Benjamin F. Harrison Explained

Term Start:January 9, 1911
Term End:January 2, 1915
Term Start2:November 16, 1908
Term End2:November 16, 1910
Term Start3:November 16, 1907
Term End3:November 16, 1910
Predecessor3:Position established
Birth Date:12 January 1875
Death Place:Oklahoma, U.S.
Party:Democratic Party

Benjamin F. Harrison was a Native American politician in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served for one term in the House before being elected Oklahoma's 3rd Secretary of State, where he would serve between January 1911 and January 1915.

Biography

Benjamin F. Harrison was born in Antlers, Choctaw Nation on January 12, 1875, to a Chickasaw mother and a Choctaw father. He attended Wapanucka Institute in the Chickasaw Nation and later graduated from Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. After graduation he returned to Indian Territory to work as a schoolteacher before working for the Dawes Commission. He was a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention. He represented Pittsburg County and Hughes County in the 1st and 2nd Oklahoma Legislatures. He was the speaker pro tem of the House during 2nd legislature. [1] Harrison ran in the 1910 Oklahoma elections for Oklahoma Secretary of State, defeating Leo Meyer in the Democratic primary. He went on to win the general election with 49.3% of the vote. He was sworn in as the 3rd Oklahoma Secretary of State on January 9, 1911. He resigned from office sometime before January 2, 1915.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Corden . Seth K. . Richards . William B. . The Oklahoma red book . 1912 . . 122 . 19 February 2024.
  2. Web site: Secretaries of State since statehood . sos.ok.gov . . 18 February 2024.