CHAPTER XXV.
PERSONAL.
Contested Seats — Mr. Stockton votes for Himself — New
Jersey's loss of two Senators — Losses of Vermont —
Suicide of James H. Lane — Death in the House — General
Scott — Lincoln's Eulogy and Statue — Mr. Sumner on Fine
Arts in the Capitol — Censure of Mr. Chanler — Petition
for the expulsion of Garret Davis — Grinnell assaulted by
Rousseau — The Action of the House — Leader of the House.
Matters of interest relating to the members of the Thirty-ninth Congress remain to be noticed. Some names of members appear in the opening scenes of Congress which were substituted by others before the close. This was occasioned partly through successful contests for seats by persons who, after an investigation of their claims, were declared to have been legally elected, but failed, through fraud or mistake, to receive their credentials. The right of Mr. Voorhees, of Indiana, to a seat in the Thirty-ninth Congress was contested by Henry D. Washburn. The testimony in this case was laid before the Committee on Elections early in the session, and after patient hearing of the parties and careful consideration of the subject, the committee reported in favor of Mr. Washburn and unseated Mr. Voorhees.
The seat in Congress taken at the opening of the session by James Brooks, of New York, was decided by the committee, after consideration of the claims of the contestant, to belong to William E. Dodge, a merchant of New York city.
The right of John P. Stockton, of New Jersey, to a seat in the Senate having been disputed on account of irregularity in his election, the Senate came to a vote on the question, after considerable discussion, on the 23d of March, 1866. Mr. Stockton was declared entitled to his place by the close vote of 22 to 21, he giving the decisive vote in favor of himself. There arose a very exciting debate as to the right of a Senator to vote for himself under such circumstances. Mr. Stockton finally yielded to the arguments against his right to sit in judgment on his own case, and he was unseated March 27th by a vote of 22 to 21. For a time the seat thus vacated, to which New Jersey was entitled in the Senate, remained unoccupied on account of the refusal of the Republican Speaker of the New Jersey Senate to give his vote in favor of the nominee of the Union caucus, Mr. Cattell. On account of the nearly equal balance of the parties, the choice was long deferred, but eventually made in favor of Mr. Cattell. The other seat held by New Jersey in the Senate was practically vacant for a considerable time on account of the illness of its incumbent, Mr. William Wright, who consequently resigned and eventually died before the expiration of the Thirty-ninth Congress.
Other seats in Congress were vacated by death. Of all the States, Vermont suffered most severely in this respect. A part of the proceedings of the Thirty-ninth Congress consists of funeral addresses and eulogies upon Judge Collamer, a distinguished Senator from Vermont, whose term of service, had he lived, would have expired with the close of this Congress. He died, lamented by the nation, on the 8th of November, 1865. One who took a prominent part in the funeral obsequies of Mr. Collamer was Solomon Foot, the surviving Senator from Vermont. A man termed, from his length of service, "the father of the Senate," long its presiding officer, of purest morals, incorruptible integrity, and faithful industry, he died universally lamented on the 28th of March, 1866. Mr. Foot's death created a profound impression, since it exhibited, in a most remarkable manner, the effect of Christianity in affording its possessor a happy close of life.
The death of another Senator stands forth in striking contrast with that of Mr. Foot. On the first of July, 1866, Senator James H. Lane shot himself at Leavenworth, Kansas. While on his way home from Washington, when at St. Louis, he had intimated a determination to commit suicide. His friends watched him closely, and obtained possession of his pocket-knife lest he might use it for the fatal purpose. Mr. Lane having reached Leavenworth, two of his friends invited him to ride with them on Sabbath afternoon. After getting into the carriage, he expressed a desire to return to his room for his cane, refusing to allow any one to go for him. Mr. Lane having returned with his cane, they drove to the heights overlooking the city. He entered cheerfully into the conversation, remarking upon the beauty of the city and landscape. On returning, they had to pass through a gate that separated two fields. One of the gentlemen alighted to open the gate. At the same time Mr. Lane stepped down from the carriage, and, passing around behind it, said, "Good-by, gentlemen," and instantly discharged a pistol with its muzzle in his mouth. The ball passed out at the top of his head, near the center of the skull, producing a fatal wound. The unhappy man lingered for a few days in a state of unconsciousness and died. Thus ended the stirring, troubled life of one who as a politician had occupied no inconsiderable space in the public eye.
A number of seats in the House of Representatives were vacated by death. James Humphrey, an able and honored member from New York, died in Brooklyn on the 16th of June, 1866. During the second session of the Thirty-ninth Congress, two members of the House of Representatives were removed by death—Philip Johnson, of Pennsylvania, in his third term of Congressional service, and Henry Grider, of Kentucky, a veteran member, who, having served in Congress from 1843 to 1847, was more recently a member of the Thirty-seventh, Thirty-eighth, and Thirty-ninth Congresses.
Congress was called upon to pay funeral honors to others than its members. The death of General Scott, so long the illustrious chief of the military establishment of the nation, was regarded with due solemnity and honor by Congress, who deputized a large committee to attend the funeral obsequies at West Point. An equestrian statue of the distinguished General was voted by Congress to adorn the public grounds of the national capital.
The name of Abraham Lincoln, the nation's martyred President, was always pronounced with profoundest respect and sincerest gratitude in the halls of Congress. His birthday, February 12th, was celebrated by the adjournment of Congress, and such an assembly as the hall of Representatives has rarely witnessed, to hear a eulogy pronounced by Mr. Bancroft, the American historian. An appropriation of ten thousand dollars was made to pay a young artist, Miss Minnie Ream, to model a statue of Abraham Lincoln. This proposition elicited an animated discussion, and was the occasion of a most interesting address by Mr. Sumner on Art in the Capitol. "Surely this edifice," said he, "so beautiful and interesting, should not be opened to the experiments of untried talent. Only the finished artists should be invited to its ornamentation.
