alfred bennett was born in dubuque, iowa on june 10, 1854. in 1865 he and his parents took the oregon trail to oregon and settled in washington county. by 1870 alfred set off on his own and eventually ended up in the dalles, oregon where he taught and learned the law between 1873 and 1880. in 1880, he passed the bar, this was while serving as wasco county superintendent of schools from 1878 until 1882.