Bennet C. Riley
| Bennet C. Riley | |
|---|---|
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| 6th Military Governor of California | |
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In office 1849–1849 |
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| Preceded by | Richard Barnes Mason |
| Succeeded by | Peter Hardeman Burnett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 27, 1787 St. Mary's County, Maryland |
| Died | June 6, 1853 (aged 65) Black Rock, near Buffalo, New York |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo |
| Spouse(s) | Arabella Israel Riley |
| Profession | Soldier |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1813–1850 |
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| Unit | |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars | |
Bennet C. Riley (November 27, 1787 – June 6, 1853) was the sixth and last military governor of California. Riley ordered the election of representatives to a state constitutional convention, and handed over all civil authority to a Governor and elected delegates at the end of 1849; the following year, California joined the U.S. as a state. He participated in the War of 1812 on Lake Ontario. He also served in the United States Army during the Seminole War in Florida, and Mexican-American War.
Bennet Riley was born to an Irish-Catholic couple, Bennet Riley and Susanna Ann Drury in St. Mary's, Maryland, 1787. His father apprenticed him to a cobbler; later, he served as a foreman in a shoe factory. After his father's death in 1811, he signed up for service on a privateer.
Riley married Arabella Israel, of Philadelphia, on 9 November 1834, at the Jefferson Barracks, Lemay, Missouri. They had eight children: William Davenport Riley and Samuel Israel Riley, twins, died in Fort King, Florida, on 15 and 17 November 1841; Bennet Israel Riley, born 1835 in Massachusetts, served in the Navy and died aboard the war-sloop USS Albany, which disappeared with all hands in September, 1854; Mary, born 1836; Arabella I. Riley, 1837–1916) (never married); George, born 1838; and Edward Bishop Dudley Riley (1839–1918), whose military career was split between the Union and Confederate armies.
Ulysses S. Grant described Bennet Riley as "the finest specimen of physical manhood I had ever looked upon...6'2 (190 cm) in his stocking feet, straight as the undrawn [sic] bowstring, broad shouldered with every limb in perfect proportion, with an eagle and a step as light as a forest tiger." An accident or injury in his youth caused him to lose part of his palette, and he spoke with a hoarse voice.
Riley volunteered for service in the War of 1812, and on 19 January 1813, he was appointed Ensign of Rifles. In March of the same year, he became a third lieutenant and in April 1814 a second lieutenant in the First Rifles. He saw action at Sackets Harbor, New York, in second of two battles for control of the shipyards on Lake Ontario. He gained a promotion to first lieutenant in March 1817. Riley was further advanced to captain in the 5th U.S. Infantry, and by 1821 he was transferred to the 6th U.S. Infantry.
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