Benjamin Charles Mead (February 17, 1873 – July 3, 1934) was an American lawyer from New York.

Life

Mead was born on February 17, 1873, in

Fleming, New York Fleming is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Cayuga County, New York, Cayuga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 2,475 at the 2020 census. The name is that of General George Fleming, an early se ...

, the son of J. Warren Mead, sheriff of Cayuga County and warden of the

Auburn State Prison Auburn Correctional Facility is a state prison on State Street in Auburn, New York, United States. It was built on land that was once a Cayuga village. It is classified as a maximum security facility. History In 1816, assemblyman John H. Bea ...

, and Eliza Clark. His grandfather James Mead also served as sheriff of the county. Mead graduated from the Auburn High School in 1891. He then went to

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

, graduating from there with an A.B. in 1896. In 1901, he graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

with an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

He was admitted to the bar later that year and began practicing law in Auburn. In 1902, Mead enlisted as a private in Company M, Third New York Infantry,

New York National Guard New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

. He gradually rose through the ranks, serving on the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the sou ...

in 1916 to 1917 as a captain of the company. In April 1917, after America entered

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 ...

, he was initially stationed in the

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara, also known as Old Fort Niagara, is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great L ...

training camp in New York. In August 1917, he was mobilized with the N. Y. Division and sent to

Camp Wadsworth Camp Wadsworth was a World War I-era training facility for the United States Army. Located near Spartanburg, South Carolina, the post was in operation from its opening in July 1917 until it was inactivated in March 1919, following the Armistice ...

in South Carolina. In October 1917, he was transferred to Company M., 74th New York Infantry, New York National Guard. In January 1918, the regiment was renamed the 55th Pioneer Infantry. In May 1918, he was appointed Personnel Adjutant of the regiment. In September 1918, he was sent to France, where he served as Summary Court Officer of the Classification Camp in

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

. In January 1919, he returned to the United States, where he was a patient at the General Hospital in Fort Ontario, New York. He was suffering from a leaky heart, pneumonia, the flu, and other ailments. He was still a patient at the hospital when he was discharged in July 1919. Mead served as Assistant

United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York The United States attorney for the Northern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in 32 counties in the northern part of the State of New York (state), New York. The current U.S. attorney is Carla B. Freedman who was nam ...

from 1921 to 1926. He also served at one point as the Acting United States Attorney for the district. He was also a major in the Judge Advocates Department, Reserve Corps,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. Mead was a Republican. He was a deacon of the Auburn First

Baptist Church Baptists are a denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers ( believer's baptism) and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches generally subscribe to the doctrines of ...

. He was a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, the Cayuga County Farm Bureau, and the Disabled Emergency Officers Association of the World War. He was vice-commander of his

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

post and president of the Cayuga County Bar Association. He was also a member of the Cayuga County Historical Society, the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, and the

Kiwanis Club Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization ...

. In 1905, he married Adelaide Bourne. Their children were Elizabeth Bourne, Florence Anderson, Benjamin Charles Jr., Emma Adelaide, Warren Frederick, and Margaret Wayland. Mead died in Auburn City Hospital on July 3, 1934. He was buried in Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Benjamin C. Mead
at '' Find a Grave'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Benjamin C. 1873 births 1934 deaths People from Fleming, New York Auburn High School (Auburn, New York) alumni Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni 20th-century American lawyers United States attorneys for the Northern District of New York People from Auburn, New York New York National Guard personnel United States Army personnel of World War I Baptists from New York (state) American Freemasons