of volunteer cavalry. He served in the State Legislature for several years. In 1824 he was elected to the United States Senate, where he remained until 1829, when he took a seat in the cabinet of President Jackson as Attorney-General. For a while afterwards he held various positions of responsibility in Georgia, and in 1840 was again elected to the United States Senate for six years, taking an active part

in all leading measures, and officiating most of the time as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In 1845 he was elected one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Georgia, and in 1847 was once more elected to the United States Senate, resigning his seat in May, 1852. On his return to Georgia, he still continued, in various ways, to promote the public good, and he died at Savannah, January 1, 1856, universally lamented. He was undoubtedly one of the best, most distinguished, and high-minded statesmen of the country.

Bethune, Laughlin.-A native of North Carolina, for several years a Senator in the State Legislature, and from 1831 to 1833 a Representative in Congress, from Cumberland County, serving as a member of the Committee on Elections.

Betton, Silas.-He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1787; was a Representative in Congress, from New Hampshire, from 1803 to 1807; held the office of Sheriff of Rockingham County for several years; and died at Salem, New Hampshire, in 1822, aged fiftyeight years.

Betts, Samuel R.-He was a Representative in Congress, from New York, from 1815 to 1817.

Betts, Thaddeus.-He was born in Norwalk, Connecticut; graduated at Yale College in 1807, and acquired great distinction as a lawyer. He was at one time Lieutenant-Governor of Connecticut, and an influential member of the United States Senate, from 1839 to the date of his death, April 7, 1840. He was greatly respected for his talents and character.

Bibb, George M.-He was born in Virginia in 1772; graduated at Princeton College in 1792; studied law and settled in Kentucky. He was a Justice and twice Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals of Kentucky; was in the State Senate two years; held the position of Chancellor of the Court of Chancery; was Secretary of the Treasury under President Tyler; afterwards practised his profession in the City of Washington, and acted as an assistant in the office of the Attorney-General of the United States. His services in Con

Biddle, Charles John.-Born in Philadelphia in 1819; studied law and came to the bar in 1840; served as a Captain of Voltigeurs, Únited States Army, in the war with Mexico, and was in the actions of Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the taking of the City of Mexico, having been breveted a Major for gallant and meritorious services. After the Mexican war he resumed the practice of his profession in Philadelphia. In 1861 he was appointed a Colonel in the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, and while in the field in Virginia he was elected a Representative, from Pennsylvania, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of E. Joy Morris. Before quitting the field he was tendered the commission of Brigadier-General, but declined it, preferring to serve his constituents in a civil capacity.

Biddle, John.-He was born in Philadelphia; was an officer in the war of 1812, acquitting himself with bravery; held the position of Paymaster in the Army; also that of Indian Agent; and was a Delegate to Congress, from the Territory of Michigan, from 1829 to 1831, when he was appointed Register of the Land Office, at Detroit, Michigan. For some years before his death, he had been travelling in Europe, and died at the White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, August 25th, 1859, aged about seventy years.

Biddle, Richard.-He was a brother of Nicholas Biddle, and a Representative in Congress, from Western Pennsylvania, from 1837 to 1841, and died at Pittsburg, July 7, 1847. Was the author of a Life of Sebastian Cabot.

Bidlack, Benjamin A.—He was born in Pennsylvania, and was a Representative in Congress, from Pennsylvania, from 1841 to 1845; and died at Bogota, New Granada, February 29, 1849, to which country he had been appointed Chargé d'Affaires, immediately after leaving Congress.

Bidwell, Barnabas.—He graduated at Yale College in 1785; received the degree of LL.D. from that institution; and was a Representative in Congress, from Massachusetts, from 1805 to 1807; from 1801 to 1805 he was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and Attorney-General for the State from 1807 to 1810. He died in 1833.

Bigelow, Abijah.-Born in Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, December 5, 1775. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1795; studied law and was admitted to practice in 1798; was town clerk of Leominster for five years; served two years as a member of the General Court of Massachusetts; and was a Representative in Congress, from 1810 to 1815. In 1838 he was appointed a Master in Chancery for Worcester County; from 1817 to 1833, he was Clerk of the County Court of Worcester; at one time treasurer and trustee of Leicester Academy; and has held the minor office of Justice of the Peace for about fifty years.

Bigelow, Lewis.-Born in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in 1783;

was a Representative in Congress, from his native State, from 1821 to 1823; was the author of the "Digest of the first twelve volumes of Massachusetts Reports;" and, removing to Peoria, Illinois, became Clerk of the County Court there, and died in October, 1838.

