Benjamin Welch

Benjamin Welch Jr.(c. 1818 – April 14, 1863) was an American politician.

Life

He studied law with Judge Mann inUtica, New York.Afterwards he edited theUtica Democratand then theBuffalo RepublicanatBuffalo, New York.

In1849,he ran for State Treasurer on the Democratic ticket but was defeated by theWhig/Anti-RentcandidateAlvah Hunt.In1851,he ran again on theDemocraticticket forNew York State Treasurer.This time he was defeated byJames M. Cookby a margin of only 228 votes (200,693 for Cook; 200,465 for Welch Jr.), but he contested successfully the election on the ground that the ballots cast for "B. Welch", "Benjamin Welch" (without the "Jr." ) and "Benjamin C. Welch Jr." (with erroneous middle initial) had not been counted, but had been cast for him. On November 20, 1852, he succeeded to the office for the remainder of the term.

In 1855, he joined theAmerican Party,and later theRepublican Party.

In 1859, he was appointedCommissary-General of the State Militiaby GovernorEdwin D. Morgan.In 1862 he joined the staff of GeneralJohn Pope,but soon after contracted a disease of which he died on April 14, 1863, inClifton Springs,Ontario County, New York.

Sources

• [1]Official state canvass, in NYT on January 1, 1852
• Google BooksThe New York Civil Listcompiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 35; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
• [2]Know Nothing convention, in NYT on May 10, 1855
• [3]Appointed Commissary-General, in NYT on January 13, 1859
• [4]The People vs. James M. CookinReports of Cases in Law and Equity in the Supreme Court of the State of New Yorkby Oliver L. Barbour (Vol. XIV, pages 259ff; Gould, Banks & Co., Albany NY, 1853)
• [5]The Military and Naval History of the Rebellion in the United Statesby William Jewett Tenney (1865; page 749)