Judge Benjamin Montmoranoi "Benmont" Tench, jr.

1919 - 2005  (85 years)

• Name	Benjamin Montmoranoi "Benmont" Tench
  Prefix	Judge
  Suffix	jr.
  Nickname	Benmont
  Born	23 Oct 1919	Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
  Gender	Male
  Group	Davidson 001 Family of Immigrant Samuel Davidson
  	Descendants of immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
  Group	Davidson Direct Descendant
  	Direct Descendant of any immigrant Davidson
  Group	Davidson DNA Family 001
  	Descendants of John, George, and Samuel Davidson of Beverley Manor, Virginia, and Iredell county, North Carolina
  Group	Descendant of Revolutionary War Veteran
  	DAR or SAR Eligible Descendant of a Revolutionary War Veteran
  1920 Census	1920
  	not located
  Died	25 Apr 2005	Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
  	Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 Name:      Benmont Tench  [Benjamin M Tench] Gender:      Male Race:      White Birth Date:      23 Oct 1919 Birth Place:      Gainesville, Florida Father Name:      Benjamin M Tench Mother Name:      Frances Darby Death Date:      25 Apr 2005 Type of Claim:      Original SSN. Notes:      21 Jun 1983: Name listed as BENMONT TENCH; 03 May 2005: Name listed as BENJAMIN M TENCH
  Buried	Aft 25 Apr 2005	Evergreen Cemetery, Gainesville, Alachua County, FL
  Obituary	28 Apr 2005	Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
  	Gainesville Sun
  	Benjamin M. Tench Jr. - Longtime attorney, judge Tench dies Benjamin M. Tench Jr., who spent almost 50 years in Gainesville as an attorney and judge, died Monday at his home. He was 85. Mr. Tench most recently served as a senior court judge for the 8th Judicial Circuit. He was a circuit court judge until his retirement in 1990, at which time he remained a senior court judge until 2000. His friends and associates remember him as a caring and cheerful man, and they said he will be remembered most for the way he mentored and nurtured young attorneys who were just getting their feet wet in the matters of law. "Of all the things he did, mentoring young lawyers while he was a lawyer, and he continued that while he was a judge, had the most impact on the community," said Dick Jones, who was a partner in the law firm Tench, Goldin and Jones, which was founded in 1968. Jones said he knew Mr. Tench from the time he himself was a law student. He said Mr. Tench took him under his wing, allowing him to become a part of his law firm Tench and Reynolds, until they later formed their own firm. "I started working for him when I was in law school in 1958, and we have been friends since then," he said. "He was a delightful man, a great lawyer and a fun person to be around." Retired Circuit Court Judge Larry Turner, who went into private practice with Jones after retiring from the bench at the end of 2004, said Mr. Tench also was his mentor. "He loved the law, and as recently as a week before his death when I visited him, he still enjoyed talking about the law and life as a judge, both his and mine," Turner said. Turner said he got his start in law when he became a law clerk with Tench, Goldin and Jones. He said he will always remember the passion Mr. Tench had for the law. "He was a sweet man, which is a statement that men don't often make about other men," Turner said. "He was a kind, caring, considerate and sweet man, and I loved him." Mr. Tench was born and raised in Gainesville, having graduated from P.K. Yonge Laboratory School. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1947. He received a Bronze Star for his service in the European Theater in World War II. He got his start in the criminal court system as a municipal judge for the city of Gainesville from 1949-1954. In 1959 he became an assistant state attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit, but in 1962 he went to Panama as head of the U.S. Economic Mission to Panama and as an attaché to the U.S. Embassy. When he returned, he became the special assistant attorney general of Florida for one year before becoming an assistant public defender in Gainesville. In 1971, he became a judge with the Felony Court of Record, and later moved to the 8th Judicial Circuit Court in 1973 when it was established. He remained with the 8th Judicial Circuit until his retirement in 1990. