Senator Thomas Hart Benton
| Thomas Hart Benton | |
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Oil portrait (detail) c. 1861 from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
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United States Senator from Missouri |
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In office August 10, 1821 – March 4, 1851 |
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| Preceded by | (Constituency created) |
| Succeeded by | Henry S. Geyer |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 1st district |
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In office March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 |
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| Preceded by | John F. Darby |
| Succeeded by | Luther M. Kennett |
| Member of the Tennessee Senate | |
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In office 1809–1811 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 14, 1782 Harts Mill, North Carolina |
| Died | April 10, 1858 (aged 76) Washington D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican, Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Preston McDowell |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1812–1815 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Thomas Hart Benton (March 14, 1782 – April 10, 1858), nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a United States Senator from Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he was an architect and champion of westward expansion by the United States, a cause that became known as Manifest Destiny. Benton served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms.
Born in Harts Mill, North Carolina, Benton established a law practice and a plantation near Nashville, Tennessee after graduating from the University of North Carolina. He served as an aide to General Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri, after the war. Missouri became a state in 1821 and Benton won election as one of its inaugural pair of United States Senators. The Democratic-Republican Party fractured after the 1824 and Benton became a Democratic leader in the Senate, serving as an important ally of President Jackson and President Martin Van Buren. He supported Jackson during the Bank War and proposed a land payment law that inspired Jackson's Specie Circular executive order.
Benton's prime concern was the westward expansion of the United States. He called for the annexation of the Republic of Texas, which was accomplished in 1845. He pushed for compromise in the partition of Oregon Country with the British and supported the 1846 Oregon Treaty, which divided the territory along the 49th parallel. He also authored the first Homestead Act, which granted land to settlers willing to farm it.
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