Senator Oliver P. Bennett View All Years

OLIVER P. BENNETT, SR.

MR. PRESIDENT: Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable resolution commemorating the life, character and public service of the late Honorable Oliver P. Bennett, Sr., begs leave to submit the following memorial:

Oliver P. Bennett, Sr., was born at Elgin, Illinois, on October 10, 1892. His parents homesteaded in Buena Vista County, Iowa, and lived in Illinois for three years before moving to Monona County in 1895. He was graduated from Mapleton High School in 1911 and attended Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1911 and 1912. He attended the University of Iowa in 1912 and 1913, was graduated from the College of Law at Drake University in 1915, and admitted to the Iowa Bar the same year.

On September 18, 1917, he was married to Helen Kirk of Des Moines. They had one daughter and three sons.

He served in the United States Army Field Artillery in World War I and as Eleventh District Adjutant of the American Legion in 1922 and 1923 and as Eleventh District Commander in 1924. He was county attorney of Monona County from 1925 to 1929. During World War II he was a Colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps and in 1952 he was promoted to Brigadier General of the Iowa National Guard.

Oliver P. Bennett, Sr. served the State of Iowa as Senator from Monona, Crawford, and Harrison Counties during the Forty-third, Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth and Forty-fifth Extraordinary General Assemblies, and as Commissioner of Insurance from 1955 to 1958. He was a prominent Mapleton farmer and attorney. He was a member of the Field Artillery Reserve Corps, Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, several Masonic Orders and many civic organizations. He was a member of the Prairie Gold Area Council for the Boy Scouts of America, and a director of the State Savings and Trust Bank at Council Bluffs. He received the Outstanding Citizenship Award from the Mapleton Club in 1968.

He died December 1, 1973. Survivors include the widow, Helen; his daughter, Mrs. James (Dorothy) Bromwell of Cedar Rapids; three sons, James L. of Des Moines, Kirk and Oliver P., Jr. of Mapleton; nine grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly of Iowa: That, in the passing of the Honorable Oliver P. Bennett, Sr., the state has lost an honored citizen and a faithful and useful public servant, and the Senate by this resolution would express its appreciation of his services to his community, state and nation and tender its sympathy and kindest regards to the members of his family.

Be It Further Resolved: That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the Journal of the Senate, and that the Secretary of the Senate be directed to forward an enrolled copy to the family of the deceased.

LEONARD C. ANDERSEN, Chairman

WILLIAM P. WINKELMAN

KARL NOLIN

Committee.

The resolution was unanimously adopted.