"Sir, I doubt if you consider enough the character of this edifice in which we are now assembled. Possessing the advantage of an incomparable situation, it is one of the first-class structures in the world. Surrounded by an amphitheater of hills, with the Potomac at its feet, it resembles the capitol in Rome, surrounded by the Alban hills, with the Tiber at its feet. But the situation is grander than that of the Roman capitol. The edifice itself is worthy of the situation. It has beauty of form and sublimity in proportions, even if it lacks originality in conception. In itself it is a work of art. It ought not to receive in the way of ornamentation any thing which is not a work of art. Unhappily this rule has not always prevailed, or there would not be so few pictures and marbles about us worthy of the place they occupy. But bad pictures and ordinary marbles should warn us against adding to their number."
Perhaps no Congress in the history of the country presents fewer disagreeable incidents of a personal nature than this. The Democrats in Congress being in such a small minority as to be unable to do any thing effectual either to impede or advance legislation, could only present their vain protests in words. Chafing under the difficulties they encountered, it is not surprising that at times they used language so ill-timed and unparliamentary as to call forth the censure of the House.
On one occasion, Mr. Chanler, of New York, submitted a resolution "that the independent, patriotic, and constitutional course of the President of the United States, in seeking to protect, by the veto power, the rights of the people of this Union against the wicked and revolutionary acts of a few malignant and mischievous men meets with the approval of this House, and deserves the cordial support of all loyal citizens of the United States."
For introducing this resolution, the House voted to censure Mr.
Chanler as having "attempted a gross insult to the House."
Before the vote was taken, Mr. Chanler said: "If by my defiance I could drive your party from this hall, I would do so; if by my vote I could crush you, I would do so, and put the whole party, with your leader, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Stevens], into that political hell surrounded by bayonets referred to by him in his argument on Thursday last."
In the Senate a petition was presented from citizens of New York praying that Garret Davis be expelled from the Senate, and, "with other traitors, held to answer to the law for his crime, since he stood in the attitude of an avowed enemy of the Government"—since he had made the declaration in reference to the Civil Rights Bill "that if the bill should become a law, he should feel compelled to regard himself as an enemy of the Government, and to work for its overthrow."
"It is true," replied Mr. Davis, "that I used in substance the words that are imputed to me in that petition; but, as a part of their context, I used a great many more. As an example of garbling, the petition reminds me of a specimen that I heard when I was a young man. It was to this effect: 'The Bible teaches "that there is no God."' When those words were read in connection with the context, the passage read in about these terms: 'The fool hath said in his heart that there is no God.' That specimen of the Bible was about as fair as this garbled statement is of what I said upon the matter to which it refers."
The most serious subject coming up for the censure of the House was an assault made by Mr. Rousseau, of Kentucky, upon Mr. Grinnell, of Iowa. In many of its features this incident resembles the "affairs" of a personal character which were of frequent occurrence when Southern members were in Congress before the war. In February, 1866, Mr. Rousseau, in the course of a speech on the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, made the remark, "If you intend to arrest white people on the ex parte statement of negroes, and hold them to suit your convenience for trial, and fine and imprison them, then I say that I oppose you; and if you should so arrest and punish me, I would kill you when you set me at liberty."
To this Mr. Grinnell replied, "I care not whether the gentleman was four years in the war on the Union side or four years on the other side, but I say that he degraded his State and uttered a sentiment I thought unworthy of an American officer when he said that he would do such an act on the complaint of a negro against him."
To this Mr. Rousseau, on the following day, replied: "I pronounce the assertion that I have degraded my State and uttered a sentiment unworthy an American officer to be false, a vile slander, and unworthy to be uttered by any gentleman upon this floor."
Some months after this, Mr. Rousseau, in a public speech delivered in New York city, denounced Mr. Grinnell as a "pitiable politician from Iowa." In a speech made in the House on the 11th of June, Mr. Rousseau said of Mr. Grinnell: "I do not suppose that any member of this House believed a word he said. When a member can so far depart from what every body believes he ought to know and does know is the truth, it is a degradation, not to his State, but to himself."
"When any man," replied Mr. Grinnell—"I care not whether he stands six feet high, whether he wears buff and carries the air of a certain bird that has a more than usual extremity of tail, wanting in the other extremity—says that he would not believe what I utter, I will say that I was never born to stand under an imputation of that sort.
"The gentleman begins courting sympathy by sustaining the President of the United States preparatory to his assault upon me. Now, sir, if he is a defender of the President of the United States, all I have to say is, God save the President from such an incoherent, brainless defender, equal in valor in civil and in military life. His military record—who has read it? In what volume of history is it found?"
Mr. Rousseau determined to resent the insult which he conceived to be offered him in this speech by inflicting a bodily chastisement upon Mr. Grinnell. On the morning of June 14th, Mr. Rousseau informed a military friend of his purpose of flogging Mr. Grinnell. The person so informed procured a pistol and waited in the capitol until the close of the day's session, in order to be present at the flogging and see "fair play." Two other friends of Mr. Rousseau, also armed with pistols, happened to be present when the scene transpired. While Mr. Grinnell was passing from the House through the east portico of the capitol, he was met by Mr. Rousseau, who, in an excited manner, said, "I have waited four days for an apology for words spoken here upon this floor."
"What of that?" asked Mr. Grinnell.
"I will teach you what of that," said Mr. Rousseau, who then proceeded to strike Mr. Grinnell about the head and shoulders with a rattan, stopping occasionally to lecture him, and saying, "Now, you d——d puppy and poltroon, look at yourself."
After receiving half a dozen blows, Mr. Grinnell exclaimed, "I don't want to hurt you."
