John A. Bentley (January 27, 1836 – 1912) was an American lawyer and politician. He was United States Commissioner of Pensions under the last year of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

's presidency and through the presidency of

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

. He also served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

in 1865 and 1866.

Biography

Bentley was born in

Kingsbury, New York Kingsbury is a town in western Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 12,968 at the 2020 census, up from 12,671 at the 2010 census.US Census Results, 2020 ...

, to Cornelius and Mary Brayton Bentley. As a boy, he worked on his father's farm and attended public schools in the vicinity. He studied law under Judge Enoch H. Rosekrans, of the New York Supreme Court, and Orange Ferriss, who would later serve in Congress. He graduated from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1857 and was admitted to the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

. He established a legal practice in

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a City (New York), city in Warren County, New York, Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls, New York metropolitan area, Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,83 ...

, where he remained until 1859. In March 1859, he traveled to the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, first establishing himself at Manitowoc, then moving to Sheboygan. In 1864, he was elected to represent Sheboygan County in the

on the National Union ticket. He left the senate after a single two-year term and became President of the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Railroad. In 1876, he was appointed by President

to be United States Commissioner of Pensions after the brief term and resignation of fellow Wisconsinite Charles R. Gill. Bentley went on to serve through the remainder of Grant's term and through the four years of the presidency of

, relinquishing his office when a successor was appointed by President

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

. After leaving office, he moved to

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 ...

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 restarted his legal practice.

Family and personal life

On September 5, 1861, Bentley married Isabella J. Peat (1837–1917). They had one son, William R. Bentley (1867–1941). The family grave is in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, John 1836 births 1912 deaths People from Kingsbury, New York People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature