Duane Benton

For other people named William Benton, see William Benton (disambiguation).

William Benton
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office July 2, 2004
Appointed by	George W. Bush
Preceded by	Theodore McMillian
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri
In office July 1, 1997 – June 30, 1999
Preceded by	John Holstein
Succeeded by	William Price
Judge of the Supreme Court of Missouri
In office August 16, 1991 – July 2, 2004
Appointed by	John Ashcroft
Preceded by	William Billings
Succeeded by	Mary Russell
Personal details
Born	September 1950 (age 74) Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University Yale University University of Memphis University of Virginia

William Duane Benton (born 1950 in Springfield, Missouri) is a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Eighth Circuit nomination

Benton was nominated by President George W. Bush on February 12, 2004, to a seat vacated by Theodore McMillian and confirmed just over four months later by the United States Senate by a voice vote on June 24, 2004. He received his commission on July 2, 2004.

Education

Benton graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in 1972, and took his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1975, where he was Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal and graduated alongside Justice Samuel Alito. Benton also has an M.B.A. from Memphis State University and an L.L.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law. Subsequently, Benton was selected as a Danforth Fellow at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he completed the Senior Executive's Program.

Career

Prior to joining the federal bench, Benton served on the Supreme Court of Missouri from 1991 to 2004, where he was Chief Justice from 1997 to 1999. Benton was director of the Missouri Department of Revenue in the administration of then-Governor John Ashcroft from 1989 to 1991, and served as an administrative aide to a United States Congressman Wendell Bailey from 1981 to 1982. From 1983 to 1989, Benton practiced law in Jefferson City, Missouri. Benton served as a captain in the U.S. Navy/Naval Reserve from 1972 to 2002, and as judge advocate in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1979. Benton has taught at the University of Missouri School of Law, and at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

Personal life

Benton currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri, with his wife Sandra and has two children.

External links

• Duane Benton at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.