Benjamin Bourne was born in Bristol, Rhode Island on September 9, 1755. After graduating from Harvard College in 1775, Bourne studied law and began practice in Providence. During the Revolutionary War, he served as ensign, then quartermaster of the Second Rhode Island Regiment in 1776.
After the war, Bourne began his political life as a member of the Rhode Island general assembly in 1789 and 1790.
In 1799, Bourne was appointed to a committee to revise the state's militia laws. From 1783 to 1784, Bourne collected excise tax for Providence County. Then, between 1785 and 1789, he served as Justice of the Peace in Providence County. In 1789, with the Reverend James Manning, Bourne petitioned Congress regarding relief from import duties imposed upon Rhode Island as a foreign nation.
After Rhode Island ratified the Constitution, Bourne was elected to the First through Third Congresses and as a Pro-Administration Party member to the Fourth and Fifth Congresses. Bourne's
congressional career dates from August 31, 1790 to 1796.
Upon returning to Rhode Island, Bourne was first appointed judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island in 1801 and, then judge of the United States Circuit Court for the Eastern Circuit.
Bourne died in Bristol, Rhode Island on September 17, 1808.
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