Willis Benson Machen
Encyclopedia
Willis Benson Machen was a Democratic
U.S. Senator
from Kentucky
.
(now Lyon County, Kentucky
). He attended the common schools of the area and became a farmer. Machen attended Cumberland College
in Princeton
, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits near Eddyville
.
In addition to farming, Machen worked at the Livingston iron forge. Soon, he and a partner opened their own business, but it failed and nearly led Machen to financial ruin. Eventually, he was able to repay his debts, and he began building turnpikes
. An injury forced him to abandon that course as well, so he turned to the practice of law. He was admitted to the bar
in 1844 and quickly built up a large clientele.
Machen married Margaret A. Lyon, daughter of U.S. Representative Chittenden Lyon
and granddaughter of U.S. Representative Colonel
Matthew Lyon
.
in 1854, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
in 1856 and 1860.
When a group of secessionist Kentuckians formed a Confederate government
for the state, the Kentucky Confederate legislative council elected Machen as its president. Machen represented Kentucky's 1st congressional district
in the First Confederate Congress
, serving on the Accounts and Ways and Means Committees. He was re-elected to the Second Confederate Congress
and worked in the quartermaster and commissary departments. In total, he served in the Confederate Congress from February 22, 1862 until its dissolution in April 1865.
After the close of the war, Machen, fearing reprisals for his alignment with the Confederacy, fled to Canada
; his third wife and daughters Minnie and Marjorie joined him there. In 1869, President
Ulysses S. Grant
issued a pardon for Machen, and he returned to Kentucky.
Friends encouraged Machen to run for governor, but there were questions about his eligibility, and he declined. On July 9, 1872, Kentucky's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland nominated Machen for the office of Vice-President of the United States; he received one electoral vote
.
On September 22, 1872, Governor
Preston H. Leslie appointed Machen to the United States Senate
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Garrett Davis
. When the Kentucky Senate
re-convened, he was formally elected to the seat on January 21, 1873, defeating Republican
Tarvin Baker by a vote of 104–18. He served from September 27, 1872, to March 3, 1873.
invented his process for making steel rails. In 1880, Machen was appointed to the Kentucky Railroad Commission, serving one full term.
Following his term on the railroad commission, Machen retired to Mineral Mound, his 1000 acres (4 km²) estate on the Cumberland River
near Eddyville, where he raised tobacco
. He died September 29, 1893 at the Western Asylum in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
, and was interred in Riverview Cemetery in Eddyville.
Today, Machen's former estate is the site of Mineral Mound State Park
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Senator
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...
from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Early life
Willis B. Machen was born the son of Henry and Nancy (Tarrant) Machen on April 10, 1810 in Caldwell County, KentuckyCaldwell County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,984 people, with 6,292 households in the county.-Communities:*Bakers*Baldwin Ford*Black Hawk*The Bluff*Cedar Bluff*Claxton*Cobb*Cresswell*Crider*Crowtown*Enon*Farmersville*Flat Rock*Friendship*Fryer...
(now Lyon County, Kentucky
Lyon County, Kentucky
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 8,080. Its county seat is Eddyville. Created from Caldwell County, Kentucky in 1854, the county was named for former Congressman Chittenden Lyon....
). He attended the common schools of the area and became a farmer. Machen attended Cumberland College
Cumberland College (Princeton, Kentucky)
Cumberland College in Princeton, Kentucky was founded in 1826 and operated until 1861. It was the first college founded by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and one of the first American institutions to accept female students. Presidents included Franceway Ranna Cossitt, Richard Beard, Milton...
in Princeton
Princeton, Kentucky
Princeton is a city in Caldwell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,329 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Caldwell County.-History:...
, and then engaged in agricultural pursuits near Eddyville
Eddyville, Kentucky
Eddyville is a city in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lyon County . The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located in Eddyville.-History:...
.
