Marion Tinsley Bennett
Encyclopedia
Marion Tinsley Bennett served the United States
for over 56 years in all three branches of the federal government of the United States
, having been a federal judge
, a member of Congress
, and a colonel in the Air Force Ready Reserves
.
Born in Buffalo, Missouri
on June 6, 1914 to Philip Allen Bennett
and Mary Bertha (Tinsley) Bennett, he received his A.B.
from Southwest Missouri State University in 1935 and earned a J.D.
from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis
in 1938, after which he entered private practice. In 1941 he married June Young; they had two children, William and Ann, and four grandchildren, Jiffy, James, John, and Anna.
While practicing law, he was elected to the Greene County, Missouri
Republican Central Committee, and managed his father's two Congressional election campaigns. When his father died in office in early 1943, Marion was chosen in a special election to complete his father's term in the 78th Congress
. He was 28 years old. Winning reelection twice, he served in the 79th
and 80th
Congresses.
Marion Bennett was part of an official ten member Congressional delegation invited by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
to follow the United States Third Army into Buchenwald concentration camp
near Weimar
, Germany
in 1945. The delegation's members toured the United States speaking and reporting on what they had seen of the horrific conditions in the camp. Bennett is quoted in the New York Times on May 6, 1945, "I left Buchenwald convinced that every German must be killed."
Losing his reelection bid in 1948, Bennett was appointed a trial commissioner to the federal Court of Claims, starting the day after his term ended, January 4, 1949. In 1950 he became an Air Force Reserve Colonel, a position he held until 1974. He also rose to become Chief Trial Commissioner at the Court of Claims in 1964, and was nominated in 1972 to be an Associate Judge. By enactment of the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982 he became a Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
. He became a Senior Circuit Judge
on March 1, 1986, and continued to sit until 1997. He died in Alexandria, Virginia
, on September 6, 2000, and is buried in Springfield, Missouri
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for over 56 years in all three branches of the federal government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, having been a 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....
, a member of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and a colonel in the Air Force Ready Reserves
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
.
Born in Buffalo, Missouri
Buffalo, Missouri
Buffalo is a city in Dallas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,238 at the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Dallas County.Buffalo is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
on June 6, 1914 to Philip Allen Bennett
Philip Allen Bennett
Philip Allen Bennett was a Republican politician from the state of Missouri. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Missouri's 6th District during the 77th Congress. Prior to that Bennett was the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Missouri and served in the Missouri...
and Mary Bertha (Tinsley) Bennett, he received his A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Southwest Missouri State University in 1935 and earned a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
in 1938, after which he entered private practice. In 1941 he married June Young; they had two children, William and Ann, and four grandchildren, Jiffy, James, John, and Anna.
While practicing law, he was elected to the Greene County, Missouri
Greene County, Missouri
Greene County is a county located in Southwest Missouri. As of 2010, the population was 275,174 making it the fourth most populated county in Missouri. Its county seat is Springfield...
Republican Central Committee, and managed his father's two Congressional election campaigns. When his father died in office in early 1943, Marion was chosen in a special election to complete his father's term in the 78th Congress
78th United States Congress
The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years...
. He was 28 years old. Winning reelection twice, he served in the 79th
79th United States Congress
The Seventy-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945 to January 3, 1947, during the last months of...
and 80th
80th United States Congress
The Eightieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1947 to January 3, 1949, during the third and fourth...
Congresses.
Marion Bennett was part of an official ten member Congressional delegation invited by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
to follow the United States Third Army into Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
near Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1945. The delegation's members toured the United States speaking and reporting on what they had seen of the horrific conditions in the camp. Bennett is quoted in the New York Times on May 6, 1945, "I left Buchenwald convinced that every German must be killed."
Losing his reelection bid in 1948, Bennett was appointed a trial commissioner to the federal Court of Claims, starting the day after his term ended, January 4, 1949. In 1950 he became an Air Force Reserve Colonel, a position he held until 1974. He also rose to become Chief Trial Commissioner at the Court of Claims in 1964, and was nominated in 1972 to be an Associate Judge. By enactment of the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982 he became a Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
-Vacancies and pending nominations:-List of former judges:-Chief judges:Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the court was initially created, Congress had to resolve which chief judge of the predecessor courts would become the first chief judge...
. He became a Senior Circuit Judge
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
on March 1, 1986, and continued to sit until 1997. He died in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, on September 6, 2000, and is buried in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
.