Erastus Cornelius Benedict (March 19, 1800 – October 22, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He served in the New York Assembly and New York Senate.

Life

He was born on March 19, 1800, in Branford,

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county (United States), county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connectic ...

, the son of Rev. Joel Tyler Benedict (1772–1833) and Currance (Wheeler) Benedict (1772–1862). He attended the common schools, and then taught school. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1821. Then he taught school again, and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1824, and practiced in New York City. On May 7, 1833, he married Caroline Margaret Bloodgood (1809–1886), and they had two children. He was an Assistant Alderman (15th Ward) of New York City in 1841; a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(New York Co., 13th D.) in

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

; a member of the New York City Board of Education from 1850 to 1863; and a Regent of the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

from 1855 until his death. He was again a member of the State Assembly (New York Co., 7th D.) in

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(5th D.) in

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

and

1873 Events January * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the Unit ...

. After the death of John V. L. Pruyn, Benedict was elected Chancellor of USNY in January 1878. He died on October 22, 1880, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

; and was buried at the

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. His niece, Margaret Bloodgood Peeke, was an author.

Sources

''Life Sketches of Executive Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York''
by William H. McElroy & Alexander McBride (1873; pg. 57ff) -book
''Manual of the Corporation of New York''
by Joseph Shannon (1869; pg. 592)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benedict, Erastus C 1800 births 1880 deaths New York (state) state senators New York (state) Republicans Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) Whigs New York City Council members Williams College alumni Regents of the University of the State of New York Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery People from Branford, Connecticut 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature