Benjamin Clark Hilliard (January 9, 1868 – August 7, 1951) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician. He served two 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

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and was a two-time chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Colorado The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the court was established in 1876. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices who are appointed by the Governor of Colorado from a ...

Early life and education

Born in a log cabin north of

Osceola, Iowa Osceola is a city and the county seat of Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,415 at the time of the 2020 census. Etymology Osceola was named after a Seminole Indian leader of the same name. Osceola is an anglicised form of ...

, Hilliard was the son of Albert George Hilliard who was a farmer and served as private in the 37th Illinois Infantry Regiment under Colonel John C. Black. He was severely wounded during the war, and carried bullets within his body and his right eye was destroyed. His mother, Euphema Ellen Clark, was an educated and cultured woman who died in 1881. At the time of her death, Hilliard had two siblings. His father remarried and moved to Kansas, where he died due to accidental drowning in 1906. Hilliard attended the public schools of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

and

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. He taught school in Kansas. He graduated from the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. History The law school was founded in 1865 by George Grover Wright and Chester C. Cole as an independent la ...

in 1891.

Career

He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Iowa in 1891 and in Missouri in 1892. He commenced practice in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. He moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, in 1893 and was admitted to the bar in Colorado that year. He served as city attorney of Highlands, Colorado in 1896 and 1897, as

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Elbert County, Colorado Elbert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,062. The county seat is Kiowa and the largest town is Elizabeth. Elbert County is included in the Denver-Aurora- Lakewood, CO Metr ...

, from 1897 to 1907, and as county attorney of

Grand County, Colorado Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,717. The county seat is Hot Sulphur Springs, and the largest community is Granby. History When Grand County was created on Febru ...

1909-1913. Initially a Republican, Hilliard joined the Democratic party in 1902. He served as member of the

Colorado House of Representatives The Colorado House of Representatives is the lower house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Colorado. The House is composed of 65 members from an equal number of constituent districts, with each distri ...

in 1902. He served as member of the Denver Board of Education 1900-1902 from 1904 to 1909, and 1913-1917. Hilliard 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 Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919). On April 5, 1917, he voted against declaring war on Germany. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1918. He resumed the practice of law. Hilliard was elected justice of the

in 1930 and served as chief justice in 1939, 1940, 1944, 1949 and 1950. Due to his many minority opinions, he was frequently called the state's "great dissenter". He was a member of the Denver Civic and Commercial Association and the Denver and Colorado bar associations. He was active in the local

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

and his church.

Personal life

On May 22, 1889, Hilliard married Tida Zimmerman in

Carroll County, Missouri Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,495. Its county seat is Carrollton. The county was organized on January 2, 1833, from part of Ray County and named for ...

. Her parents, John and Dora Zimmerman, were wealthy farmers and provided a good education for their daughter, Tida. They had four children, two sons and two daughters. Both of his sons became lawyers. His wife died in 1946. He had a heart attack on August 1, 1951, and was taken to St. Luke's Hospital. He died in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, August 7, 1951. He was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hilliard, Benjamin Clark 1868 births 1951 deaths Justices of the Colorado Supreme Court District attorneys in Colorado School board members in Colorado Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado People from Clarke County, Iowa University of Iowa College of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives Chief justices of the Colorado Supreme Court 20th-century members of the Colorado General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives