Benjamin G. Humphreys attended the United States Military Academy before being expelled for participating in the Eggnog Riot. He later served in the Mississippi Legislature and the state Senate. During the Civil War, he commanded a brigade in the Confederate Army, participating in significant battles such as Gettysburg. After the war, he was elected governor of Mississippi twice, professing the ideology of White supremacy. Following his political career, he worked in the insurance industry before retiring to his plantation.

Benjamin G. Humphreys's political identity is rooted in a staunch advocacy for White supremacy, a stance he openly professed during his tenure as Mississippi's governor. His strategic philosophy appears highly localized, focusing on maintaining regional power structures that favor white interests. Despite his post-war career in insurance, his rhetorical style remains steeped in the divisiveness of his era, revealing an ideological rigidity that contrasts sharply with any conciliatory post-Civil War reconciliation efforts. His legislative actions and public statements consistently align with protecting and perpetuating white dominance, presenting a calculated approach to governance that prioritizes racial hierarchy.