Benjamin Babock Thurston (June 29, 1804 – May 17, 1886) was 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

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Born in

Hopkinton, Rhode Island Hopkinton is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 8,398 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Hopkinton is named after Stephen Hopkins (politician), Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Unit ...

, Thurston attended the common schools, and later engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served as member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

1831-1837, and as

Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gov ...

from 1837 to 1838 serving under Governor John B. Francis. Thurston was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1849 to the Thirty-first Congress. Thurston was elected as a

to the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses and as a candidate of the American Party to the

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, ...

(March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury (Thirty-second Congress),

Committee on Patents The United States Senate Committee on Patents was a committee of the United States Senate. It was established September 7, 1837, as the "Committee on Patents and the Patent Office" when the Senate approved a resolution of Henry Hubbard of Kentucky. ...

(Thirty-third Congress), Committee on Accounts (Thirty-fourth Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1857. After leaving Congress, Thurston moved to

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, where he served as member of the

board of aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands ( wethouder) and Belgium ( schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking mem ...

in 1862 and 1863. He served as member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

in 1869 and 1870. He resumed mercantile pursuits. He died in

, May 17, 1886. He was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurston, Benjamin Babock 1804 births 1886 deaths People from Hopkinton, Rhode Island Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Lieutenant governors of Rhode Island Politicians from New London, Connecticut Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Rhode Island Know Nothings Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives