Representative Philip Allen Bennett

Philip Allen Bennett (March 5, 1881 – December 7, 1942) was a Republican politician from the state of Missouri who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Missouri’s 6th congressional district during the 77th Congress. He previously served in the Missouri Senate and was the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, building a career that combined journalism, business, and public service during a significant period in American political history.

Bennett was born on March 5, 1881, near Buffalo, Dallas County, Missouri, the eighth of fourteen children of Marion F. Bennett and Mary Jane O’Bannon Bennett. Raised in a large farm family in rural Missouri, he attended the local public schools and graduated from Buffalo High School. Seeking further education and professional training, he enrolled at Springfield Normal and Business College in Springfield, Missouri (an institution that later became part of Missouri State University), from which he graduated in 1902. His early life in a small Missouri community and his formal training in business and education helped shape his later interests in public affairs and civic leadership.

After completing his education, Bennett taught in Missouri public schools for two years, gaining firsthand experience with rural education and local community needs. He then worked for the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, commonly known as the Frisco Railroad, which exposed him to the commercial and transportation networks of the region. In 1904 he purchased the Buffalo Reflex, a local newspaper in his hometown of Buffalo, Missouri. As editor and publisher of the Reflex from 1904 until 1921, Bennett became a prominent voice in local and regional affairs, using the paper as a platform for civic engagement and Republican Party advocacy. His work in journalism and publishing provided him with a public profile and practical experience in communication and political issues that would serve him well in his later political career.

Bennett’s formal entry into politics began while he was still a newspaper editor. He was chosen as a delegate to the 1912 Republican National Convention, reflecting his growing influence within the party in Missouri. In 1912 he married Mary B. Tinsley, and the couple had two children, a son and a daughter. Their son, Marion T. Bennett, would later follow his father into public life as a Missouri politician and, ultimately, as a federal judge, extending the family’s involvement in public service into the next generation.

In 1920 Bennett was elected to the Missouri Senate, marking his first success in elective office. He served one term in the state senate, where he represented his district as a Republican and participated in legislative deliberations during the early 1920s. Rather than seek reelection to the Senate, he ran for statewide office and in 1924 was elected the 31st Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. In that capacity he presided over the Missouri Senate and played a role in state executive affairs during his term. In 1928 he sought the Republican nomination for Governor of Missouri but was not successful in his bid. Following this defeat, Bennett returned to the private business sector, resuming his activities outside of elective office while remaining an influential figure in Republican politics.

Bennett continued to aspire to national office. He ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1938 but was defeated in that attempt. Undeterred, he again sought election to Congress in 1940. That year he was elected as a Republican to represent Missouri’s 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving in the 77th Congress. As a member of the Republican Party representing Missouri, Bennett contributed to the legislative process during his one full term in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a critical period that included the early years of American involvement in World War II. He stood for reelection in 1942 and was successful, winning a second term in the House.

Before he could begin that second term, however, Bennett died in office. He passed away in Washington, D.C., on December 7, 1942, shortly before the commencement of the 78th Congress. His death placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office in the first half of the twentieth century. Following his death, his son, Marion T. Bennett, was elected to complete the term, symbolically continuing his father’s service in the same congressional district. Philip Allen Bennett’s career, spanning education, journalism, state government, and national office, reflected the trajectory of a rural Missourian who rose to significant positions of leadership in both state and federal government.