Henry Wetherby Benchley was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician. A state senator and lieutenant governor in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, he helped found the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 in the 1850s.

Benchley was allegedly jailed for helping run an Underground Railroad

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

 station, and died in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

, shortly after founding a small township nearby, Benchley, Texas

Benchley, Texas

Benchley, Texas is a small community in Robertson County, Texas. Named after Henry Benchley, ancestor of humorist Robert Benchley, it was settled around 1830 and has a population of approximately 100. Benchley lies within the boundaries of the Bryan IDS, and Brazos County Pct. 4 Fire...

.

His grandson, Robert Benchley

Robert Benchley

Robert Charles Benchley was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor...

, was a famed humorist, and his great-grandson, Nathaniel Benchley

Nathaniel Benchley

Nathaniel Benchley was an American author.Born in Newton, Massachusetts to a literary family, he was the son of Gertrude Darling and Robert Benchley , the noted American writer, humorist, critic, actor, and one of the founders of the Algonquin Round Table in New York City...

, and great-great-grandson, Peter Benchley

Peter Benchley

Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author, best known for his novel Jaws and its subsequent film adaptation, the latter co-written by Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg...

, were both noted authors.