Born in Lake Linden, Michigan to a Jewish family, Benedict received a B.S.

He developed the gaseous diffusion method for separating the isotopes of uranium and supervised the engineering and process development of the K-25 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where fissionable material for the atomic bomb was produced.

He received many awards for his work on the Manhattan Project during World War II, and for his later career as a scientist, educator, and public servant, which focused on nuclear power and other peaceful uses of atomic energy.

[7] From 1958 to 1968, Benedict was a member and chair of the advisory committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, appointed by Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy.

Two daughters, Marjorie Cohn of Arlington, Massachusetts, and Mary Sauer of Naperville, Illinois and Naples, Florida, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren survive him.