Craig Benson

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Craig Benson

89^th Governor of New Hampshire
In office January, 2003 – January 6, 2005
Preceded by	Jeanne Shaheen
Succeeded by	John Lynch

Born	October 8, 1954 (age 52) New York, New York
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Denise Benson
Profession	businessman

Craig Benson (born New York City, October 8, 1954) came to public attention by founding Cabletron Systems, a now defunct computer-products provider that over 15 years became one of the largest employers in New Hampshire, and was governor of the state from January 2003 to January 2005.

[edit] Biography

In his childhood he struggled with a speech impediment and severe asthma. He attended Chatham High School in Chatham, New Jersey. After receiving a bachelor's degree in finance from Babson College in 1977, Benson attended Syracuse University, graduating with an MBA in 1979.

In 1983, Benson and partner Bob Levine started Cabletron Systems in a garage. The company moved to Rochester, New Hampshire in 1985 and went public in 1989, with what was then the largest IPO in Wall Street history. Benson was known for his aggressive management style, under which the Cabletron workplace was characterized as "a military environment." He was forced to pay $2.5 million to a pair of employees after a court found him guilty of two counts of sexual discrimination.

Over time, Cabletron faced heavy competition in the industry. Benson resigned in 1997, reappointed himself CEO in 1998, and resigned again in 1999. Cabletron was dissolved into four separate companies (Enterasys Networks, Aprisma Technologies, Riverstone Networks, and Global Network Technology Services) in January 2000. Within months, Cabletron sold its manufacturing operation to Flextronics International for $100 million. The company's fragmentation brought layoffs, declines in stock price, and shareholder lawsuits.

[edit] Political career

Benson began running for governor of New Hampshire in 2001, promising to use technology and greater efficiency to save money in state government. Political signs appeared across the Granite State proclaiming "This is Benson Country." He was elected governor on November 5, 2002, in an open race to succeed the retiring governor, Jeanne Shaheen. In the primaries, Benson spent more than $15 million, most of it his own money, in an effort to defeat former State Senator Bruce Keough and former U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey to win the Republican nomination, making Benson's victory, in cost per vote, one of the most expensive in American history.

In the general election, Benson overwhelmingly defeated Democratic state Senator Mark Fernald, 59% to 38%. Benson successfully made Fernald's support for a statewide income tax the dominant issue in the race.

As Governor, Benson pushed for state agencies to institute across-the-board budget reductions, and famously used a giant "VETO" stamp to reject a state budget he thought was too large. Benson also championed a successful effort in the legislature to require parental notification for minors seeking an abortion; this law was later challenged in the Supreme Court in the case Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of New England.

Benson's administration came under criticism for claims of corruption stemming from scandals such as the resignation of Attorney General Peter Heed and the awarding of no-bid contracts to "volunteer" (and former Cabletron human resource administrator) Linda Pepin. Benson also frequently used "volunteers" in his office to do gubernatorial work, but would not say who they were or what they did. Reporters discovered that one of these "volunteers" (and former Cabletron director of operations), Angela Blaisdell, was New Hampshire's official liaison with the federal government on homeland security. In addition, the governor was accused of engaging in political payback when Dori Wiggins, supervisor of the Department of Environmental Services Wetlands Division in Portsmouth, was transferred to the department's Concord headquarters. Under Wiggins, the DES had fined Benson in 1998 and 2003 for excavating beach sand without a permit at his Rye oceanfront home.

In the 2004 election, he lost to Democratic challenger John Lynch, only the second time in 78 years that an incumbent New Hampshire governor was denied a second term. When the results became apparent, Benson drove home to Rye from his election night party without giving the traditional speech thanking his staff and supporters for their help. In May 2005, Benson refused to accept or pay for the $12,500 official portrait of himself that he commissioned in January 2004 from artist Romas Brandt.

A pro-life Roman Catholic, Benson and his wife, Denise, have two children.