Benjamin Harrison Reeves
| Benjamin H. Reeves | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Missouri | |
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In office November 15, 1824 – July, 1825 |
|
| Governor | Frederick Bates |
| Preceded by | William Henry Ashley |
| Succeeded by | Vacant until 1828 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 21, 1787 Augusta County, Virginia |
| Died | April 16, 1849 (aged 61) Todd County, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Religion | Methodist |
Benjamin Harrison Reeves (1787–1849) was an American politician and the second Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. A Democratic-Republican, he served in the office for less than one year.
Benjamin Harrison Reeves, named for a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Harrison V, was born March 21, 1787 in Augusta County, Virginia to parents Brewer and Martha (Davis) Reeves. The Reeves family moved to Christian County, Kentucky when Benjamin was around thirteen years old, but soon were beset by tragedy. Brewer Reeves, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War, died shortly after the move to Kentucky, leaving the teenage Benjamin, the eldest child, to help raise and support his three younger siblings. On November 12, 1806 in Lincoln County, Kentucky, he married Martha "Patsy" Donley. When the War of 1812 broke out in June, 1812 Reeves helped organize a company of volunteers for duty and was elected Captain of the group. Attached to American forces in the Indiana Territory, Reeves was promoted to Major. He and his Kentuckians participated in the rescue mission of Zachary Taylor and his garrison at the Siege of Fort Harrison in September, 1812.
In November, 1812 Benjamin Reeves was called back to Kentucky from the war, having been elected to the state legislature that August. He would serve in the legislature until 1818 when Reeves and his family moved to the Missouri Territory, settling in Howard County. Befitting his previous legislative experience, the people of the county chose Reeves as one of their delegates to Missouri's first Constitutional Convention in 1820-21. In 1824 Reeves was elected Missouri's second Lieutenant Governor, however he would hold the post for just a few brief months before resigning to accept a position with the United States government as a commissioner to survey the Santa Fe Trail. When Missouri Governor Frederick Bates died in office in August, 1825 Benjamin Reeves, as Lieutenant Governor, would have taken over the rest of the term. However the Governorship went instead to Missouri Senate President Pro Tempore Abraham J. Williams until a special election could be held.
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