"I don't expect you to hurt me, you d——d scoundrel," said Mr. Rousseau, "but you tried to injure me upon the floor of the House. And now look at yourself; whipped here; whipped like a dog, disgraced and degraded! Where are your one hundred and twenty-seven thousand constituents now?"
A committee was appointed to investigate this disgraceful affair. In just one month after the transaction, a report was presented, signed by Messrs. Spalding, Banks, and Thayer, stating the facts in the case, and recommending the expulsion of Mr. Rousseau. They also proposed a resolution to express disapproval of the reflections made by Mr. Grinnell upon the character of Mr. Rousseau. The "views of the minority" were also presented by Messrs. Raymond and Hogan. They recommended that the punishment of Mr. Rousseau should be a public reprimand by the Speaker. After protracted discussion, the House came to a final decision. The motion to expel, requiring two-thirds, failed by a few votes. The motion by which the Speaker was directed to publicly reprimand Mr. Rousseau was carried by a vote of 89 to 30. There were not enough in favor of the motion to disapprove of Mr. Grinnell's remarks to call the ayes and noes. Mr. Rousseau endeavored to evade the execution of the sentence by sending his resignation to the Governor of Kentucky. The House declared that a member could not dissolve his connection with the body under such circumstances, without its consent. On the 21st of July, the execution of the order was of the House having been demanded, Mr. Rousseau appeared at the bar, when the Speaker said, "General Rousseau, the House of Representatives have declared you guilty of a violation of its rights and privileges in a premeditated personal assault upon a member for words spoken in debate. This condemnation they have placed on their journal, and have ordered that you shall be publicly reprimanded by the Speaker at the bar of the House. No words of mine can add to the force of this order, in obedience to which I now pronounce upon you its reprimand."
Early in the second session of the Thirty-ninth Congress, an interesting case came up relating to the privileges and immunities of a member of Congress. Charles V. Culver, Representative of the Twentieth District of Pennsylvania, having been engaged very extensively in banking, made a failure in business. In June, 1866, during the session of Congress, one of his creditors caused his arrest upon a contract for the return of certain bonds and notes alleged to have been lent to him, charging that the debt incurred thereby was fraudulently contracted by Culver. In default of required security, Mr. Culver was committed to jail, where he remained until the 18th of December. Mr. Culver claimed his immunity as a member of Congress, under the clause of the Constitution which provides that Senators and Representatives "shall in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the sessions of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same." The judge decided that the offense fell under the constitutional exception, and was to be regarded as a "breach of the peace." From this remarkable decision an appeal was made to the House of Representatives itself, as "the highest court of the nation, and depository of its supreme authority." The case was referred to the Judiciary Committee, who reported a resolution, unanimously adopted by the House, directing the Speaker to issue his warrant to the Sergeant-at-Arms, commanding him to deliver forthwith Charles V. Culver from the custody of the sheriff and jailor of Venango County, and make return to the House of the warrant, and the manner in which he may have executed the same. The Sergeant-at-Arms proceeded immediately to execute the order of the House, and in a short time the Speaker announced that Mr. Culver was unrestrained in his seat as a member of the Thirty-ninth Congress.
Among the numerous distinguished men who constituted the Thirty-ninth Congress, no one towered so conspicuously above the rest as to be universally recognized and followed as the "leader." This title has been frequently applied to Thaddeus Stevens. He was in many respects the most prominent figure in the Thirty-ninth Congress. His age, his long fidelity to the principles of the Republican party, his uncompromising spirit, and his force of character made him a conspicuous and influential member of the House, but did not cause him to be generally recognized or implicitly followed as a leader.
In so large a legislative body, composed of so many men of independent thought and action, acknowledging no parliamentary leader, it is remarkable that the wheels of legislation should run so smoothly, and that after all the disagreement in discussion, great results should be at last so harmoniously wrought out. This is partly due to the patriotic spirit which pervaded the minds of its members, inducing them to lay aside minor differences of opinion for the good of that common country for which their constituents had lately made such tremendous sacrifice. The result is also owing to the parliamentary ability and tact of him who sat patiently and faithfully as Speaker of the House. Deprived by his position of opportunity of taking part in the discussions, which his genius and experience fitted him to illustrate, he nevertheless did much to direct the current of legislation which flowed smoothly or turbidly before him. The resolution of thanks to the Speaker, moved by a member of the minority, and passed unanimously by the House, was no unmeaning compliment, but was an honor fairly earned and justly paid.
The labor of presiding over the Senate—a much lighter task, owing to the smaller number which composed the body—was faithfully performed by Mr. Foster. His remarks to the Senate on retiring from the chair as President pro tempore, and closing a career of twelve years as a member of the body, were most beautiful and impressive.
Benjamin F. Wade, "a Senator from Ohio," having been duly elected President pro tempore of the Senate, took the "iron-clad oath" and assumed his seat as acting Vice-President of the United States without ostentation or remark.
At twelve o'clock noon of March 4, 1867, the Thirty-ninth Congress closed its existence, handing over its great enactments to the country, and its unfinished business to its successor, which immediately came into life.
BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX OF THE THIRTY-NINTH CONGRESS.
(The numbers appended to the following sketches refer to preceding pages of the book.)
[The names of Republicans are printed in ROMAN; of Democrats in ITALICS.]
JOHN B. ALLEY was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, January 7, 1817. Having learned the art of shoemaking, he devoted himself to the shoe and leather trade. After having served several years in the City Council of Lynn, he was chosen a member of the Governor's Council in 1851. He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate in 1852, and of the State Constitutional Convention held in the following year. In 1858 he was elected a Representative in Congress from Massachusetts. He entered upon his fourth Congressional term in 1865 as a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress; and was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by General Butler.
