Benjamin Hunkins (September 10, 1810 – April 27, 1900) was an American farmer, Indian agent, Democratic politician, and pioneer of Wisconsin and Nebraska.
He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Waukesha County during the 1860 term.
He purchased land in what became Waukesha County in the town of Mentor, renamed New Berlin in 1840.
Hunkins believed he had made headway in "civilizing the tribe", and called for them to abstain from alcohol.
[12] He was considered to be "a gentleman of decided force and marked ability - strong in mind, clear in judgment, logical in conclusion, and admirably fitted to have taken, under favorable surroundings, a prominent part in public affairs".
[13] In 1860 upon hearing that Sherman Booth had been recaptured by federal marshals, Hunkins, who admired Booth, introduced a resolution in the Assembly that the Governor of the State should "declare war against the United States", but the speaker ruled it unconstitutional and it went no further.