Ben Hulse

Benjamin Harrison Hulse (1894–1961) was a California politician. He represented the 39th district in the California State Senate for 12 years, including two years (1955–56) as Senate President Pro Tem. He was a Republican.

Personal life Hulse was born and raised on a farm near Fayetteville in Washington County, Arkansas. His parents were John Hulse, a wealthy farmer and U.S. marshall, and Drusilla (Delano) Hulse. With just a high school education, he came to California as a young man. He worked at a machine shop in Stockton for two years, then moved to Imperial County in 1910, where he began to sell tractors and Ford cars in Calexico, El Centro and Yuma. By 1920 his dealerships (Hulse and Dick in Yuma, Hulse and Anderson in El Centro) were important in promoting the agricultural development of Imperial County.

He married Bessie Phenia in 1919; they lived in Imperial. He was an Elk and a Mason.

Recognition Ben Hulse Elementary School in Imperial, California, is named for him. A stretch of California State Route 78 is named the Ben Hulse Highway.