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Catherine McInnis Tench, in 2003 after 53 years of marriage. His four children have gone on to very different but interesting occupations, something his daughter, Lauchlin Tench Waldoch, said her father took pride in. "He was always so proud we were all so varied and different," she said. Waldoch is a board-certified elder law attorney in Tallahassee. Son Benmont Tench III is a keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Daughter Darby Tench Leicht is an operatic singer and university professor, living in New Hampshire. And his third daughter, Rachel Tench, lives in Gainesville and is the development coordinator for the Harn Museum of Art. He is also survived by two grandchildren. Funeral Services will be Friday at 11 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville. The family will gather with friends at Mr. Tench's home tonight from 5:30 until 7. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Advocacy Fund of the Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys. Arrangements by Milam Funeral and Cremation Services in Gainesville. Alice Wallace can be reached at 374-5036 or alice.wallace@ gvillesun.com.
  Obituary	29 Apr 2005	Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida
  	Florida Time-Union
  	Benjamin M. Tench Jr. TENCH The Honorable Benjamin M. Tench, Jr., of Gainesville, Florida, died Monday evening, April 25, 2005 in his home at age 85. He was born in Gainesville on October 23, 1919, attended PK Young Laboratory School, attended the University of Florida and graduated in 1941 with a tripe major in speech, Spanish and English Literature. Judge Tench received the Bronze Star for service as a Major, Field Artillery during World War II. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1947 and was admitted to the practice of law in 1948 in Virginia and in 1949 in Florida, where he practiced law in Gainesville, until 1962. Other professional activities and experience include, Gainesville Junior Chamber of Commerce Good Government Award, 1953; President's Conference of Foreign Aspects of National Security, 1957; Delegate, State at Large, Democratic National Convention, 1956; State Campaign Manager, Primary Election, Adlai Stevenson for President, 1956, Co-Director, Florida Stevenson- Kefauver Democratic Campaign Committee 1956; Aide to Permanent Chairman, Democratic National Convention, 1960; Organizer and Co-Chair, Alachua Committee for Voluntary Contributions to Kennedy-Johnson Campaign Fund, 1960; State Finance Coordinator, General Election Democratic Gubernatorial Campaign, 1970. Tench served in the United States Foreign Service between 1962 and 1966 as head of the U. S. Economic Mission to Panama and Attache of the United States Embassy in Panama. Judge Tench was active in the Florida Bar, throughout his career and was the founding Chairman of the Criminal Law Section. He lectured and served on numerous other Bar committees and educational programs.Tench was a Municipal Judge, City of Gainesville, Assistant State Attorney, Special Assistant Attorney gnereal and Assistant Public Defender. He was appointed Felony Court of Record Judge in 1971 and was elevated to the circuit court of the Eighth Judicial Circuit in 1973 where he served until 1990. He was married to Mary Catherine McInnis from 1950 until her death in 2003. He is survived by his four children, Lauchlin Tench Waldoch, Benjamin J. Tench, III, Darby Tench Leicht, and Rachel Tench. Other survivors include Steve Waldoch, John Leicht, Victoria Cyr and Michael Peyton as well as grandchildren, Catherine Ashley Waldoch and Alexander Dawkins P. Waldoch, as well as his nurse and family friend, Linda Pittman, caregivers, Sharon Danzy, Barbara Davis, and Theresa Mack and faithful Cairn Terrier, Duncan, King of Scotland. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com
  Person ID	I61028	DNA Family 1 Genealogies | Descendants of Immigrant Samuel Davidson of DNA Family 001
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2015

  
  

  Father	Benjamin Montmoranoi "Benmont" Tench, Sr.,   b. 19 Aug 1873, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida ,   d. 2 Oct 1956, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida  (Age 83 years)
  Mother	Frances Darby,   b. 12 Apr 1891, Florida ,   d. 16 May 1974  (Age 83 years)
  Married	Abt 1914
  Family ID	F10449	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mary Catherine McInnis,   b. 21 Sep 1924, Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi ,   d. 26 Mar 2003, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida  (Age 78 years)
  Married	Abt 1950
  Children	1. L. Tench   2. B.M.". Tench, III   3. D. Tench   4. R. Tench
  Last Modified	29 Aug 2015
  Family ID	F10452	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 23 Oct 1919 - Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida Died - 25 Apr 2005 - Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida Buried - Aft 25 Apr 2005 - Evergreen Cemetery, Gainesville, Alachua County, FL Obituary - Gainesville Sun - 28 Apr 2005 - Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida  = Link to Google Earth