WILLIAM B. ALLISON was born in Wayne County, Ohio, March 2, 1829. He was educated at Alleghany College, Pennsylvania, and at Western Reserve College, Ohio. From 1851 to 1857 he practiced law in Ohio, and subsequently settled in Dubuque, Iowa. He was a member of the Chicago Convention of 1860. As a member of the Governor's staff; in 1861, he rendered efficient service in raising troops for the war. In 1862 he was elected a Representative in the Thirty-Eighth Congress, from Ohio. He was re-elected in 1864, and again in 1866.—527.
OAKES AMES was born in Easton, Massachusetts, January 10, 1804. He has devoted most of his life to the business of manufacturing, taking but little public part in politics. Having served for two years as a member of the Executive Council of his State, he was, in 1862, 1864, and 1866, elected a Representative in Congress, from Massachusetts.—31.
SYDENHAM E. ANCONA was born in Warwick, Pennsylvania, November 20, 1824. Removing to Berks County, he was, for a number of years, connected with the Reading Railroad Company. In 1860 he was elected a Representative to the Thirty-Seventh Congress from Pennsylvania, and was subsequently returned to the Thirty-Eighth and Thirty-Ninth Congresses. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by J. Lawrence Getz.
GEORGE W. ANDERSON was born in Tennessee, May 22, 1832. Having received a liberal education, he adopted the profession of law. In 1853 he settled in Missouri, where he soon after became editor of the "North-East Missourian." In 1858 he was elected to the State Legislature. In 1862 he was chosen a State Senator, and served as such until he was elected a Representative from Missouri to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
HENRY B. ANTHONY was born of Quaker ancestry, at Coventry, Rhode Island, April 1, 1815. He graduated at Brown University in 1833. He became editor of the "Providence Journal" in 1838. He was chosen Governor of Rhode Island in 1849, and served two terms. In 1859 he was elected a Senator in Congress from Rhode Island, and was subsequently re-elected for a second term, which ends in 1871.—36, 37, 487, 488, 497.
SAMUEL M. ARNELL was born in Maury County, Tennessee, May 3, 1834. He studied at Amherst College, Massachusetts, and adopted the profession of law, which he practiced in Columbia, Tennessee. In April, 1865, he was elected a member of the Legislature of Tennessee, and in the following August was elected a Representative in Congress. The Tennessee delegation not being admitted at the opening of the Thirty-Ninth Congress, he continued to hold his seat in the Legislature. He was the author of the Franchise Law, which became a part of the Constitution of Tennessee, and of the Civil Rights Bill of Tennessee. He took his seat as a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress at the opening of its second session, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
DELOS R. ASHLEY studied and practiced the profession of law in Monroe, Michigan. In 1849 he removed to California, where he was elected District Attorney in 1851. He was elected to the Assembly in 1854, and to the State Senate in 1856. He subsequently held the office of Treasurer of State. Having removed to Nevada in 1864, he was elected the Representative from that State to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
JAMES M. ASHLEY was born in Pennsylvania, November 14, 1824. He spent several years of his early life in a printing-office, and was some time a clerk on Ohio and Mississippi steamboats. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1849, but immediately engaged in the business of boat-building. He subsequently went into the wholesale drug business in Toledo. In 1858 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Sixth Congress, and has been a member of every succeeding Congress, including the Fortieth.—306, 503, 513, 515, 525, 566.
JEHU BAKER was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, November 4, 1822. He received a good education, and entered the profession of law. Having settled in Illinois, he was, in 1864, elected a Representative from that State to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected in 1866.—340,560.
JOHN D. BALDWIN was born in North Stonington, Connecticut, September 28, 1810. He graduated at Yale College. Having studied law, and gone through a course of theological studies, he published a volume of poems, and became connected with the press, first in Hartford, and then in Boston, where he was editor of the "Daily Commonwealth." He subsequently became proprietor of the "Worcester Spy." In 1860 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention. In 1862 he was elected a Representative in Congress from Massachusetts, and was re-elected in 1864 and 1866.
NATHANIEL P. BANKS was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, January 30, 1816. His parents, being poor, could afford him no advantages of education save those of the common school. He was editor of a newspaper first in Waltham and then in Lowell. He studied law, but did not practice. In 1848 he was elected to the Legislature. He served in both Houses, and officiated part of the time as Speaker. He was President of the Convention, held in 1853, for revising the Constitution of Massachusetts. From 1853 to 1857 he was a Representative in Congress. During his second term in Congress he held the office of Speaker of the House, with unsurpassed acceptability and success. In 1857 he was elected Governor of Massachusetts, and held the office for three successive terms. During the late rebellion he served as a Major-General of Volunteers. In 1865 he was elected a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected in 1866.—25, 31, 445, 524, 525, 539, 553.
ABRAHAM A. BARKER was born in Lovell, Maine, March 30, 1816. He received a common-school education, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was an early and earnest advocate of temperance and anti-slavery. In 1854 he removed to Pennsylvania, and entered upon the lumber business and mercantile pursuits. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention. In 1864 he was elected to represent the Seventeenth District of Pennsylvania in the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Daniel J. Morrell.
PORTUS BAXTER was born in Brownington, Vermont. He received a liberal education, and engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits. In 1852 and 1856 he was a Presidential Elector. In 1860 he was elected a Representative from Vermont to the Thirty-Seventh Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Eighth and Thirty-Ninth Congresses. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Worthington C. Smith.
FERNANDO C. BEAMAN was born in Chester, Vermont, June 28, 1814, and was removed in boyhood to New York. He received an English education at the Franklin County Academy, and studied law in Rochester. In 1838 he removed to Michigan, and engaged in the practice of his profession. He served six years as Prosecuting Attorney for the county of Lenawee, and four years as Judge of Probate. In 1856 he was a Presidential Elector. In 1860 he was elected a Representative from Michigan to the Thirty-Seventh Congress, and was successively re-elected to the Thirty-Eighth, Thirty-Ninth, and Fortieth Congresses.—447.
