Benjamin Babock Thurston

Benjamin Babock Thurston (June 29, 1804 – May 17, 1886) was a United States Representative from Rhode Island and later a state legislator in both Rhode Island and Connecticut. He was born in Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, on June 29, 1804. Raised in a rural community, he attended the common schools, receiving a basic formal education typical of early nineteenth-century New England. After completing his schooling, he engaged in mercantile pursuits, entering the world of trade and commerce, which provided the foundation for his later public career and informed his understanding of economic and fiscal matters.

Thurston’s political career began in his native state, where he became active in public affairs during the Jacksonian era. He served as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1831 to 1837, participating in state legislative deliberations at a time when Rhode Island was grappling with questions of political representation and economic development. In 1837 he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, serving from 1837 to 1838 under Governor John B. Francis. In that capacity he presided over the state senate and was positioned near the center of Rhode Island’s executive and legislative processes during a period of gradual political change.

Thurston advanced to national office a decade later. He was elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress, serving as a United States Representative from Rhode Island from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849. His term coincided with the Mexican–American War and the contentious national debates over the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1849 to the Thirty-first Congress, temporarily interrupting his service in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Returning to national politics, Thurston was again elected to Congress as a Democrat and served in the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses, and subsequently, as a candidate of the American Party, in the Thirty-fourth Congress, holding office continuously from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1857. During these three consecutive terms he played a significant role in the internal administration of the House. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of the Treasury in the Thirty-second Congress, overseeing and reviewing federal fiscal outlays in that department. In the Thirty-third Congress he chaired the Committee on Patents, dealing with legislation and oversight related to intellectual property and the nation’s developing system of patent protection. In the Thirty-fourth Congress he served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts, which supervised the financial and administrative operations of the House itself. After six years of continuous service in these influential committee positions, he was not a candidate for renomination in 1857.

Following his departure from Congress, Thurston relocated from Rhode Island to New London, Connecticut, where he resumed his mercantile pursuits and quickly became involved in local civic life. In New London he served as a member of the board of aldermen in 1862 and 1863, participating in municipal governance during the Civil War era, when coastal communities like New London were affected by wartime trade and naval activity. His public service continued at the state level in Connecticut; he was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives and served there in 1869 and 1870, extending his legislative experience to a second New England state and remaining engaged in public affairs well into his later years.

Benjamin Babock Thurston died in New London, Connecticut, on May 17, 1886. He was interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London. His long career, spanning local, state, and federal office in two states, reflected the trajectory of a nineteenth-century New England merchant-politician who combined commercial experience with extensive legislative and administrative service.