Hiram Pitt Bennet (September 2, 1826 – November 11, 1914) was a Congressional delegate from the Territory of Colorado and Colorado Secretary of State

Biography

Bennet was born in Carthage, Maine, 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

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, before taking a teaching job in northwestern Missouri in 1850. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1851, practicing in western Iowa and later in Glenwood, Iowa. 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, and continued the practice of law. He unsuccessfully contested in 1855 as a Republican the election of Bird B. Chapman 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. 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 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 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