JOHN F. BENJAMIN was born in Cicero, New York, January 23, 1817. After having spent three years in Texas, he settled in Missouri, in 1848, and engaged in the practice of law. He was a member of the Missouri Legislature in 1851 and 1852, and was a Presidential Elector in 1856. He entered the Missouri Cavalry as a private, in 1861, and by a series of promotions reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He resigned to accept the appointment of Provost-Marshal for the Eighth District of Missouri. He was a delegate to the Baltimore Convention of 1864, and was the same year elected a Representative from Missouri to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and in 1866 was re-elected.—366.
TEUNIS G. BERGEN was born in Brooklyn, New York, October 6. 1806, He received an academical education at Flatbush, and engaged in surveying and horticulture. He served the town of New Utrecht as supervisor for twenty-three years. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1860 he was a member of the Democratic Conventions of Charleston and Baltimore. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from New York to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. At the close of his Congressional term he was elected a member of the New York Constitutional Convention of 1867. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Demas Barnes.
JOHN BIDWELL was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., August 5, 1819. In 1829 he removed with his father to Erie, Pennsylvania, and two years after to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where, through his own exertions he obtained an academical education. In 1838 he taught school in Darke County, Ohio, and subsequently taught two years in Missouri. In 1841 he emigrated to California, one of the first adventurers on the wild overland route. At the breaking out of the war with Mexico, he entered the service of the United States as a private, and reached the rank of Major. He was among the first who discovered gold on Feather River in 1848. In 1849 he was elected to the State Constitutional Convention, and to the Senate of the first Legislature of California. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Charleston Convention, and refused to sanction the secession movement there made. In 1863 he was appointed Brigadier General of California militia, when it was necessary to organize in order to preserve the peace of the State. In 1864 he was a member of the Baltimore Convention, which renominated Lincoln. The same year he was elected a Representative from California to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was not a candidate for re-election to Congress, since nearly all the papers in the State had hoisted his name as candidate for Governor. He failed, however, to receive the nomination for that office by the Republican Convention. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by James A. Johnson.—31.
JOHN A. BINGHAM was born in Pennsylvania in 1815. Having received an academical education, and spending two years in a printing-office, he entered Franklin College, in Ohio, but owing to ill-health, did not prosecute his studies to graduation. He was admitted to the bar in 1840, and from 1845 to 1849 he was Prosecuting Attorney for the county of Tuscarawas. In 1854 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Fourth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Fifth, Thirty-Sixth, and Thirty-Seventh Congresses. In 1864 he was appointed a Judge-Advocate in the Army, and Solicitor of the Court of Claims. He was Assistant Judge-Advocate in the trial of the Assassination Conspirators, in May, 1865. In 1865 he took his seat for his fifth term of service in Congress and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress—25, 67, 237, 285, 319, 357, 434, 448, 474, 475, 505, 520, 526, 537.
JAMES G. BLAINE was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1830. After graduating at Washington College, 1847, he removed to Maine and became editor of the "Kennebec Journal," and "Portland Advertiser". He was four years a member of the Maine Legislature, and served two years as Speaker of the House. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Maine to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was successively re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—333, 437, 527, 528, 536.
HENRY T. BLOW was born in Southampton county, Virginia, July 15, 1817. In 1830 he removed to Missouri, and goon after graduated at the St. Louis University. He engaged extensively in the drug and lead business. He served four years in the Senate of Missouri. In 1861 he was appointed by President Lincoln Minister to Venezuela, but resigned the position before the expiration of a year. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Missouri to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Carman A. Newcomb.
GEORGE S. BOUTWELL was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, January 28, 1818, and removed to Groton in 1835. He was engaged in mercantile business as clerk and proprietor for several years, and subsequently entered the profession of the law. From 1842 to 1850 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1849 and 1850 he was Bank Commissioner. In 1851 he was elected Governor of Massachusetts, and served two terms. He was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853. He was eleven years a member and Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, and ten years a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard College. He was appointed Commissioner of the Internal Revenue, in July, 1862, and organized the Revenue system. In 1863 he took his seat as a Representative in Congress from Massachusetts, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses. He is the author of a "Manual of the School System, and School Laws of Massachusetts," "Educational Topics and Institutions," "A Manual of the Revenue System," and a volume just published, entitled "Speeches on Reconstruction."—31, 91, 442, 475, 526, 528, 536, 553.
BENJAMIN M. BOYER was born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1823. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, and adopted the profession of law. In 1848 he was elected District Attorney for the county of Montgomery. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Pennsylvania to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.—54, 438.
ALLEN A. BRADFORD was born in Friendship, Maine, July 23, 1815. In 1841 he emigrated to Missouri, where he was admitted to the bar in 1843. He held the office of Clerk of the Circuit Court of Atchinson County, and subsequently removed to Iowa, where he was appointed Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit. Resigning this office in 1855, he went to Nebraska, and became a member of the Legislative Council. Having, in 1860, settled in Colorado, he was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court for that territory, and held this office until he was elected a delegate to the Thirty-Ninth Congress from Colorado. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by George M. Chilcott.
AUGUSTUS BRANDEGEE was born in New London, Conn., July 15, 1828. He graduated at Yale College in 1849, and at the Yale Law School in 1851. From 1854 to 1861 he served in the Connecticut Legislature, of which he was Speaker in the latter year. He was a Presidential Elector in 1861, and was elected a Representative to the Thirty-Eighth Congress from Connecticut in 1863, and was re-elected in 1865. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Henry H. Starkweather.
HENRY H. P. BROMWELL was born in Baltimore, Maryland, August 26, 1823. Having spent seven years of his boyhood in Ohio, he went to Illinois in 1836, and came to the bar in 1853. He was subsequently an editor, Judge of a County Court, and Presidential Elector. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Illinois to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and in 1866 was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.—349, 538.
