After a survey of the field the promoters selected as the most available for the latter office the Chicago, Burlington and quincy.
"History of the United States, Volume 6 (of 6)"
E. Benjamin Andrews
No other American statesman, except John quincy Adams,-certainly neither of his great contemporaries, Webster and Clay,-kept doing continually better work throughout his term of public service, or showed himself able to rise to a higher level at the very end than at the beginning.
"Thomas Hart Benton"
Theodore Roosevelt
His geographical knowledge was wonderful; and his good nature, as well as his delight in work for work's sake, made him of more use than any library of reference, if his friends needed information upon some abstruse matter,-Webster himself acknowledging his indebtedness to him on one occasion, and being the authority for the statement that Benton knew more political facts than any other man he had ever met, even than John quincy Adams, and possessed a wonderful fund of general knowledge.
"Thomas Hart Benton"
Theodore Roosevelt