Benjamin E. McLin

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name= Benjamin Earnest McLin

|image= Mclinbe.jpg

|imagesize = 180px

|caption=

|order=

|office= 2nd Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida

|term_start=January 9, 1901

|term_end= February 5, 1912

|governor=William S. Jennings (1901–1905)
Napoleon B. Broward (1905–1909)
Albert W. Gilchrist (1909–1912)

|majority= 18,694 (1904)

|predecessor= Lucius B. Wombwell

|successor=J.C. Luning

|state2=Florida

|state_senate2=Florida

|district2= 23rd

| term_start2=1895

| term_end2= 1899

|predecessor2= Alexander St. Clair-Abrams Sr.

father of Alexander St. Clair-Abrams

|successor2=P. W. Butler

|birth_date=September 22, 1851

|birth_place=Greene County, Tennessee{{Cite news |url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/07/59/08/00846/0304.pdf |newspaper=Ocala Evening Star |title =Hon. B. E. McLin Commissioner of Agriculture | page =3 | location =Ocala, Florida | date =May 13, 1908}}

|death_date={{death date and age|1912|1|31|1851|9|22}}

|death_place=Orlando, Florida

|party=Democratic{{Citation |first= Horace |last= Greeley|title =The Tribune Almanac and Political Register | page =252| publisher=The Tribune Association| location =New York, New York | year =1906}}

|spouse= {{Plainlist|

• {{Marriage|Malinda "Linnie" Peak Smith|1876|1886|end=d}}
• {{Marriage|Josephine Glidewell|September 18, 1887}}

}}

|alma_mater=King College; Hampden–Sydney College

|children=Eugene Earnest McLin, born September 1882;
Walter Smith McLin, born 1884;
John Blair McLin, born January 1882;
Linnie P. McLin, born July 1889;
Ruby Bearden McLin, born November 8, 1892;

|footnotes=

}}

Benjamin Earnest McLin (September 22, 1851 – January 31, 1912) was a lawyer, businessman and politician, who was a member of the Florida State Senate, and was the second Commissioner of Agriculture of Florida.

McLin was engaged in the milling business in Lake county. He was also extensively invested in growing and shipping oranges. At one time he also operated the largest orange crate manufacturer in Florida, however his plant burnt down and was entirely being wiped out by fire, unfortunately he had no insurance on the plant. Not long after his plant was destroyed, the freeze of 1894–95 swept away his entire orange grove.

He died on January 31, 1912, while attending the Orlando County Fair.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53773970/sudden-death-of-commissioner-b-e/ |title=Sudden Death of Commissioner B. E. McLin Head of Florida Agriculture Department |newspaper=The Miami News |location=Tallahassee, Florida |page=1 |date=1912-02-01 |access-date=2020-06-19 |via=Newspapers.com}}