Joseph Bray Bennett (February 23, 1833August 17, 1913) was an

English American English Americans (also known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2020 United States census, English Americans were the largest group in the United States with 46.6 million America ...

immigrant, machine manufacturer, and Republican politician. He was 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 ...

, representing Jefferson County during the

1879 Events January * January 1 ** The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. ** Brahms' Violin Concerto is premiered in Leipzig with Joseph Joachim ...

and 1880 sessions. He worked much of the rest of his life as a clerk in the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

Biography

Joseph Bray Bennett was born in

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in February 1833. He was raised and educated in England, and emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1863. He settled briefly in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, before moving to

Watertown, Wisconsin Watertown is a city in Jefferson and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 22,926 at the 2020 census, of which 14,674 were in Jefferson County and 8,252 were in Dodge County. Division Street, several blocks north of ...

, where he established a foundry. In December 1869, he purchased a partnership stake in a machine factory business and became sole proprietor in 1873. The business was then renamed Bennett's Thrashing Machine Factory, but was destroyed by fire in 1879. He became associated with the Republican Party and served in several positions in the Watertown city government. On January 1, 1879, Jefferson County's state senator Charles H. Phillips died on what would have been the first day of his senate term. At the January 20

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

, Bennett was elected to fill the remainder of his term in the

and 1880 sessions. He was defeated running for re-election in 1880. Former Wisconsin governor

Jeremiah McLain Rusk Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830November 21, 1893) was an American Republican politician. He was the second United States secretary of agriculture (1889–1893) and the 15th governor of Wisconsin (1882–1889), and served three terms ...

became

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...

in 1889. In the Spring of 1890, he hired Bennett as appointment clerk for the

Department of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

. Bennett moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and remained in this job until 1911, when he retired due to poor health. He died at the home of his son in Washington, D.C., in August 1913.

Personal life and family

Joseph Bennett and his wife, Susannah, were married in England. They had at least three children before her death in 1897. Their daughter, Annie, died the next year. Their sons, Reuben and John, survived them.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1879, 1880)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Special Election, January 20, 1879 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1880

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Joseph Bray 1833 births 1913 deaths People from Bolton English emigrants to the United States Politicians from Watertown, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators United States Department of Agriculture people 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature