Benning Wentworth Jenness

Benning Wentworth Jenness (July 14, 1806 – November 16, 1879) was a United States senator from New Hampshire and a Democratic politician whose career spanned local, state, and national office during the mid-nineteenth century. He was born in Deerfield, New Hampshire, where he spent his early years before pursuing formal education in neighboring Massachusetts. He attended Bradford Academy in Bradford, Massachusetts, an institution that prepared many young men of the region for professional and commercial careers, and his schooling there provided the foundation for his later work in business and public life.

After completing his education, Jenness settled in Strafford, New Hampshire, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits from 1826 to 1856. Over the course of three decades in commerce, he became a prominent local businessman, a position that naturally led him into community affairs and local governance. In Strafford he held several local offices, reflecting the trust placed in him by his neighbors, and he subsequently advanced to state-level service as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. His experience in both business and local government helped establish his reputation as a capable administrator and advocate for his region.

Jenness’s judicial and administrative abilities were further recognized when he was appointed judge of probate for Strafford County, a position he held from 1841 to 1845. As judge of probate, he oversaw matters relating to wills, estates, and guardianships, a role that required careful attention to law and local property concerns. His service in this office coincided with a period of growing political activity in New Hampshire, and his performance there contributed to his selection for higher office at the federal level.

A member of the Democratic Party, Jenness entered national politics when he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Levi Woodbury. He served as a senator from New Hampshire from December 1, 1845, to June 13, 1846, during a significant period in American history marked by debates over territorial expansion and the Mexican–American War. Although his tenure in the Senate was relatively brief, he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his New Hampshire constituents in the upper chamber of Congress. His service in Congress is sometimes described as extending from 1845 to 1847, reflecting the broader congressional term in which his appointment fell, though his actual Senate service concluded in mid-1846.

Following his appointed term, Jenness sought to continue his national legislative career. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election in 1846 to the Thirtieth Congress, which would have begun in 1847. Despite this setback, he remained active in state politics and public affairs. In 1850 he served as a member of the New Hampshire state constitutional convention, participating in efforts to revise and refine the state’s fundamental law at a time of political and social change. His ongoing engagement in public life underscored his continued influence within the Democratic Party and New Hampshire politics.

As the sectional crisis deepened on the eve of the Civil War, Jenness’s name again emerged in statewide politics. In 1861 he was nominated for Governor of New Hampshire, reflecting his standing within the Democratic Party and his long record of public service. He ultimately withdrew from the gubernatorial race, however, and did not assume that office. After many years in New Hampshire business and politics, he later moved westward to Ohio, where he engaged in lumbering and banking, continuing his involvement in commercial enterprises in a rapidly developing region of the country.

Benning Wentworth Jenness died in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 16, 1879. Although he spent his final years in the Midwest, he maintained enduring ties to his native state. In death he was returned to New Hampshire, and his interment took place in the family cemetery in Strafford, symbolizing his lasting connection to the community where he had built his early business career and from which he had risen to state and national prominence.