Processed by Charley Lowell/Sara Skindelien, February 2008
Biographical Background:
Serge Nelson Benson was born on March 15, 1906 in Whitney, Idaho to Serge Ballif Benson and Melinda Caroline Nelson. His family moved to Logan, Utah in 1919 in order for Serge and his siblings to attend high school. Serge graduated from Logan High School in 1922 and then attended Utah Agricultural College from 1922-1924. He completed a mission for the L.D.S. Church from 1924-1926 and then returned to school and where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928. From 1928-1929, Serge served as the principal for Daggett County High school before moving to Washington, D.C. to work for the United States Tariff Commission as a commodity specialist while attending George Washington University Law School. In 1931, he wed Elizabeth Ruth Horton and together they had six children.
Serge graduated from law school in 1934 and continued to work as a commodity specialist until 1947 when he was appointed to the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee as an advisor on tariff and foreign trade matters. In 1949 he accepted a position with the Senate Finance Committee as an advisor to the Republicans until 1964 when he resigned in order to teach at Utah State University.
Professor Benson taught Business Law and Economics of Foreign Trade and also served as a University Attorney where he gave free legal advise to students. He was honored as professor of the year in 1973 and retired from teaching in 1974.
Serge Benson died in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 28, 1994.
Provenance:
This collection was donated to Utah State University Special Collections in 1998 by the estate of Serge N. Benson.
Scope and Content:
This one-box collection contains invitations, personal and professional correspondence, student files, photos and publications of Serge N. Benson. The collection is arranged chronologically according to Mr. Benson’s various position in the United States Government and Utah State University. Each folder is then arranged by date.
Inventory:
Box 1. Fd 1 Programs and invitations, 1933 to 1964
Fd 2 Personal outgoing correspondence no date
Fd 3 Personal incoming correspondence March 26, 1945 to November 23, 1948
Fd 4 Personal incoming correspondence January 18, 1950 to December 18, 1969
Fd 5 L.D.S. and Boy Scouts correspondence December 18, 1936 to January 24, 1963
Fd 6 Tariff Commission correspondence October 17, 1938
Fd 7 House of Representative Committee on Ways and Means correspondence January 30, 1947 to January 8, 1949
Fd 8 Article titled, “Congressman Carl T. Curtis Warns Armed Services Committee of Dangers in Synthetic Rubber Curbs”, December 11, 1947
Fd 9 Draft of Committee on Ways and Means report titled, “The Trade Agreements Program and Its Administration”, 1947
Fd 10 Senate Congressional Record, Vol. 95, No. 166 September 8, 1949
Fd 11 Report on the Republican Party and Foreign Trade, September 1952
Fd 12 Senate Finance Committee incoming correspondence January 30, 1953 to March 31, 1961.
Fd 13 Senate Finance Committee incoming correspondence April 12, 1960 to March 26, 1964
Fd 14 Senate Finance Committee outgoing correspondence October 7, 1954 to January 17, 1964
Fd 15 Letters of recommendation on behalf of Benson to the Tariff Commission May 2, 1953 to April 20, 1953
Fd 16 Photo of Benson with USAC - ROTC in Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson’s office April 3,1957
Fd 17 Letters of recommendation on behalf of Benson to the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals July 17, 1956 to February 7, 1957
Fd 18 Letters of recommendation on behalf of Benson to the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals September 25, 1957 to August 28, 1958
Fd 19 Letters of recommendation on behalf of Benson for appointment to the Tariff Commission February 16, 1959 to February 18, 1959
Fd 20 Article titled, “Clashing on Tariff Policy”, featuring Serge Benson and G. Griffith Johnson March 23, 1963
Fd 21 Utah State University correspondence January 7, 1964 to April 20, 1972
Fd 22 Utah State University student course evaluations
Fd 23 Newspaper clippings featuring Serge
Fd 24 Biographical background
Fd 25 Personal poetry
Fd 26 Utah State Society materials, 1956
Fd 27 Maryland Conservationist Vol. XXXIII, No. 5, 1959
Fd 28 Export Trade and Shipper article titled, “Future of Liberalized Trade Discussed in Washington”, October 8, 1956
Fd 29 Letter of commendation for brother Thomas N. Benson June 15, 1946
Fd 30 Renunciation of co-executor of father’s estate August 1961
