| Born near
Hillsborough, North Carolina in Orange County on
14 Mar 1782, Thomas was the son of Jesse Benton
and Anna (Gooch). He studied law with St. George
Tucker, and in 1811 was admitted to the bar under
the patronage of Andrew Jackson, who was at that
time a Supreme Court judge and friend. In the War
of 1812 he served for a time as Jackson's
aid-decamp and raised a regiment of volunteers.
He came to St. Louis in 1815 where he practiced
law and established a newspaper, The Missouri
Inquirer, advocating the admission of Missouri as
a state. In
1817 he Benton fought one of the city's most
notorious duels on Bloodly Island with lawyer
Charles Lucas. The confrontation began the year
before in a quarrel in the court between the
lawyers, and was fueled again on election day in
1817. Lucas was wounded in the first duel, but
died about twenty minutes after the second duel
which was fought at ten paces with Joshua Pilcher
acting as Benton's second, with Dr. B.J. Farrar
in attendance.
On 21 Mar 1821
Benton married Elizabeth McDowell, daughter of
James and Sarah (Preston). They were the parents
of Elizabeth, wife of William C. Jones; Jessie,
wife of John C. Frémont; Sarah, wife of Richard
T. Jacob; John Randolph Benton; James McDowell
Benton who died young; and daughter Susan, wife
of Baron Gauldree Boiléau.
A United States
Senator from 1821 to 1851 and U.S. Representative
from 1853 to 1855, he also ran for Governor in
1856 and though his old friends rallied to his
support, a third ticket dividing the political
forces, lost him the election to Trusten Polk.
After his defeat, he resumed his literary
endeavors and completed "Thirty Years
View" and later began condensing the
Congressional debates.
A defender of the
Union in Congress, Benton was also known as
"Old Bullion" for his firght for gold
and silver currency, and was responsible for the
eastern portion of the Missouri Pacific Railraod
beginning at St. Louis. He died in Washington
D.C. on 10 April 1858 at the age seventy-six
years and twenty-seven days.
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