Benjamin Alexander Putnam (1801 or 1803 - January 25, 1869) was a lawyer, state legislator, state surveyor, officer in the military during the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, judge, and president of the

Florida Historical Society The Florida Historical Society is an independent, member-supported, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1856 that publishes the journal ''Florida Historical Quarterly'', originally the ''Florida Historical Society Quarterly,'' an ...

. He was born in 1800 or 1801 on the Putnam Plantation near

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. He was the grandson of

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

. In 1830 he married Helen Kirby, daughter of

Ephraim Kirby Ephraim Kirby (February 23, 1757 – October 4, 1804) was a Revolutionary War soldier, published the first volume of law reports in the United States, was the first General High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of the United States, and was the fi ...

. Benjamin attended Harvard and then studied law privately in Saint Augustine where he established a law practice. He served in the

from 1835 until 1842, leading a company of militia named the

Mosquito Roarers The Mosquito Roarers was an American militia company formed in Mosquito County, Florida. Called into service during the Fall of 1835, the militia became Company B of the Florida militia. They were involved in battles against the Seminole people. ...

and eventually rising in rank from major to adjutant general. He served in both houses of the Florida legislature including as

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the Speaker (politics), presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitut ...

in 1848. He was appointed Surveyor-General of Florida by U.S. President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

and held that office from May 1848 until 1854. He also served as President of the Florida Historical Society from 1856 until 1859. He died on January 25, 1869, in

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in and the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, Putnam County, Florida, United States. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 72,893 residents. The Palatka micropolitan ...

Putnam County, Florida Putnam County is a county located in the northern part of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 73,321. Its county seat is Palatka. Putnam County comprises the Palatka, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area, which i ...

, is named for him. The University of Florida Libraries have a view of his home from St. George Street. The home was torn down in 1886. His daughter married into the Calhoun family. Benjamin Putnam Calhoun was his grandson. A collection of Putnam-Calhoun papers is listed on

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

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External links

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{{Authority control 1869 deaths Members of the Florida House of Representatives Florida state senators Harvard College alumni Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives Year of birth uncertain