 Edgar M. Kahn , in his journal article on the 1860 California sojourn , wrote , " Benjamin 's life is an example of a man 's determination to overcome almost insurmountable barriers by industry , perseverance , and intelligent use of a remarkable brain . " This brilliance was recognized by contemporaries ; Salomon de Rothschild , in 1861 , deemed Benjamin " the greatest mind " in North America . Nevertheless , according to Meade , " he was given to quixotic enthusiasms and was sometimes too cocksure of his knowledge . " Ginsburg said of Benjamin , " he rose to the top of the legal profession twice in one lifetime , on two continents , beginning his first ascent as a raw youth and his second as a fugitive minister of a vanquished power . " Davis , after Benjamin 's death , deemed him the most able member of his Cabinet , and said that the lawyer 's postwar career had fully vindicated his confidence in him . 