In addition to farming, Machen worked at the Livingston iron forge. Soon, he and a partner opened their own business, but it failed and nearly led Machen to financial ruin. Eventually, he was able to repay his debts, and he began building turnpikes
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
. An injury forced him to abandon that course as well, so he turned to the practice of law. He was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1844 and quickly built up a large clientele.
Machen married Margaret A. Lyon, daughter of U.S. Representative Chittenden Lyon
Chittenden Lyon
Chittenden Lyon was a United States Representative from Kentucky and the son of Matthew Lyon. He was born in Fair Haven, Vermont and attended the common schools. In 1801, he moved to Kentucky with his parents, who settled in Caldwell County, Kentucky...
and granddaughter of U.S. Representative Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Matthew Lyon
Matthew Lyon
Matthew Lyon , father of Chittenden Lyon and great-grandfather of William Peters Hepburn, was a printer, farmer, soldier and politician, serving as a United States Representative from both Vermont and Kentucky....
.
Political career
Machen was delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1849, was a member of the Kentucky SenateKentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
in 1854, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
in 1856 and 1860.
When a group of secessionist Kentuckians formed a Confederate government
Confederate government of Kentucky
The Confederate government of Kentucky was a shadow government established for the Commonwealth of Kentucky by a self-constituted group of Confederate sympathizers during the American Civil War. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in Frankfort, which had strong Union...
for the state, the Kentucky Confederate legislative council elected Machen as its president. Machen represented Kentucky's 1st congressional district
Kentucky's 1st congressional district
Kentucky's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Located in Western Kentucky, the district takes in Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Paducah, and the college town of Murray....
in the First Confederate Congress
First Confederate Congress
The First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
, serving on the Accounts and Ways and Means Committees. He was re-elected to the Second Confederate Congress
Second Confederate Congress
The Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
and worked in the quartermaster and commissary departments. In total, he served in the Confederate Congress from February 22, 1862 until its dissolution in April 1865.
After the close of the war, Machen, fearing reprisals for his alignment with the Confederacy, fled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; his third wife and daughters Minnie and Marjorie joined him there. In 1869, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
issued a pardon for Machen, and he returned to Kentucky.
Friends encouraged Machen to run for governor, but there were questions about his eligibility, and he declined. On July 9, 1872, Kentucky's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland nominated Machen for the office of Vice-President of the United States; he received one electoral vote
United States Electoral College
The Electoral College consists of the electors appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States. Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election...
.
On September 22, 1872, Governor
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
Preston H. Leslie appointed Machen to 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...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Garrett Davis
Garrett Davis
Garrett Davis was a U.S. Senator and Representative from Kentucky.Born in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, Garrett Davis was the brother of Amos Davis. After completing preparatory studies, Davis was employed in the office of the county clerk of Montgomery County, Kentucky, and afterward of Bourbon...
. When the Kentucky Senate
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
re-convened, he was formally elected to the seat on January 21, 1873, defeating Republican
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...
Tarvin Baker by a vote of 104–18. He served from September 27, 1872, to March 3, 1873.
Later life
Following his congressional tenure, he resumed agricultural interests. He also jointly owned several iron furnaces in Lyon County; it was at one of these furnaces that William KellyWilliam Kelly (inventor)
William Kelly , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was an American inventor. Kelly studied metallurgy at the Western University of Pennsylvania. Instead of getting a job as a scientist, Kelly, his brother, and his brother-in-law started a dry goods and commission business, which they called...
invented his process for making steel rails. In 1880, Machen was appointed to the Kentucky Railroad Commission, serving one full term.
Following his term on the railroad commission, Machen retired to Mineral Mound, his 1000 acres (4 km²) estate on the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
near Eddyville, where he raised tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. He died September 29, 1893 at the Western Asylum in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
, and was interred in Riverview Cemetery in Eddyville.
Today, Machen's former estate is the site of Mineral Mound State Park
Mineral Mound State Park
Mineral Mound State Park is a park located on the shores of Lake Barkley in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The park contains a 18 hole golf course and a clubhouse....
.