Henry Wilbur Bentley was a U.S. Representative

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...

 from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Biography

Born in DeRuyter, Madison County, New York

Madison County, New York

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,442. It is named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America...

, Bentley moved with his parents to Morrisville, New York

Morrisville, New York

Morrisville is a village in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,148 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founder, Thomas Morris.The Village of Morrisville in the northwest part of the Town of Eaton on US Route 20....

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He attended Union School, Yates Polytechnic Institute at Chittenango, and Judd's private school at Berkshire.
He taught school for several years.
He studied law.
He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

 in 1861 and commenced practice in Boonville, New York

Boonville, New York

Boonville, New York may refer to either:* Boonville , New York* Boonville , New York, which lies within the Town of Boonville...

.
He served as chairman of the Oneida County Building Commission.
He served as president of Boonville in 1874 from 1889 to 1891, and 1899.

Bentley was elected as a Democrat

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...

 to the Fifty-second

52nd United States Congress

The Fifty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...

 Congress in the Democratic landslide of 1890 (March 4, 1891-March 3, 1893). He defeated incumbent Rep. James S. Sherman

James S. Sherman

James Schoolcraft Sherman was a United States Representative from New York and the 27th Vice President of the United States . He was a member of the Baldwin, Hoar, and Sherman families.-Early life:...

, the future Vice President of the United States.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892 to the Fifty-third

53rd United States Congress

The Fifty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1893 to March 4, 1895, during the fifth and sixth...

 Congress when Sherman defeated him and reclaimed his old seat..
He continued the practice of law in Boonville, New York

Boonville, New York

Boonville, New York may refer to either:* Boonville , New York* Boonville , New York, which lies within the Town of Boonville...

, until his death there on January 27, 1907.
He was interred in Boonville Cemetery.