William Rutherford Benn

William Rutherford Benn, later William Rutherford, (1855–1921) was an English translator and journalist, and a member of the political Benn family. In 1883 he murdered his father, the Reverend Julius Benn, and was detained at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum until 1890, returning there in 1903 and receiving treatment until his death.

Early life and family William Rutherford Benn was born in Poplar, London, in 1855, one of eight children of the Congregational Church minister, the Reverend Julius Benn, and his wife Ann. which it has been speculated may have been caused or exacerbated by his failure to consummate his marriage to Florence. Benn was released from Broadmoor in July 1890 and subsequently changed his name by deed poll to William Rutherford, using his middle name as his surname.

Career In the 1881 census, when he would have been in his mid-20s, Benn was described as a "merchant's clerk". He had a facility with languages and was described by his daughter's biographer Andy Merriman as an "accomplished poet" and by David Benn as "in some way, the most civilised and educated of all the Benns". Although life seemed settled, Florence, now pregnant, began to experience mental health problems which her husband, familiar with such things, noticed and sought to mitigate by returning the family to England; before they could do so, Florence hanged herself from a tree. Three months later, in spring 1895, William returned to England with Margaret, leaving her to live with an aunt at Wimbledon. Records indicate William travelled back to India, then later went to Paris before finally returning to England in 1903; during this period he sought to remarry, his brother John intervening to stop it. Although his daughter was told that her father had died of "a broken heart" after her mother's suicide, at the age of 12 she found out that he had in fact been readmitted to Broadmoor Hospital the previous year.

Death Benn died at Dartford, Kent, on 4 August 1921, having been resident at Broadmoor since 1903.