W. Horace Benjamin was born in Greenwood County, S.C. on August 20, 1917 to Samuel Horace and Ida M. Irwin Benjamin. He graduated from Furman University in 1945 and later the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Furman University in 1978.

In over fifty years of ministry, Dr. Benjamin served as pastor of Baptist churches in Wagener, Lamar, Abbeville, Anderson and Ware Shoals. From 1978-1995, he served as Outreach Minister at Berea First Baptist Church in Greenville. He lived a life of community service by serving as a Mason, chaplain to several fire departments, and member of the Rotary Club, Lions Club, and countless other community organizations where he ministered to many people. Benjamin died August 9, 2008.