Samuel Page Benson (November 28, 1804 – August 12, 1876) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He was born to Peleg and Sally Benson in

Winthrop, Massachusetts Winthrop is a town in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban community in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to Boston Harbor, close to Logan Int ...

(now in

) on November 28, 1804. He received instruction from private teachers and attended the Monmouth Academy of Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; ...

. He returned to Winthrop and practiced law until 1850. He was a railroad builder, and was secretary of the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railroad (later the

Maine Central Railroad The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to ...

). Benson was elected member of the Maine House of Representatives, and served in the

Maine State Senate The Maine Senate is the upper house of the Maine Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maine. The Senate currently consists of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, though the Maine Constitution ...

. He was elected Maine Secretary of State in 1838 and in 1841. He was an overseer of Bowdoin College 1838–1876 and president of the board for sixteen years. He served as chairman of the Winthop board of selectmen 1844–1848. Benson was elected as a Whig to the ( Thirty-third Congress) and as an

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

member to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857). He was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs (

Thirty-fourth Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...

). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1856. Benson resumed the practice of law, and died in Yarmouth on August 12, 1876. His interment in Maple Cemetery in Winthrop.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Samuel P. 1804 births 1876 deaths People from Winthrop, Maine American people of English descent Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Secretaries of State of Maine People from Unity, Maine Bowdoin College alumni