Benjamin Shacklett Dowell (November 30, 1818 – November 8, 1880) was an American soldier and politician who would serve as the first

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of El Paso, Texas.

Biography

Little is known on the early life of Ben Dowell, but it is known that he was a native of Kentucky. He was born on November 30, 1818 to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

veteran and Colonel James Dowell and his wife Barbara Dowell, possibly in or near Frankfort. It is known that he had nine siblings by 1833, five sisters and four brothers. He was a part of the First Regiment of the Kentucky Cavalry during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. In 1847, he and his party were captured near the Encarnación ranch shortly before the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

. When he was released in 1849 he was granted the ownership of 160 acres of land for his service. It is said that his hair had turned entirely gray during his time as a

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, despite only being 31 years old. His home was located near modern day

Downtown El Paso Downtown El Paso is the central business district of El Paso, Texas. Historical downtown James Day, an El Paso historian, said that downtown's main business area was originally centered between Second Street and San Francisco Street. At a lat ...

. There he would meet Juana Marquez, a native Tigua in

Ysleta Ysleta is a community in El Paso, Texas, El Paso, Texas, United States. Ysleta was settled between October 9 and October 12, 1680, when Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish conquistadors, Franciscan clerics and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, T ...

. He would marry her in 1852, and many sources state it was when she was only 19 and Ben 34. Although, this is questionable as census records state that Ben was closer to 39. For a year the couple moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in search of business ventures, and there they would have their first child before returning to El Paso. They would go on to have five children between 1854 and 1875. It is said that during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Ben served as a

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

captain in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

and

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, where he worked as a recruiter. He is also considered to be the first person to ever fly a confederate flag in the city. However there are very few records to support these claims. In the years to come, El Paso saw a growth in population and trade. On May 17, 1873 El Paso was incorporated by the state of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and soon after elections were held on August 12th. This resulted in Ben becoming the city's first mayor. It is said that rebel group had attempted to take over the city in September 1875, but Ben who was also serving as the city's Marshall quickly put that down. The very next year we know from Pat Garrett's biography that

Billy the Kid Henry McCarty (September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), alias William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid, was an American outlaw and gunfighter of the Old West who was linked to nine murders: four for which he was solely res ...

had made a stop at Ben's saloon. He lost his bid for reelection and would briefly serve as an alderman in 1880. El Paso c1880

Ben died in his home on November 8, 1880, aged 61. With the most popular cause being from pneumonia. He was originally buried in the Masonic Cemetery in

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; ; lit. 'the crosses') is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the county seat, seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 United States ce ...

, roughly 40 miles away from his home. His remains would be moved back to El Paso and interred in the Concordia Cemetery in 1881.

Legacy

Ben's wife Juana Dowell died sometime in the year 1891, the exact date and cause is unknown. According to census records, she was 58. Despite Ben and Juana having five children, the burial sites of only two are known. Their first child Mary and one son named John. Ben S. Dowell Elementary School was opened in the Milagro Hills neighborhood of El Paso in 1959, it was shut down and dismantled by 2022. Replaced by Coach Archie Duran Elementary.

References

{{reflist 1818 births 1880 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Texas Mayors of El Paso, Texas History of Texas