Born Feb. 11, 1921 in Mission, Texas, Lloyd Bentson was an Eagle Scout and a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.
Bentson graduated in 1942 from the University of Texas Law School. After graduation he entered the U.S. Army Air Corp. He served from 1942 till 1945. His first post, as a private, was in Brazil doing intelligence work. He later became a pilot, and in 1944 he began flying combat missions in B-24's from southern Italy with the 449th Bombing Group. At age 23 he was promoted to the rank of Major and was given command of a squadron of 600 men.
In 18 months of combat, Bentson flew 35 dangerous missions against many difficult, remote and highly defended targets such as the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, which were critical the the Nazi war strategy. The 15th Air Force, to which the 449th was attached, is credited with destroying all of the petroleum production within its range. Major Bentson's unit also flew against communication centers, aircraft factories and industrial targets in Germany, Italy, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Bentson participated in bombing raids in support of the Anzio Campaign and flew bombers against hard targets in preparation for the landing in southern France.
Bentson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the Army Air Corp, and now Air Force, highest commendations for valor in combat. In addition, Bentson was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. Before completing his military service, Bentson was promoted to the rank of Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
After the war, Bentson returned to Texas. From 1947-1955 he served as Hidalgo County Judge. In 1954 he declined to seek re-election and entered a prosperous career in business. By 1970, he had become President of Lincoln Consolidated, a financial holding institution. Following his successful campaign for the Democratic nomination in the Senate that year, he resigned all management positions. Bentson went on to win the general election when he was pitted against Congressman...and future President...George H.W. Bush. On election night, Bentson beat Bush convincingly.
Bentson was overwhelmingly re-elected to the Senate in 1976, 1982, and 1988. He defeated Republicans in all four of his Senate elections, including Bush. In 1988, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis chose Bentson to be his running mate in the 1988 Presidential election. Bentson was responsible for one of the most memorable moments of the campaign, when during a televised debate with Republican Vice Presidential nominee Dan Quayle, he countered Quayle's self-comparison to John F. Kennedy with the famous rebuttal,
"Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Unfortunately the Dukakis-Bentson ticket failed to win.
Bentson retired from the Senate in January of 1993, in order to serve as the 69th Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton from 1993-1994. As Secretary of the Treasury, Bentson helped to shepherd Clinton's first budget through Congress. In 1999, President Clinton award Bentson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In 1998 Bentson suffered a stroke which left him wheelchair bound. He now lives in Huston, Texas.
