Kizer, Benjamin H. (Benjamin Hamilton), 1878-1978

Benjamin Kizer, Spokane attorney, was born in Ohio, but came to Spokane with his family in 1890. He never finished high school, but after working at a variety of jobs, went to the University of Michigan Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1902. He maintained his law practice until his death at the age of 99. He was active in public affairs and from 1944 to 1946, served as the United National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration director in China. He advocated relations with China in the 1940s and 1950s, and was charged by Republicans as sympathizing with the communists. He was president of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, the Spokane County Welfare Board , the Washington State Planning Council and the Pacific Northwest Regional Planning Commission, among many other organizations.

Benjamin Kizer came to Spokane from his native Ohio in 1890. He attended law school at the University of Michigan and returned to Spokane in 1903 to practice law. He was active in professional organizations, serving as president of the Washington State Bar and Spokane County Bar Associations. A member of many civic organizations, he was also United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Director in China following World War II. Even during the Cold War years, Kizer was an active advocate of diplomacy with the People’s Republic of China.