Benton Franklin Jensen (December 16, 1892 – February 5, 1970) served thirteen consecutive terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Iowa's 7th congressional district in the southwestern corner of the state. While on the floor of the U.S. House on March 1, 1954, he was one of five Congressmen wounded by gunfire from a Puerto Rican Nationalists firing from a visitors' gallery.

Biography

Born in

Marion, Iowa Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

, Jensen was the tenth of thirteen children born to Danish immigrant parents. He attended the rural high schools. From 1914 to 1917, he was employed by a

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

company as yardman and assistant auditor. In 1918, he served as a second lieutenant during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Upon his return from the war, he served as manager of a lumber company for nearly twenty years. In 1938, Jensen was elected as a Republican to represent Iowa's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected twelve times, serving continuously from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1965. Jensen did not vote on the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

, and voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, but voted in favor of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which outlawed the poll tax in all federal-level elections. In the

1954 United States Capitol shooting The 1954 United States Capitol shooting was a domestic terrorist attack on March 1, 1954, by four Puerto Rican nationalists seeking to promote Puerto Rican independence from the United States. They fired 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols on ...

, Jensen was shot in the back near his right shoulder. The bullet was removed the following day."Jensen, Martin Describe Reactions Under Gunfire," Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1954-03-02, at 1. He fully recovered, and served ten more years in Congress. However, during the 1964 Democratic landslide, he was defeated by Democrat John R. Hansen. He then returned home to

Exira, Iowa Exira is a city in Audubon County, Iowa, United States, along the Nishnabotna River, East Nishnabotna River and U.S. Route 71. The population was 787 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The oldest town in Audubon ...

. Jensen died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on February 5, 1970, and was interred in Exira Cemetery. The papers of Ben F. Jensen were given to the University of Iowa Libraries in 1967.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-09
Papers of Benton Franklin Jensen

''The New York Times'', February 6, 1970
Ben F. Jensen's papers
are housed at University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections & Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Benton Franklin 1892 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century Lutherans American Lutherans United States Army personnel of World War I American people of Danish descent American businesspeople in timber Military personnel from Iowa People from Audubon County, Iowa People from Marion, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa United States Army officers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Biography

See also

References

External links