JAMES BROOKS was born in Portland, Maine, November 10, 1810. When eleven years old he became a clerk in a store. At sixteen he was a school-teacher, and at twenty-one graduated at Waterville College. After several years spent in traveling and writing letters for the press, he was, in 1835, elected to the Legislature of Maine. In 1836 he established the "New York Daily Express," of which he has since been chief editor. In 1847 he was elected to the General Assembly of New York. In 1849 and again in 1851 he was elected a Representative in Congress. In 1863 he was returned to Congress. In December, 1865, he took his place as a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress, but held it only until the 6th of April following, his seat having been successfully contested by William E. Dodge. In 1866 he was elected a Representative from New York to the Fortieth Congress.—17, 20, 25, 335, 336, 568.
JOHN M. BROOMALL was born in Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, in 1816. Having received a common-school education, he devoted himself to legal studies and pursuits. In 1861 he was a Presidential Elector. In 1862 he was elected to represent the Seventh Pennsylvania District in Congress. Two years later was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.—223, 360, 439, 504.
B. GRATZ BROWN is grandson of John Brown, who was United States Senator from Kentucky in 1805. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, May 28, 1826. Having graduated at Yale College and studied law, he settled at St. Louis, Mo., where he edited the "Missouri Democrat," from 1854 to 1859, and was a member of the State Legislature. He raised a regiment at the breaking out of the war, which he commanded during its term of service. He was among the foremost champions of freedom in Missouri, and was elected a Senator in Congress from that State for the term commencing in 1863 and ending in 1867. He was succeeded by Charles D. Drake.—285, 477, 493.
CHARLES R. BUCKALEW was born in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, December 28, 1821. He was admitted to practice law in 1843, and was elected Prosecuting Attorney for his native county in 1845. In 1850 he was elected a Senator in the State Legislature, which office he held for a series of years. In 1854 he was a Commissioner to exchange the ratifications of a treaty with Paraguay. He was a Presidential Elector in 1856, and Chairman of the State Democratic Committee in 1857. He was appointed by President Buchanan Minister to Equador in 1858, and held the position until 1861. He was, in 1863, elected United States Senator from Pennsylvania for the term ending 1869.—296, 401, 413, 494, 532, 535, 547, 548.
RALPH P. BUCKLAND was born in Leyden, Massachusetts, January 20, 1812, and was removed by his parents to Ohio in the same year. From 1831 to 1834 he was clerk in a large cotton commission house in New Orleans. Returning to Ohio, he took an academical course of study at Kenyon College. Having studied law, he was admitted to the bar in 1837. He was a member of the Philadelphia Whig Convention of 1848. In 1855 and 1857 was elected to the Senate of Ohio. In 1861 he was appointed Colonel of the Seventy-Second Ohio Infantry, and commanded a brigade in the battle of Shiloh. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, and participated in the siege of Vicksburg. He was subsequently assigned to the command of the District of Memphis, and defeated Forrest in his attack on that city. At the close of the war he was brevetted a Major General of Volunteers. In 1864, while absent in the field, he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected in 1866.
HEZEKIAH S. BUNDY was born in Marietta County, Ohio, August 15, 1817. Having been left an orphan when a mere boy, and the support of the family devolving upon him, his opportunities for attaining an education were limited. From 1835 to 1846 he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, and subsequently turned his attention to farming and the furnace business. Meanwhile he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. He served two terms in the House of Representatives of Ohio, and was, in 1855, elected State Senator. In 1860 he was a Presidential Elector, and in 1864 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by John T. Wilson.
WALTER A. BURLEIGH was the Delegate from Dakota Territory in the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He received a common-school education, studied medicine, and practiced his profession for a number of years. He was subsequently appointed an Indian Agent, and removed to the West. Soon after the organization of the Territory of Dakota he was elected to represent its interests in Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
WILLIAM B. CAMPBELL was born in Tennessee, and served as Captain of mounted Volunteers in the Florida War. He served for some time in the State Legislature, and was a Representative in Congress from 1837 to 1843. He commanded the first regiment of Tennessee Volunteers in the Mexican War, and at its close he was elected a Circuit Judge. From 1851 to 1853 he was Governor of Tennessee. In 1865 he was elected a Representative from Tennessee to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, but was not admitted until July, 1866. He died of disease of the heart at his residence in Lebanon, Tennessee, August 19, 1867.
ALEXANDER G. CATTELL was born in Salem, New Jersey, in 1816. He received a commercial education, and began his business-life, as a clerk, at the age of thirteen. Before reaching his majority he had advanced to the head of a large and flourishing business. In 1840 he was elected to the General Assembly of New Jersey, and in 1844 he was a member of the Convention called to frame a new Constitution for that State. He subsequently became the head of the extensive mercantile house of A. G. Cattell & Co., of Philadelphia. During a residence of nine years in that city he was several times elected to the City Council, and was President of the Corn Exchange Association, which, largely through his exertions, recruited and equipped two and a half regiments for service in the late war. Having resumed his residence in New Jersey, he was, in 1866, elected a Senator in Congress from that State.—569.
ZACHARIAH CHANDLER was born in Bedford, New Hampshire, December 10, 1813. He received an academical education, and removed to Michigan, where he engaged extensively in mercantile pursuits and in banking. In 1851 he held the office of Mayor of Detroit. In 1852 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Michigan. He entered the United States Senate, during the Thirty-Fifth Congress, as the successor of General Cass. In 1863 he was re-elected to the Senate for the term ending in 1869.—27, 397.
JOHN W. CHANLER was born in the City of New York in 1826. In 1859 and 1860 he was a member of the General Assembly of New York. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from New York to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—64, 156, 337, 338, 571.
