Benjamin F. Cockrill Jr. (1866–1936) was an American farmer and politician.

Early life

Benjamin F. Cockrill Jr. was born in Tennessee in 1866. His father, Benjamin F. Cockrill, was the son of Mark R. Cockrill, a planter known as the "Wool King of the World". His paternal grandfather, John Cockrill, was a settler in Nashville, and his paternal great-grandfather, John Cockrill, was a Welsh-born planter of Scottish descent. His mother, Sarah "Sallie" Foster, was the daughter of Senator Ephraim H. Foster. Cockrill graduated from

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

with a bachelor of arts degree in 1883.

Career

Cockrill was a farmer in Nashville. He raised stock in

Warrenton, Virginia Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 10,057 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 9,611 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and 6,670 at ...

from 1890 to 1896, only to return to his Nashville farm. He established a new farm in West Nashville in 1902. Cockrill was a member of the Democratic Party. He served as a member of the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

from 1902 to 1905, representing Davidson County.

Personal life and death

Cockrill married Willie Christen on November 26, 1887. They had two sons and two daughters. He was a member of the West Nashville Presbyterian Church, the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...

, and the

Royal Arcanum The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...

. Cockrill died on March 3, 1936. He was buried at the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.

References

1866 births 1936 deaths American people of Scottish descent Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Washington and Lee University alumni Farmers from Tennessee Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives People from Warrenton, Virginia 20th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly {{Tennessee-politician-stub