Willis Benson Machen

Willis Benson Machen (April 10, 1810 – September 29, 1893) was an American politician who was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 1872 to 1873.

Early life Willis Benson Machen was born the son of Henry Ballenger Machen and Nancy Machen (née Tarrant) on April 10, 1810, in Caldwell County, Kentucky (now Lyon County, Kentucky). He attended the common schools in the area and became a farmer. Soon, he and a partner opened their own business, but it failed and nearly led Machen to financial ruin. Eventually, he was able to repay his debts, and he began building turnpikes. His wife died in 1852 and in the same year he married his second wife Eliza N. Dobbins. They had three children: one son, John S. Machen and two daughters, Mary E. Machen and Elizabeth Machen. He was again widowed in 1859. He married thirdly Victoria Theresa Mims, daughter of John Harrison Mims and Caroline Hanson (Cresap) Mims, on September 10, 1859. They had eight children (at least three died in childhood): sons, Frank P. Machen, Willis B. Machen (IV) (1872–1903), Charles Victor Machen and Albert Sidney Machen (1875–1876) and daughters, Minerva Buckner "Minnie" (Machen) Sayre (1860–1958) (the wife of Anthony D. Sayre and mother of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald), Maggie Davis Machen (1862–1864), Caroline Mims Machen (1874–1874) and Marjorie Lee (Machen) Rieke (1881–1913).

Political career Machen was delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1849, was a member of the Kentucky Senate in 1854, and was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1856 and 1860.

When a group of secessionist Kentuckians formed a Confederate government for the state, the Kentucky Confederate legislative council elected Machen as its president. Machen represented Kentucky's 1st congressional district in the First Confederate Congress, serving on the Accounts and Ways and Means Committees.

Friends encouraged Machen to run for governor, but there were questions about his eligibility, and he declined. On July 9, 1872, Kentucky's delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, Maryland nominated Machen for the office of Vice-President of the United States; he received one electoral vote. He died before she was born.