Benton McMillin

Benton McMillin
27th Governor of Tennessee
In office January 16, 1899 – January 19, 1903
Preceded by	Robert Love Taylor
Succeeded by	James B. Frazier
United States Minister to Peru
In office September 9, 1913 – September 5, 1919
President	Woodrow Wilson
Preceded by	H. Clay Howard
Succeeded by	William E. Gonzales
United States Minister to Guatemala
In office January 15, 1920 – December 6, 1921
President	Woodrow Wilson Warren G. Harding
Preceded by	William H. Leavell
Succeeded by	Arthur H. Geissler
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 4th district
In office March 4, 1879 – January 6, 1899
Preceded by	Haywood Y. Riddle
Succeeded by	Charles E. Snodgrass
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
In office 1875–1877
Personal details
Born	(1845-09-11)September 11, 1845 Monroe County, Kentucky, US
Died	January 8, 1933(1933-01-08) (aged 87) Nashville, Tennessee, US
Resting place	Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Marie Childress Brown (1886–1887, her death) Lucille Foster (m. 1897)
Relations	John C. Brown (father-in-law)
Profession	Attorney

Benton McMillin (September 11, 1845 – January 8, 1933) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as the 27th governor of Tennessee from 1899 to 1903 and represented Tennessee's 4th district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1899. He served as a diplomat during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, initially as Minister to Peru (1913–1919) and afterward as Minister to Guatemala (1920–1921).^[1]

Known as the "Democratic War Horse" for his persistent campaigning on behalf of the Democratic Party, McMillin served as an elector in fourteen presidential elections from 1876 to 1932 and attended nearly every Democratic National Convention during that period. As governor, he signed anti-child labor legislation and standardized the state's school textbooks. His attempts to create a federal income tax as a Representative led to the landmark Supreme Court decision, Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895), which declared the federal income tax to be unconstitutional.^[1]