The official portrait of former New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson is going up at the Statehouse, a dozen years after he left office.
Benson, a Republican, served one term as governor from 2003 to 2005. The former CEO of a company called Cabletron, he promised to run the state like a business, but ended up being the first governor in 78 years to be denied a second term.
The portrait being unveiled Thursday was painted by Richard Whitney, who has painted five other New Hampshire governors.
Current Gov. Chris Sununu, who took office in January, was the first Republican since Benson to be elected governor. He already appears on the Statehouse wall, in a family photo in the background of the portrait of his father, former Gov. John H. Sununu.