Biggs, Asa.-Born in Williamstown, Martin County, North Carolina, February 4, 1811. He was educated at an academy, served as a merchant's clerk, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1831. In 1835 he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention of that State; in 1840, 1842 and 1844, he was elected to the State Legislature; he was chosen a member of the Twenty-ninth Congress; in 1850 he was one of three Commissioners appointed to revise the statutes of the State; in 1854 he went a second time into the State Senate; and he was elected a Senator in Congress, in 1854, for six years, but resigned May 3, 1858, for the appointment of Judge of the United States District Court of North Carolina, conferred upon him by President Buchanan. He was a member of the Committees on Finance and on Private Land Claims.

Bigler, William.-Born at Shermansburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in December, 1814. He received a moderate school education, and instead of a college, graduated in a printing-office; by his own personal efforts, he established, and for several years carried on, entirely unaided, the Clearfield Democrat; disposing of his paper, he devoted himself for a time to mercantile pursuits and politics; in 1841 he was elected to the State Convention, and was a member of the State Senate, part of the time Speaker, up to 1847; in 1851 he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania; subsequently became President of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Company; and in 1855 was elected a Senator in Congress, serving on the Committees on Commerce, Postoffices and Post-roads, and Engrossed Bills. Was a delegate to the Chicago Convention in 1864.

Billinghurst, Charles.-He was born in Brighton, Monroe County, New York, July 27, 1818; adopted the profession of law, and after practising a few years, removed to Wisconsin in

1847, and was a member of the first Legislature of that State in 1848; was a Presidential Elector in 1852; and was elected a Representative to the Thirty-fourth Congress, from Wisconsin, and was re-elected to the Thirtyfifth Congress, serving as a member of the Judiciary Committee, and was also re-elected to the Thirty-sixth Congress.

Bines, Thomas.-He was a Representative in Congress, from New Jersey, from 1814 to 1815, and again from 1819 to 1820.

Bingham, John A.-He was born in Pennsylvania in 1815; received an academical education; spent two years in a printing-office; entered Franklin College, in Ohio, but his health prevented him from graduating; he studied law in Ohio, and was admitted to the bar in 1840; from 1845 to 1849 he was Attorney for the State in Tuscarawas County; and in 1854 he was elected a Representative in the Thirty-fourth Congress, and re-elected to the Thirty-fifth Congress. During his first term, he was a member of the Committee on Elections, and made a report on the Illinois contested cases, which was adopted by the House, and served as a member of the Committee on Expenditures in the State Department. He was also re-elected to the Thirty-sixth Congress, serving on the Judiciary Committee; re-elected to the Thirty-seventh Congress; and in 1864, was appointed a Judge-Advocate in the Army. In August of the same year, he was appointed Solicitor of the Court of Claims.

Bingham, Kinsley S.-He was born at Camillus, Onondaga County, New York, December 16, 1808; received a fair academic education; taught school for a time at Bennington, Vermont; spent three years in the office of a lawyer as clerk; emigrated to Michigan in 1833, and settled upon a farm; he was elected to the Michigan Legislature in 1835, and was five years a member of that body; three years elected Speaker; he was a Representative in Congress, from Michigan, from 1849 to 1851, and served on the Committee on Commerce; and was elected Governor of Michigan in 1854 and 1856. He has also held in other years the offices of Postmaster, Supervisor, Bro

secuting Attorney, Judge of Probate, and Brigadier-General of Militia. In 1859, he was elected a Senator in Congress, from Michigan. Died at Oak Grove, Livingston County, Michigan, October 5, 1861.

Bingham, William.—He graduated at the College of Philadelphia in 1768, and he was agent for this country at Martinique during the Revolution. In 1786 he was a Delegate to the Continental Congress from Pennsylvania, and was elected a Senator in Congress in 1795, serving until 1801, and as President pro tem. of the Senate during the Fourth Congress. He died at Bath, England, February 7, 1804, aged fiftytwo years.

Binney, Horace.-He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1780; graduated at Harvard University in 1797; and was educated a lawyer. He was a Director of the old United States Bank, and one of the trustees to whom its affairs were intrusted when it was wound up. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1806–7, and declined a re-election; and a Representative in Congress, from Pennsylvania, from 1833 to 1835; and was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and again declined a re-election. In 1827 the degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by Harvard University.

Bird, John.-A native of Litchfield, Connecticut; afterwards settled in Troy, New York; and was early distinguished at the bar of that State, and in the Legislature. He was a Representative in Congress from 1799 to 1801.

Birdsall, Ausburn.-He was born in New York, and was a Representative in Congress, from that State, from 1847 to 1849.