Thomas H. Benton, Marker G-26
Posted by: 
showbizkid
N 36° 04.876 W 079° 10.464
17S E 664376 N 3994504
Thomas H. Benton was born in 1782 near this marker, but his family moved to Tennessee in 1801. He became active in Tennessee politics, served on General Andrew Jackson's staff during the War of 1812, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1820.
Waymark Code: WMFAH
Location: North Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 06/20/2006
Views: 20
Thomas Hart Benton was a leading U.S. Senator and a national figure in the Jacksonian era. He was born near Hillsborough, North Carolina, on 14 March 1782. His father died in 1791 and his widowed mother moved the family to the Cumberland River Valley of Tennessee in 1801. As a young man, Benton helped farm, taught school, and studied law.
After being licensed to practice law in 1806, Benton became state senator in 1809. During the War of 1812, he was made lieutenant colonel, and he served on the staff of Andrew Jackson. After Jackson's support of William Carroll in a duel with Benton's brother, Jesse, Benton moved to St. Louis.
Benton became the editor of the St. Louis Enquirer in 1818. With the backing of conservative interests, he was elected U.S. Senator from Missouri in 1820. He rapidly became recognized nationally for his support of Jacksonian principles.
Although Benton actively supported national programs, especially for the West, he sought to guard against any encroachment of federal power within a state. Over time, Benton came to see the Southern leadership as posing a great threat to national unity. By 1850, Benton had fallen out of favor with Missouri politicians and commercial interests. He was defeated for reelection to the Senate, though he served one term in the House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855.
His later years were devoted to writing, and he died in Washington, DC, on 10 April 1858.
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