Benjamin Long
{{Short description|American politician (1838–1877)}}
{{For|the New Caledonia football player|Benjamin Longue}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Benjamin Long
| image = Benjamin Long.png
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| order = 11th and 13th
| office = Mayor of Dallas
| term_start = 1868
| term_end = 1870
| deputy =
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| succeeding =
| predecessor = George W. Guess
| successor = Henry Ervay
| birth_name = Benjamin Lang
| birth_date = {{birth date|1838|03|07}}
| birth_place = Zürich, Switzerland
| death_date = {{Death date and age |mf=yes |1877|06|23|1838|03|07}}
| death_place = Dallas, Texas, United States
| restingplace = Greenwood Cemetery,
Dallas, Texas
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| nationality = Swiss-American
| spouse = {{marriage|Eugenia De Vleschondere|March 25, 1862}}
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| children = Benjamin Long, Jr., Annie Long, Mary Long, Eugenia Long, Lucia Long
| residence =
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| occupation = Grocer
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| termstart2 = 1872
| termend2 = 1874
| predecessor2 = Henry Ervay
| successor2 = William Lewis Cabell
}}
Benjamin Long (March 7, 1838 – June 23, 1877) was a Swiss-born grocer and immigrant to Texas, where he served as Mayor of Dallas between 1868–70 and 1872–74.
Biography
Benjamin Long was born March 7, 1838, in Zürich, Switzerland. He married Eugenia De Vleschondere, an immigrant from Belgium, on 25 March 1862 at the home of Jacob Nussbaumer in Dallas, Texas. They had one son and four daughters.Ohan, Christopher."Ben Long: The Politics of Dallas's Practical Utopian." Legacies. A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Vol. 14 (Spring 2002), No. 1, p. 4-11.
He emigrated to join of the La Réunion Colony, a utopian community which failed in part because too many of the settlers were skilled craftsmen and not enough were farmers. Many of the settlers moved into Dallas after the colony was dissolved. It was then that Lang changed the spelling of his name to Long.Proud Heritage II: Pioneer Families of Dallas County. Dallas County Pioneer Association, p. 150 - 151.
Because he supported the Union against slavery, during the American Civil War Lang moved to Mexico to avoid becoming involved in the hostilities. Following the Civil War, he was appointed mayor of Dallas by the military government in Austin for the term 1868–1870. He became a naturalized citizen in 1869. He resigned as mayor in April 1870 to return to Switzerland where he encouraged immigration to Texas. He was re-elected for a two-year term 1872–1874, but was defeated for re-election in 1874.1870 Dallas county, Texas census. NARA Publication M593, Roll 1581, P. 423A
Long provided funds for the right of way for the Texas and Pacific Railway and helped to secure land for the construction of the depot during his second term in office. He also built an artificial recreation lake, Long's Lake.Cook, George. "Hidden in Plain Sight. The Story of Long's Lake." Legacies. A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas. Vol. 22 (Spring 2010), p. 4-14 He was a member of the Tannehill Lodge #52 A.F. and A.M.
On June 23, 1877, Benjamin Long was killed by a drunk patron of a Swiss saloon on Austin and Wood streets over a minor disagreement."Murder Rampant." The Dallas Daily Herald. June 24, 1877, p. 1 He was interred at Trinity Cemetery, now known as Greenwood, leaving behind a wife and four young children."The End." The Dallas Daily Herald. June 26, 1877, p. 1
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Mayors of Dallas}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Benjamin}}
Category:People murdered in 1877
Category:19th-century mayors of places in Texas
Category:Deaths by firearm in Texas
Category:Politicians from Zurich