John J. Benoit

John J. Benoit

Member of the California Senate from the 37th district
In office December 1, 2008 – November 30, 2009
Preceded by	Jim Battin
Succeeded by	Bill Emmerson

John Joseph Benoit (December 27, 1951 – December 26, 2016) was an American law enforcement officer and a politician.

Born in Kankakee, Illinois, Benoit graduated from Notre Dame High School in Riverside and went on to earn an A.A. degree at Riverside Community College in 1974. In 1978, he earned a B.S. degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and then earned a Master of Public Administration from California State University, San Bernardino, in 1993. In 1986, he graduated from the FBI National Academy. Benoit's law enforcement career spanned 31 years including two with the Corona Police Department and twenty-nine with the California Highway Patrol. Benoit was elected and served as a member of the Desert Sands Unified School Board from 1999 to 2002. From 2002 to 2008, Benoit served in the California State Assembly and was a Republican; he then served in California State Senate in 2009. Benoit then resigned from the California Senate, on November 30, 2009, to serve on the Riverside County, California Board of Supervisors; he served from 2009 until his death in 2016. Benoit died at his home in Bermuda Dunes, California, from pancreatic cancer.