Benjamin Stephenson (politician)

Benjamin Stephenson (July 8, 1769 – October 10, 1822) was the Congressional Delegate for the Illinois Territory from 1814 until 1817, and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention which enabled Illinois' statehood.

Benjamin Stephenson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's Illinois Territory district
In office
1814–1817
Personal details
Born(1769-07-08)July 8, 1769
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
DiedOctober 10, 1822(1822-10-10) (aged 53)
Edwardsville, Illinois
Political partyDemocratic Republican
Military service
Branch/serviceIllinois militia
Rankcolonel
Battles/warsWar of 1812

Early and family life

Born in Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania to the former Maria Reed (1742-1928) and her husband James Stephenson (1740-1804), the family moved to Martinsburg, Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia) by 1790, where his father died in 1804. His eldest brother William would move to Knoxville, Tennessee with their mother and sisters, and his middle brother James would remain in western Virginia, serve in the militia and likewise become a congressman.[1][2][3] He married Lucy Swearingen (1788-1850), daughter of Virginia militia Col. Van Swearingen, by 1799; their son James W. Stephenson would become an Illinois state senator and embroiled in scandals.

Career

Stephenson moved to Kentucky before his father's death in 1804, and then further westward to the Illinois Territory around 1809.

He became sheriff of Randolph County, Illinois in 1809.

A colonel in the Illinois militia, Stephenson commanded a regiment during the War of 1812. In 1813 he was appointed adjutant general of Illinois. A Democratic-Republican[4] and ally of Governor Ninian Edwards, Stephenson served as the representative of the Illinois Territory in the United States Congress from 1814 to 1816, after which he became receiver of Public Monies, appointed by Edwards. Stephenson was a representative to the convention that wrote the first constitution for the State of Illinois in 1818.[5] In 1820, Stephenson owned seven slaves in Madison County.[6]

Death and legacy

Stephenson died on October 10, 1822, and is buried in Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois.[7] His widow soon moved to Carlinville, Macoupin County, Illinois, where she was buried in 1850. Stephenson County, Illinois was named for him. The Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville, which he finished shortly before his death, remains and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Now owned by the City of Edwardsville, it is one of the oldest houses still standing in the State.[5]

See also

References
  1. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21400076
  2. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41642630/maria-stephenson
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55688793 citing James Stephenson will in Will Book 3, Berkeley County, Virginia
  4. Norton, William T. (1912). Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois, and Its People, 1812 to 1912. Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company. p. 88.
  5. "Historic 1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House". Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
  6. 1820 U.S. Federal Census for Six Mile Prairie District, Madison County, Illinois, p. 2 of 3
  7. "Historic 1820 Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House". Archived from the original on 2016-10-22. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Shadrack Bond		 Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois Territory
November 14, 1814 – March 3, 1817		 Succeeded by
Nathaniel Pope


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