Christie Benet was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, December 1879, son of William Christie Benet, a native of Scotland, and Susan McGowan Benet, of Abbeville. He was educated in public schools, the University of South Carolina, and the College of Charleston, where he earned his Phi Beta Kappa key and A.B. degree in 1900. He attended the University of Virginia and received his LL. B. in 1902. In college Mr. Benet was an outstanding athlete and played tackle on the University of Virginia football team. He coached football teams a t the University of South Carolina and at the University of Virginia. In the annals of sports history M r . Benet is recorded as having played a leading part in quieting a confrontation among University of South Carolina and Clemson students following a 12-6 victory by the Carolina football team over the Clemson team. On October 17, 1906, he married Alice Haskell. They had two children, a son who died as a young man, and a daughter, Alice, who married Porcher P. Hopkins.

Mr. Benet was a former United States Senator and a leading Southern attorney. He performed distinguished services for his state and country: in 1908-09 he was Solicitor for the Fifth Circuit; from 1910-12 he was City Attorney for the municipality of Columbia, and for thirty-three years he served on the Board of Regents of the South Carolina State Hospital, twenty of those as Chairman of the Board. He never held public elective office after 1918 when he was appointed to fill a portion of Senator B. R. Tillman's term following Tillman's death. He lost his U.S. Senate seat to William P. Pollock in 1918. Despite this defeat he played active roles in the Democratic Party, twice as Secretary of the State Executive Committee.

Benet was elected a Life Trustee of Clemson in 1929 and served until his death in 1951. His legal knowledge and experience and his concern for higher education made him an invaluable member of Clemson's Board.