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Bristow, Benjamin Helm (Benjamin)

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Born: 1832 AD
Died: 1896 AD, at 64 years of age.

Nationality: American
Categories: Politician

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1832 - He was born in Elkton, Kentucky on the 20th of June.

1854-1855 - Bristow was the son of Francis Bristow, a Whig member of Congress.

         - He graduated at Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania, studied law under his father, and was admitted to the Kentucky bar.

1863 - He was a Kentucky state senator;

1865 - He was an assistant United States Attorney.

1866 - District attorney for the Louisville district. As district attorney, he was renowned for his vigor in enforcing the Federal Civil Rights Acts.

1870 - He served as the first appointed U.S. Solicitor General.

1873 - President Grant nominated him Attorney General of the United States in case George H. Williams was confirmed as Chief Justice of the United States, a contingency which did not arise.

1874-1876 - As United States Secretary of the Treasury from June 4 to June 20, he initiated a much-needed internal reorganization of the Treasury Department, dismissing the Second-Comptroller for inefficiency, shaking up the detective force, and consolidating collection districts in the Customs and Internal Revenue Services.

         - He prosecuted the so-called "Whiskey Ring," which was headquartered in St. Louis, and had defrauded the federal government out of a large part of its rightful revenue from the distillation of whiskey.

         - He was a prominent candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

1878 - He practiced law in New York City,

1896 - He died on the 22nd of June.

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Page last updated: 4:03pm, 28th Aug '07