Born on October 7, 1860 at Arlington, Bennington County, Vermont on the very same street where Ethan Allen lived so long ago, reared and primarily educated in that old New England town, and finishing his course at an academy in Manchester, which is one of the oldest in the United States, George A. Benedict, of Upton, Wyoming is far from the scenes and associations of his early life, engaged in pursuits almost unknown to his native place. His parents, Charles and Esther (Burton) Benedict, were also natives of Vermont and prosperous farmers, as farming goes in that state. The father died in 1898 and the mother in 1900, and both are buried in Arlington, where their useful lives were passed, their home being as has been noted located on the street of that town which has the historic distinction of being the one on which stood the home of that remarkable patriot, Ethan Allen, during the closing years of his life. After leaving school George A. Benedict worked with his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age, then, after a year of effort in his native state on his own account, he came to Missouri, and locating at Sadalia, began business in the sheep industry. In a few months, however he gave this up and going to Independence went to work on a sheep ranch. In the autumn of 1883 he drove a large flock of sheep from Lexington, Missouri to Mitchell County, Kansas and there spent three years in the sheep business for himself, being one of the largest sheepmen in that part of the country. In the fall of 1886 he removed his stock to Buffalo County, Nebraska where he sold them. He then accepted employment with Swift & Company as a buyer and superintendent of outfits covering the territory embraced in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, with his headquarters in Nebraska. His duties were to buy sheep and look after the outfits, which took them back to Nebraska to be fed. After some years he also did shepherding for the firm. He remained in their employ thirteen years. He took up his residence in Wyoming in 1897 and lived at Newcastle until 1901. In January of that year he resigned his position with Swift & Co., and formed a partnership with C. L. Erickson for the purpose of conducting an extensive shepherding business. They have two plants for this industry one in Wyoming and one in Montana and that they sheared in 1902 more then 150,000 sheep indicates the magnitude of the business. The firm name is Benedict & Erickson and it s well known throughout the sheepraising country. Mr. Benedict is also interested in various commercial enterprises. Among them being the Cambria Live Stock Co., running sheep in Weston County, Wyoming in which he is a stockholder. He is also manager of all the outside interests of the company and under his skill and care they have been prospered and greatly multiplied. In Fraternal relations he is connected with the order of Freemasons and with the order of Red Men, holding membership in lodges at Arlington, VT. In polities he is an active Republican deeply interested in the success of his party and contributing his share toward its advancement.