J. FRANCISCO CHAVES was born in New Mexico in 1833. He studied medicine in New York, and subsequently devoted several years to mercantile pursuits and cattle-raising. In 1861 he entered the military service as Major of the First New Mexico Infantry, and after seeing much active service was mustered out as Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1865 he was elected a Delegate from New Mexico to the Thirty-Ninth Congress.
DANIEL CLARK was born in Stratham, New Hampshire, October 24, 1809. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1834, and was admitted to the bar in 1837. From 1842 to 1857 he was repeatedly a member of the New Hampshire Legislature. In 1857 he was elected a Senator in Congress from New Hampshire, and in 1861 he was re-elected for the term ending in 1867. At the close of the first session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress he resigned his seat in the Senate, having been appointed U. S. District Judge for New Hampshire.—28, 201, 202, 388, 453, 455, 456, 479.
READER W. CLARKE was born in Bethel, Clermont County, Ohio, May 18, 1812. He learned the art of printing, but subsequently studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1836. In 1840 and 1841 he was a member of the Ohio Legislature. He was a delegate to the Baltimore Convention of 1844, and was a Presidential Elector in the same year. For six years succeeding 1846 he held the office of Clerk of the Courts of Clermont County. He was a delegate to the Chicago Convention of 1860. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
SIDNEY CLARKE was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, October 16, 1831. He adopted the profession of an editor, and published the "Southbridge Press." He emigrated to Kansas in 1858, and settled in Lawrence. In 1862 he was a member of the Kansas Legislature. He served during the rebellion as Captain of Volunteers, and Assistant Provost Marshal General for Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Dakota. In 1864 he was elected the Representative from Kansas to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth.—88.
AMASA COBB was born in Crawford County, Illinois, September 27, 1823. He emigrated to Wisconsin Territory in 1842, and engaged in the lead-mining business. He served as a private in the Mexican War, and at the close of this service he commenced the practice of law. He served as District Attorney, State Senator, and Adjutant-General of Wisconsin. He was subsequently a member of the State Legislature, and was chosen Speaker. He was Colonel of the Fifth Wisconsin Regiment in the war, and was elected a Representative from Wisconsin to the Thirty-Eighth, Thirty-Ninth, and Fortieth Congresses.
ALEXANDER H. COFFROTH was born in Somerset, Pennsylvania, May 18, 1828. He commenced the practice of law in 1851. He was a delegate to the Charleston Convention in 1860, and was elected a Representative to the Thirty-Eighth Congress. He appeared as a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress, but his seat was successfully contested by William H. Koontz.
SCHUYLER COLFAX was born in New York City, March 23, 1823. He became a printer, and settled in Indiana, 1836. He was for many years editor and publisher of the "South Bend Register." In 1850 he was a member of the Indiana Constitutional Convention. He was a delegate and secretary of the Whig National Conventions of 1848 and 1852. He was elected a Representative from Indiana to the Thirty-Fourth Congress, and has been a member by re-election of each succeeding Congress. He was elected Speaker of the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the same office in the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—12, 20, 289, 306, 363, 501, 574, 576.
ROSCOE CONKLING, son of Alfred Conkling, a member of the Seventeenth Congress, was born at Albany, in 1828. Having entered the profession of law, he successively held the offices of District Attorney for Oneida County and Mayor of Utica. In 1859 he took his seat as a member of the Thirty-Sixth Congress from New York, and remained a Representative in Congress by successive re-elections until the 4th of March, 1867, when he entered the United States Senate as the successor of Ira Harris.—328, 330, 348, 363, 481, 513, 514.
JOHN CONNESS was born in Ireland in 1822, and came to America when thirteen years of age. He was an early emigrant to California, where he engaged in mercantile and mining pursuits. In 1852 he was elected to the State Legislature, and served in that capacity for a series of years. In 1863 he was elected United States Senator from California for the term ending in 1869.—540.
BURTON C. COOK was born in Monroe County, New York, May 11, 1819. He received a collegiate education, and entered upon the profession of law in Illinois. After serving as State Attorney for six years, he was elected to the State Senate in 1852, and was a member of that body until 1860. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Illinois to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.—223, 350, 351.
EDMUND COOPER was born in Maury County, Tennessee. He graduated at the Harvard Law School, and entered upon the practice of law at Columbia, and afterwards at Shelbyville, Tennessee. He has served in the Tennessee Legislature, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1865. In August, 1865, he was elected a Representative from Tennessee to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, but was not admitted until near the close of the first session. While waiting at Washington to be admitted to Congress, he acted as Private Secretary to President Johnson. In November, 1867, he was appointed by the President to act as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
EDGAR COWAN was born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, September 19, 1815. He graduated at Franklin College, Ohio, in 1839. Having been at different times clerk, boat-builder, schoolmaster, and student of medicine, he studied law and practiced the profession until 1861, when he was elected United States Senator from Pennsylvania for the term ending 1867. He was succeeded by Simon Cameron.—96, 100, 133, 135, 195, 216, 273, 429, 460, 487, 489, 496, 535, 564.
AARON H. CRAGIN was born in Weston, Vermont, February 3, 1821. He studied law in Albany, New York, and in 1847 removed to Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he practiced his profession. From 1852 to 1855 he was a member of the New Hampshire Legislature. He was a Representative from New Hampshire in the Thirty-Fifth and Thirty-Sixth Congresses. In 1865 he entered the Senate of the United States for the term ending in 1871.
JOHN A. J. CRESWELL was born in Port Deposit, Maryland, November 18, 1828. He graduated at Dickinson College in 1848, and was admitted to the bar in 1850. He was successively a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, Assistant Adjutant-General for the State and a Representative in the Thirty-Eighth Congress. In 1865 he was chosen a United States Senator for the unexpired term of T. H. Hicks, deceased.—134, 136.
