Benson W. Hough was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

.

Born in Berkshire Township, Delaware County, Ohio

Berkshire Township, Delaware County, Ohio

Berkshire Township is one of the eighteen townships of Delaware County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,251 people in the township, 1,946 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

, Hough received a M.A.

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 from Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...

 in 1897 and a B.L. from Ohio State University

Moritz College of Law

The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law is a public law school and charter member of the Association of American Law Schools. According to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the Moritz College of Law is 35th in the nation overall and is in the top ten among public law schools. The...

 in 1899. He was in private practice in Delaware, Ohio from 1900 to 1916, being the Adjutant General of Ohio

Ohio Adjutant General's Department

Ohio Adjutant General's Department is in the executive branch of government in the State of Ohio concerned with the military forces of the State of Ohio in the United States of America....

, 1915-1916, serving in the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, from 1917 to 1919. He voluntarily requested a demotion from General to Colonel in order to accompany the Fourth Ohio Infantry, renamed the 166th US Infantry, and incorporated into the 42nd Infantry Division, to France. The request was granted. Hough was elected as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio

Supreme Court of Ohio

The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, each serving six-year terms...

 from 1920 to 1923. He was the United States Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 for the Southern District of Ohio from 1923 to 1925.

On January 31, 1925, Hough was nominated by President Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...

 to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties. Appeals from the court are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit at Cincinnati The...

 vacated by John Elbert Sater

John Elbert Sater

John Elbert Sater was a United States federal judge.Born in New Haven, Ohio, Sater received an A.B. from Marietta College in 1875 and an A.M. from Marietta College in 1878, before reading law to enter the bar in 1884. He was a Superintendent of Schools, Wauseon, Ohio from 1875 to 1881. County...

. Hough was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on February 9, 1925, and received his commission the same day, serving thereafter until his death.

He was married to Edith Markel on June 25, 1902, and had one child, Catherine. He died at a Columbus hospital, and was buried in at his childhood home of Berkshire, Delaware County.

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