Alvin Morell Bentley
Encyclopedia
Alvin Morell Bentley III (August 30, 1918 – April 10, 1969) was a politician
from the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As a U.S. representative, he made national headlines as one of the victims of the 1954 U.S. Capitol shootings
.
only three months before his father died serving in France
during World War I
. Although fatherless, Bentley was heir to a family fortune, from his grandfather who founded the Owosso Manufacturing Company.
He graduated in 1934 from Southern Pines High School in Southern Pines, North Carolina
and in 1936 from Asheville Prep School in Asheville, North Carolina
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1940 from the University of Michigan
and attended Turner’s Diplomatic School, Washington, D.C.
, to qualify for the U.S. diplomatic service
.
with the United States Foreign Service
, serving in Mexico
(1942–1944), Colombia
(1945–1946), Hungary
(1947–1949), and Italy
(1949–1950). He returned to Washington, D.C.
, on March 15, 1950, for work in the State Department
.
Disagreeing with the Truman
administration's foreign policy, Bentley resigned from the diplomatic service in 1950 and returned to live in Owosso, Michigan
. He was a delegate
to Republican State conventions in 1950, 1951, and 1952. He was vice president
of Lake Huron Broadcasting Company, Saginaw, Michigan
, starting in 1952, and a director of Mitchell-Bentley Corporation.
In 1952, Bentley defeated the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Fred L. Crawford
in the primary election for Michigan's 8th congressional district
and went on to win in the 1952 general election. Bentley was elected to the Eighty-third
and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1961. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1960, instead running for a seat in the United States Senate
and losing to Democratic incumbent Patrick V. McNamara
in the 1960 general election.
Bentley was one of five Representatives shot on March 1, 1954, in the U.S. Capitol shooting incident
when four Puerto Rican
nationalists opened fire from the visitors' balcony into the chamber of the United States House of Representatives
. Bentley was shot in the chest, but survived.
created as a result of the 1960 U.S. Census
, but he lost in the general election to Democrat Neil Staebler
. He continued public service by receiving appointments to education-related positions in the state. Also, after leaving Congress in 1961, he had returned to the University of Michigan
as a graduate student in the History
department.
Alvin M. Bentley served on the Board of Directors for the National Conference on Citizenship
in 1960.
While continuing to maintain offices in Washington, D.C.
, Bentley commuted by air to Ann Arbor to attend classes. He received an M.A.
degree in 1963. In 1966, while pursuing a doctoral degree, Governor George W. Romney
appointed him to the board of regents
of the University of Michigan.
He died, aged 50, while on vacation in Tucson, Arizona
of an "inflammation affecting the central nervous system
". Bentley had been confined at a wheelchair for two years after "corrective surgery" when his condition suddenly worsened. He is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Owosso, Michigan
.
, Bentley continues to foster academic excellence in the state of Michigan.
In 1983, the foundation established the Bentley Scholarships at the University of Michigan for Michigan residents who have demonstrated academic excellence and promise. The foundation also sponsors Operation Bentley, "a week-long intensive academic program held at Albion College
for high school juniors who have been selected to participate in a rigorous and rewarding study of local, state, and national politics."
In 1967, he contributed money to the University of Michigan
to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of History in memory of his parents.
In the mid-1960s, Bentley served as chairman of the Michigan Freedom from Hunger Council, a humanitarian organization set up to gather, interpret, and disseminate information about hunger problems in the world, especially in the Western Hemisphere
. Bentley also chaired the Michigan branch of the Partners of the Alliance, an organization that had begun nationally in 1964, to act as a channel through which civic clubs, unions, business and professional groups, schools, and individuals could work directly with groups, villages, or areas in Latin America
to improve the way of life in that particular area. The objective was not charity, but the promotion of self-help programs. The State of Michigan took British Honduras
(Belize
) as its partner.
In 1971, his widow, Arvella D. Bentley, gave a generous donation to the University of Michigan
's "Michigan Historical Collections", enabling it to construct a new building which was subsequently renamed the Bentley Historical Library
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As a U.S. representative, he made national headlines as one of the victims of the 1954 U.S. Capitol shootings
U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1954 was an attack on March 1, 1954 by four Puerto Rican nationalists who shot 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols from the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol.The attackers, Lolita Lebrón, Rafael...
.
Early years
Bentley, the only child of Alvin M. Bentley, Jr., and Helen Webb Bentley, was born in Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
only three months before his father died serving in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Although fatherless, Bentley was heir to a family fortune, from his grandfather who founded the Owosso Manufacturing Company.
He graduated in 1934 from Southern Pines High School in Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
and in 1936 from Asheville Prep School in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
. He received his bachelor's degree in 1940 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and attended Turner’s Diplomatic School, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, to qualify for the U.S. diplomatic service
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
.
Government service
He served as vice consul and secretarySecretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
with the United States Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
, serving in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(1942–1944), Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
(1945–1946), Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(1947–1949), and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(1949–1950). He returned to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on March 15, 1950, for work in the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
.
Disagreeing with the Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
administration's foreign policy, Bentley resigned from the diplomatic service in 1950 and returned to live in Owosso, Michigan
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
. He was a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to Republican State conventions in 1950, 1951, and 1952. He was vice president
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Lake Huron Broadcasting Company, Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, starting in 1952, and a director of Mitchell-Bentley Corporation.
