Benjamin Bristow
| Benjamin Bristow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 30th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
|
In office June 4, 1874 – June 20, 1876 |
|
| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | William A. Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Lot M. Morrill |
| 1st Solicitor General of the United States | |
|
In office 1870–1872 |
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| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Succeeded by | Samuel F. Phillips |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Benjamin Helm Bristow June 20, 1832 Elkton, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 1896 (aged 64) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Alma mater | Jefferson College |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War Shiloh |
Benjamin Helm Bristow (June 20, 1832 – June 22, 1896) was the 30th U.S. Treasury Secretary, the first Solicitor General, an American lawyer, a Union military officer, Republican Party politician, reformer, and civil rights advocate. Bristow, during his tenure as Secretary of Treasury, is primarily known for breaking up and prosecuting the Whiskey Ring, a corrupt tax evasion profiteering ring that depleted the national treasury, having President Ulysses S. Grant's permission. Additionally, Bristow promoted gold standard currency rather than paper. Bristow was one of Grant's most popular Cabinet members among reformers. Bristow supported Grant's Resumption of Specie Act of 1875, that helped stabilize the economy during the Panic of 1873. As the United States' first solicitor general, Bristow aided President Ulysses S. Grant and Attorney General Amos T. Akerman's vigorous and thorough prosecution and destruction of the Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstructed South. Sol. Gen. Bristow advocated African American citizens in Kentucky be allowed to testify in a white man's court case and that education was for all races to be paid for by public funding.
A native of Kentucky, Bristow was the son of a prominent Whig Unionist and attorney. Having graduated Jefferson College in Pennsylvania in 1851, Bristow studied law and passed the bar in 1853, working as an attorney until the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Fighting for the Union, Bristow served in the army during the American Civil War and was promoted to colonel. Wounded at the Battle of Shiloh, Bristow recuperated and would be promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 1863, Bristow was elected Kentucky state Senator, serving only one term. At the end of the Civil War, Bristow was appointed assistant to the U.S. District Attorney serving in the Louisville area, In 1866, Bristow was appointed U.S. District attorney serving in the Louisville area.
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