Benton McMillin

Benton McMillin
27th Governor of Tennessee
In office
January 16, 1899 – January 19, 1903
Preceded byRobert Love Taylor
Succeeded byJames B. Frazier
United States Minister to Peru
In office
September 9, 1913 – September 5, 1919
PresidentWoodrow Wilson
Preceded byH. Clay Howard
Succeeded byWilliam E. Gonzales
United States Minister to Guatemala
In office
January 15, 1920 – December 6, 1921
PresidentWoodrow Wilson
Warren G. Harding
Preceded byWilliam H. Leavell
Succeeded byArthur H. Geissler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1879 – January 6, 1899
Preceded byHaywood Y. Riddle
Succeeded byCharles E. Snodgrass
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office
1875–1877
Personal details
Born(1845-09-11)September 11, 1845
Monroe County, Kentucky, US
DiedJanuary 8, 1933(1933-01-08) (aged 87)
Nashville, Tennessee, US
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Marie Childress Brown (1886–1887, her death)
Lucille Foster (m. 1897)
RelationsJohn C. Brown (father-in-law)
ProfessionAttorney

Benton McMillin (September 11, 1845 – January 8, 1933) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as the 27th governor of Tennessee from 1899 to 1903 and represented Tennessee's 4th district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1899. He served as a diplomat during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, initially as Minister to Peru (1913–1919) and afterward as Minister to Guatemala (1920–1921).[1]

Known as the "Democratic War Horse" for his persistent campaigning on behalf of the Democratic Party, McMillin served as an elector in fourteen presidential elections from 1876 to 1932 and attended nearly every Democratic National Convention during that period. As governor, he signed anti-child labor legislation and standardized the state's school textbooks. His attempts to create a federal income tax as a Representative led to the landmark Supreme Court decision, Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895), which declared the federal income tax to be unconstitutional.[1]

  1. ^ a b Leonard Schlup, "Benton McMillin," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, 2009. Retrieved: 19 November 2012.