Benjamin Wright Raymond was born in Rome, New York on June 15, 1801. He served two terms as mayor of Chicago, once from 1839 to 1840 and again from 1842-1843. Along with J.C. Adams, he founded the Elgin Watch Company in Elgin, Illinois, in the 1860s and was the company's first president. Elgin watches made for specifically for railroads bore his initials "BWR" and today these watches are sought after by collectors.

Benjamin Wright Raymond was married to Amelia Porter and together they had two sons. Mayor Raymond died on April 6, 1883.