Charles Edward Bennett (December 2, 1910 – September 6, 2003) was an American politician serving as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1949 to 1993. He was a Democrat who resided in Jacksonville, Florida. He is the longest-serving member of either house of Congress in Florida's history. Early years He was born in Canton, New York and moved to Florida by the end of his childhood. He graduated from high school in Tampa. Bennett was an Eagle Scout and received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. In the history of the University of Florida, he is the only person to have served both as editor of the student newspaper (The Independent Florida Alligator), and president of the student body. As editor of the Alligator, he wrote editorial in favor of isolation and against the nation becoming involved in foreign wars. Bennett earned his bachelor's degree in 1932, then enrolled in the Law School. After graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1934, he practiced law in Jacksonville and was elected to the Florida state legislature in 1941. He resigned in March 1942 to join the United States Army and served with distinction in New Guinea as a guerrilla fighter during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. While overseas, he contracted polio which left his legs paralyzed for the remainder of his life. He went through 16 months of rehabilitation at a military hospital in Arkansas, then utilized leg braces, canes or crutches to walk. He received the Philippine Legion of Honor and the Gold Cross. In the U.S., he was awarded the Bronze and Silver Stars and was discharged as a captain in 1947. He married wife Dorothy Jean in 1953 and they had four children: Lucinda (Cindy), Charles Junior (who died in 1977 from a drug overdose), James and Bruce. Political career After the war, he was elected to Congress from what was then the 2nd District. He was re-elected 21 more times from this Jacksonville-based district, which was renumbered as the 3rd District in 1967. He rarely faced serious opposition, even as Jacksonville fell under increasing Republican influence. For instance, in 1972 he won 82 percent of the vote against a nominal Republican challenger (one of only six times the Republicans even put up a challenger against him) even as Richard Nixon carried the district by over 70