In 1952, Bentley defeated the incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Fred L. Crawford
Fred L. Crawford
Fred Lewis Crawford was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Crawford was born in Dublin, Texas and attended local public schools. He went to business college at Peniel , and attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He engaged in accountancy at Des Moines, Iowa, and Detroit,...
in the primary election for Michigan's 8th congressional district
Michigan's 8th congressional district
Michigan's 8th congressional district is a United States congressional district in Southern Michigan and Southeast Michigan. It consists of all of Clinton, Ingham, and Livingston counties, and includes the southern portion of Shiawassee and the northern portion of Oakland counties.The district was...
and went on to win in the 1952 general election. Bentley was elected to the Eighty-third
83rd United States Congress
The Eighty-third 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, 1953 to January 3, 1955, during the first two years...
and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1953 to January 3, 1961. He was not a candidate for re-nomination in 1960, instead running for a seat in 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...
and losing to Democratic incumbent Patrick V. McNamara
Patrick V. McNamara
Patrick Vincent McNamara was a Democratic United States Senator from the state of Michigan.McNamara was born in North Weymouth, Massachusetts and attended the public schools in nearby Weymouth and the Fore River Apprentice School in Quincy. He moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1921, and became active...
in the 1960 general election.
Bentley was one of five Representatives shot on March 1, 1954, in the U.S. Capitol shooting incident
U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1954 was an attack on March 1, 1954 by four Puerto Rican nationalists who shot 30 rounds from semi-automatic pistols from the Ladies' Gallery of the House of Representatives chamber in the United States Capitol.The attackers, Lolita Lebrón, Rafael...
when four Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
nationalists opened fire from the visitors' balcony into the chamber of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Bentley was shot in the chest, but survived.
Career during the 1960s
From 1961 to 1962, Bentley was a delegate from the 15th Senatorial District to the Michigan State Constitutional Convention, which produced the Michigan state constitution adopted in 1963. In 1962, Bentley again ran for the U.S. House for a one-term, at-large seatMichigan's At-large congressional district
Michigan's At-large congressional district may refer to a few different occasions when a statewide at-large district was used for elections to the United States House of Representatives from Michigan....
created as a result of the 1960 U.S. Census
United States Census, 1960
The Eighteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 179,323,175, an increase of 18.5 percent over the 151,325,798 persons enumerated during the 1950 Census.-Census questions:...
, but he lost in the general election to Democrat Neil Staebler
Neil Staebler
Neil Oliver Staebler was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Staebler was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1922. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1926. He served on the staff of the Office of Price Administration,...
. He continued public service by receiving appointments to education-related positions in the state. Also, after leaving Congress in 1961, he had returned to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
as a graduate student in the History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
department.
Alvin M. Bentley served on the Board of Directors for the National Conference on Citizenship
National Conference on Citizenship
The National Conference on Citizenship was founded in 1946 and was later chartered by the United States Congress in 1953. NCoC was created in order to be a leader in promoting our nation’s civic life by tracking, "measuring and promoting civic participation and engagement in partnership with other...
in 1960.
While continuing to maintain offices in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Bentley commuted by air to Ann Arbor to attend classes. He received an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in 1963. In 1966, while pursuing a doctoral degree, Governor George W. Romney
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
appointed him to the board of regents
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs public institutions of higher education, which include both state universities and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual colleges and universities, or both. In general they operate as...
of the University of Michigan.
He died, aged 50, while on vacation in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
of an "inflammation affecting the central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
". Bentley had been confined at a wheelchair for two years after "corrective surgery" when his condition suddenly worsened. He is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Owosso, Michigan
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
.
Philanthropy
In 1961, Bentley established the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation to support educational, scientific, and charitable projects. Through the foundationFoundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
, Bentley continues to foster academic excellence in the state of Michigan.
In 1983, the foundation established the Bentley Scholarships at the University of Michigan for Michigan residents who have demonstrated academic excellence and promise. The foundation also sponsors Operation Bentley, "a week-long intensive academic program held at Albion College
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
for high school juniors who have been selected to participate in a rigorous and rewarding study of local, state, and national politics."
In 1967, he contributed money to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to establish an endowed professorship in the Department of History in memory of his parents.
In the mid-1960s, Bentley served as chairman of the Michigan Freedom from Hunger Council, a humanitarian organization set up to gather, interpret, and disseminate information about hunger problems in the world, especially in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
. Bentley also chaired the Michigan branch of the Partners of the Alliance, an organization that had begun nationally in 1964, to act as a channel through which civic clubs, unions, business and professional groups, schools, and individuals could work directly with groups, villages, or areas in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
to improve the way of life in that particular area. The objective was not charity, but the promotion of self-help programs. The State of Michigan took British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
(Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
) as its partner.
In 1971, his widow, Arvella D. Bentley, gave a generous donation to the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
's "Michigan Historical Collections", enabling it to construct a new building which was subsequently renamed the Bentley Historical Library
Bentley Historical Library
The Bentley Historical Library is a historical library located on the University of Michigan's North Campus in Ann Arbor. It was established in 1935 by the regents of the University of Michigan...
.