The Hon. Dennis F. Bender (Ret.) was a judge for the Seneca County Court in the Seventh Judicial District of New York. He was elected to the County Court in 1993 and was retained in subsequent elections. Bender retired in 2018.
At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving judge in the County’s history.
Bender received a B.A. from St. John Fisher College in 1974. He went on to earn a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School in 1977.
After serving for one year as a volunteer with the AmeriCorps VISTA, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bender returned to New York to work as an attorney with the Department of Social Services in 1978. After three years in that position, he entered into private practice.
He first practiced at a local law firm before going into solo practice. Bender ultimately left the private sector to become an assistant district attorney with the Seneca County District Attorney’s Office. Then, in 1985, he was elected the District Attorney for the County. He continued in the capacity until 1994.