Alvin Morell Bentley III (1918–1969) represented Michigan in the U.S. House of Representatives after a career in diplomacy. He returned to Owosso in 1950 and remained closely associated with the city. His family’s industrial wealth included connections to the Owosso Manufacturing Company.[1][2]
Education and diplomatic service
Bentley graduated from the University of Michigan in 1940 and studied at Turner’s Diplomatic School in Washington. His overseas service took him to Mexico, Colombia, Hungary, and Italy. He resigned from the diplomatic service in 1950, returned to Owosso, and entered Republican politics.[1]
Congress and the 1954 shooting
Elected in 1952, Bentley served four terms, from January 3, 1953, to January 3, 1961. On March 1, 1954, he was among five representatives wounded when Puerto Rican nationalists fired into the House chamber from the visitors’ gallery. He survived wounds to his chest and abdomen.[1][2]
He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1960 and for Michigan’s at-large congressional seat in 1962. He also participated in the 1961–1962 state constitutional convention.[1][2]
Education and philanthropy
Bentley established the Alvin M. Bentley Foundation in 1961 to support educational, scientific, and charitable work. After Congress, he resumed graduate study at the University of Michigan and earned a master’s degree in history in 1963. Governor George Romney appointed him to the university’s Board of Regents in 1966.[2][1]
His foundation later supported scholarships and civic education. In 1971, his widow Arvella’s donation helped provide a new home for the university’s Michigan Historical Collections, subsequently named the Bentley Historical Library.[2]
Owosso legacy
Bentley died in Tucson, Arizona, on April 10, 1969, and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Owosso. His political papers and photographs are held at the University of Michigan.[1]
Text attribution
This entry adapts and condenses material by Wikipedia contributors ↗, with additional sources and editorial revisions as cited. This article text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 ↗.
References
- 1. Alvin Morell Bentley ↗. U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- 2. Alvin Morell Bentley ↗. Wikipedia contributors. Accessed October 27, 2026.