Representative Carville Dickinson Benson

Carville Dickinson Benson (August 24, 1872 – February 8, 1929) was an American lawyer, state legislator, and U.S. Representative from Maryland who served in the United States Congress from 1917 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Maryland’s second congressional district during a significant period in American history, contributing to the legislative process over two terms in office and representing the interests of his constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Benson was born on August 24, 1872, near Halethorpe in Baltimore County, Maryland. He attended local preparatory schools before pursuing higher education. In 1890 he studied at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, laying the groundwork for his later legal and political career. He subsequently enrolled in the law department of the University of Baltimore, from which he graduated in 1893. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law, establishing himself professionally in the Baltimore area.

Benson’s public career began in state politics. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, where he served from 1904 to 1910. During this tenure he rose to a leadership position, serving as Speaker of the House in 1906. After leaving the House of Delegates, he continued his legislative service in the Maryland State Senate, where he served from 1912 to 1914. His experience in both chambers of the state legislature, and his role as Speaker, gave him a prominent position in Maryland’s Democratic Party and prepared him for national office.

In 1918 Benson returned briefly to the Maryland House of Delegates, again serving as a member during that year, even as his political trajectory turned toward Congress. That same year he was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy in Maryland’s second congressional district caused by the death of Representative Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott. He was subsequently re-elected to the Sixty-sixth Congress. His service in the U.S. House of Representatives extended from November 5, 1918, to March 3, 1921, encompassing the closing months of World War I and the early postwar period. During these two terms, he participated in the democratic process at the national level and contributed to the legislative work of Congress on behalf of his Maryland constituents. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh Congress, which brought his congressional career to a close.

After leaving Congress, Benson resumed the practice of law in Baltimore, maintaining his professional base while continuing to reside in Halethorpe, Maryland. His experience and standing in state affairs led to his appointment as Maryland’s state insurance commissioner in 1924. In that capacity he oversaw the regulation of insurance within the state and served in the post until his death, remaining active in public service for the remainder of his life.

Carville Dickinson Benson died on February 8, 1929, in Baltimore, Maryland, while still serving as state insurance commissioner. He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Brooklyn, Maryland. His career spanned local legal practice, leadership roles in the Maryland General Assembly, and service in the United States Congress during a transformative era in American political and social history.