| In the fall of each year, talk turns to politics
on the local, state and national level. Political advertisements dominate the airwaves
with what some would call annoying frequency. All of this brings to mind Shelby County's
most famous and accomplished legislator, General Ben Lefevre. This is his story.
Ben was born in Salem Township as part of a large
family on October 8, 1838. He first learned to read by the light of a burning rope knot which he would hang in his
room. Upon completion of his schooling, both in the township log cabin and later in
Sidney, Lefevre studied at Miami University in Oxford.
Even though he had a college degree,
the patriotic fervor of the Civil War took hold of Lefevre and he volunteered to serve under General Fremont with the Benton
Cadets in Missouri. After that group was disbanded, he signed on as a regimental officer
in the 99th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in July of 1862. Many of his friends from Shelby
County, including Thomas Honnell from Port Jefferson, also enlisted.
Lefevre received a battlefield promotion to major at the battle of Stones River,  Major Lefevre also led his
troops at the battle of Chicamauga,
one of the most terrible of the war. It was there that Thomas Honnell, his boyhood friend,
was severely wounded. He served with the regiment throughout all of its campaigns in the
western theater of the war. After being discharged in 1865, Lefevre returned home and
immediately immersed himself in politics. He was elected by the Democrats as a
representative to the Ohio General Assembly. While serving in the 65th and 66th General
Assemblies, he was the youngest member of those bodies.
(The woodcut of
General Lefevre to the right shows him at the time he was a member of Congress.)
After his two terms there,
Lefevre was nominated for Secretary of the State of Ohio. He was soundly defeated in that
race, and thus suffered the only defeat of his political career. Shortly thereafter,
however, he was appointed counsel to Nuremberg, Germany in the spring of 1867. Upon his
return to America he worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Lima, Ohio. During that time,
he organized the First National Bank of Lima, serving as its vice-president.
In the
mid-1870's, Lefevre became engaged in the political fight of his life. He ran for
nomination by the Democratic party for Representative to the 46th U.S. Congress. In those
days, a nominating convention was held in each district. In the longest convention in the
history of the state, Lefevre was nominated by a majority of one and a half votes on the
218th ballot. The political wrangling lasted for three days and nights.
In his eight years in Congress,
Lefevre served with distinction. He introduced the resolution that established the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and served four years as chairman of the Agriculture Committee
of the House. He sponsored numerous bills protecting the rights of the veterans of the
Civil War. Lefevre was at the height of his
popularity when his fourth term ended. A periodical of the time described the manner in
which he handled his constituents as follows: "That family in the district is not
to be found to whom he has not sent out from Washington an occasional report, pamphlet,
printed speech, package of garden seeds or box of bulbs. He has received more press
notices touching his personal appearance and gallantry than any other member of
Congress."
In 1884, at the age of only 46,
Gen. Lefevre commenced another career with the Erie Railroad as claims manager. He retired
in 1907 after working 23 years. During his retirement years, Ben Lefevre accomplished much
as a world traveler. He made over 20 separate trips to Europe. On one occasion, he
completed a year-long trip around the world by himself. He later reported to his friends
that he had crossed the Arabian Desert by camel, toured the Taj Mahal and traveled the
Ganges River in India. Upon his arrival in Sidney, he
claimed never to have been sick one day and attributed his good health to drinking Vichy
water, which he carried with him at all times. As Lefevre looked back
on a career as a war hero, politician, railroad man and world traveler, he had reason to
be well satisfied. The citizens of Shelby County certainly were. To this day, Ben Lefevre
is remembered as one of our most beloved public servants.
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