Risden Tyler Bennett

Born in Wadesboro, North Carolina, Bennett attended common schools, Davidson College and then Cumberland University, where he was a member of a chapter of St. Anthony Hall that became defunct after the Civil War. He studied law in Tennessee before enlisting in the Confederate Army in 1861. During the war, he rose to the rank of colonel and was wounded three times, including at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. He served in the brigade of Stephen D. Ramseur during the 1864 Overland Campaign.

Following the war, Bennett was the solicitor of Anson County, North Carolina, in 1866 and 1867. He was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives, serving from 1872 to 1874. A delegate to the 1875 state constitutional convention, he was named to the state superior court in 1880, serving for two years until his election to Congress.

In 1882, he was elected to the 48th United States Congress in a unique at-large (statewide) election over Oliver Dockery, after the state gained a seat in the House of Representatives but redistricting was not yet accomplished because of delays in processing the 1880 United States Census.[1] Bennett was then re-elected in 1884 to a second term from the 6th district. During the 49th Congress, he chaired the Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State.

After leaving Congress, Bennett practiced law in Wadesboro, North Carolina, where he died in 1913 and is buried.[2]

• United States Congress. "Risden Tyler Bennett (id: B000381)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on October 18, 2008
• Risden Tyler Bennett at Find a Grave