Hiram Pitt Bennet (September 2, 1826 – November 11, 1914) was a Congressional delegate from the

Territory of Colorado The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized i ...

and

Colorado Secretary of State The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold. Str ...

Biography

Bennet was born in

Carthage, Maine Carthage is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 census. History First known as Plantation No. 4, Abbott's Purchase, it was part of a large tract of land bought in 1815 by Jacob Abbott of Wilton, ...

, and moved to Ohio with his parents, who settled in Richland County in 1831. He attended public and private schools in Ohio. Bennet attended the

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

Delaware, Ohio Delaware is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located near the center of Ohio, about north of Columbus as part of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 41,302 at the 2020 census. Delaware ...

, before taking a teaching job in northwestern Missouri in 1850. He studied law and 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 1851, practicing in western Iowa and later in

Glenwood, Iowa Glenwood is a city in, and the county seat of, Mills County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,073 in the 2020 census, a decline from 5,358 in 2000. History Located in a hollow of the Loess Hills on the east side of the Missouri River, ...

. He served as judge of the circuit court of Iowa in 1852. Bennet moved to the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

in 1854, settled in

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in and the county seat of Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 7,222. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated city in the ...

, and continued the practice of law. He unsuccessfully contested in 1855 as a Republican the election of

Bird B. Chapman Bird Beers Chapman (August 24, 1821 – September 21, 1871) was an American politician and lawyer from the Nebraska Territory; born in Salisbury, Connecticut, August 24, 1821; attended the public schools; studied law; was admitted to the bar and ...

to the Thirty-fourth Congress. He served as member of the Territorial council in 1856, and as member of the Territorial House of Representatives in 1858, where he served as speaker. Bennet 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 1859 and continued the practice of law.

Career

Upon the admission of the Territory to representation, Bennet was elected as a Conservative Republican, a Delegate to the

Thirty-seventh Congress The 37th 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, 1861 ...

. He was the first Territorial Representative for Colorado in 1862. He was reelected to the Thirty-eighth Congress and served from August 19, 1861, to March 3, 1865. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1864. Bennet played an important role in obtaining statehood for Colorado, introducing the first bill on statehood in 1863. Bennet served as

Secretary of State of Colorado The secretary of state of Colorado is the secretary of state of the state of Colorado in the United States. The office is one of five elected constitutional offices in the state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Jena Griswold. St ...

in 1867. He was appointed postmaster of

, on March 26, 1869, and served until May 27, 1874, when a successor was appointed. Bennet served as a member of the first State senate in 1876. He was appointed "State Agent" in 1888, and served until 1895, recovering lands belonging to the State of Colorado which had been wrongfully disposed of.

Death and legacy

Bennet retired in 1899 and resided in

, until his death, November 11, 1914. He is interred in Riverside Cemetery. The town of

Bennett, Colorado Bennett is a statutory town located in Adams and Arapahoe counties, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,862 at the 2020 United States census with 2,443 residing in Adams County and 419 residing in Arapahoe County. History Benne ...

was named for Bennet.

References

External links

The State of Colorado: The History of Bennett - A Proud Heritage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Hiram Pitt 1826 births 1914 deaths Members of the Nebraska Territorial Legislature Republican Party Colorado state senators Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory Secretaries of state of Colorado People from Franklin County, Maine People from Richland County, Ohio People from Glenwood, Iowa People from Nebraska City, Nebraska Burials at Riverside Cemetery (Denver, Colorado) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Colorado General Assembly