SHELBY M. CULLOM was born in Wayne County, Kentucky, November 27, 1829, and was removed to Illinois, when scarcely a year old, by his parents, who settled in Tazewell County. He spent two years as a student at the Mount Morris Seminary. Having studied law, he entered upon the practice of his profession in Springfield, and was immediately elected City Attorney. In 1856 he was elected to the State Legislature, and was re-elected in 1860, and chosen Speaker of the House. In 1856 was a Fillmore Elector for the State at large. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Illinois to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. In 1866 he was re-elected by more than double his former majority.—516.
CHARLES V. CULVER was born in Logan, Ohio, September 6, 1830. Having settled in Western Pennsylvania, he engaged in business pursuits, and especially in banking. He was largely concerned in railroads and other public enterprises. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from the Twentieth District of Pennsylvania to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Darwin A. Finney.—575.
WILLIAM A. DARLING was born in Newark, New Jersey, December 17, 1817.
He shortly after settled in New York City, where he received a
commercial education, and devoted himself to the wholesale business.
He became a Director of the Mercantile Library Association, and served
eleven years as officer and private of the Seventh Regiment, National
Guard. From 1847 to 1854 he was Deputy Receiver of Taxes for New York
City. In 1860 he was a Presidential Elector, and in 1863 and 1864 was
President of the Union and Republican Organization of New York City.
In 1864 he was elected a Representative from New York to the
Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was nominated for the Fortieth Congress, and
was defeated by Fernando Wood by 1600 majority, in a District giving
Hoffman (Dem.) for Governor nearly 6000 majority.—81.
GARRETT DAVIS was born at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, September 10, 1801. Having received an English and classical education, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. With his professional labors he joined a considerable attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1833 he was elected to the Legislature, and was twice re-elected. He was a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1839. From the latter year to 1847 he was in Congress, representing the District in which Henry Clay resided, of whom he was a warm personal and political friend. In 1861 he was elected a Senator in Congress from Kentucky, and was re-elected in 1867.—24, 136, 171, 199, 208, 243, 287, 296, 430, 458, 460, 484, 493, 498, 531, 533, 534, 548, 572.
THOMAS T. DAVIS was born in Middlebury, Vermont, August 22, 1810.
Having removed to the State of New York, he graduated at Hamilton
College in 1831, and was admitted to the bar in Syracuse in 1833. He
has devoted much attention to business relating to railroads,
manufactures, and mining. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from
New York to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the
Thirty-Ninth. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Dennis
McCarthy.—63, 361.
HENRY L. DAWES was born in Cummington, Massachusetts, October 30, 1816. Having graduated at Yale College in 1839, he engaged successively in school-teaching, editing a newspaper, and practicing law. From 1848 to 1853 he was a member of the Legislature of Massachusetts. In 1853 he was chosen District Attorney for the Western District of the State, and held the office until 1856, when he was elected a Representative from Massachusetts to the Thirty-Fifth Congress. He has been a member of every subsequent Congress, including the Fortieth.—30, 478.
JOHN L. DAWSON was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1813. He was educated at Washington College, adopted the profession of law, and was, in 1845, appointed by President Polk United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Since 1844 he has been a member of most of the Democratic National Conventions. In 1850 he was elected a Representative to the Thirty-Second Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Third, in which he served as Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, and was the author of the Homestead Bill which passed in 1854. In 1855 he was appointed by President Pierce Governor of Kansas, but declined the office. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Pennsylvania to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by John Covode.—144, 505.
JOSEPH H. DEFREES was born in White County, Tennessee, May 13, 1812. When eight years old he removed to Piqua, Ohio, and a few years after, he entered a printing-office, in which he obtained the most of his early education. In 1831 he established a newspaper in South Bend, Indiana, and two years after removed to Goshen, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1836 he was elected Sheriff of Elkhart County. In 1849 he was elected to the House of Representatives of Indiana, and in 1850 to the State Senate. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Indiana to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. His successor in the Fortieth Congress is William Williams.
COLUMBUS DELANO was born in Shoreham, Vermont, in 1809. When eight years old he removed to Mount Vernon, Ohio, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1831. In 1844 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Twenty-Ninth Congress. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention. In 1861 he was appointed Commissary General of Ohio. Two years after he was a member of the Ohio Legislature. In 1864 he was a delegate to the Baltimore Republican Convention, and was in the same year elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. His successor in the Fortieth Congress is George W. Morgan.—236, 285 539, 564.
HENRY C. DEMING was born in Connecticut. He graduated at Yale College in 1836, and at the Harvard Law School in 1838. He had been a member of the Lower House and Senate of Connecticut, and for six years Mayor of Hartford, when in 1861 he went into the war as Colonel of the Twelfth Connecticut Regiment. He participated in the capture of New Orleans, and was Mayor of that city until 1868, when he returned to his native State, and was soon after elected a Representative in the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected in 1865, He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by Richard D. Hubbard.—31.
CHARLES DENISON was born in Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, January 23, 1818. He graduated at Dickinson College in 1839, and entered the profession of law. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Pennsylvania to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected in 1864. He was succeeded in the Fortieth Congress by George W. Woodward.
ARTHUR A. DENNY was born in Indiana, in 1822, and removed in boyhood to Illinois. In 1851 he removed to Washington Territory, and was a member of the Territorial Legislature from 1853 to 1861. He was four years Register of the Land Office at Olympia, and was subsequently elected a Delegate from Washington Territory to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. He was succeeded by Alvan Flanders in the Fortieth Congress.
JAMES DIXON was born in Enfield, Connecticut, in 1814. He graduated at Williams College in 1834, and soon after entered upon the practice of law. In 1837 he was elected to the Legislature of Connecticut, and was twice reëlected. He was a Representative in Congress from Connecticut from 1845 to 1849. In the latter year he was elected to the State Senate. He was elected United States Senator from Connecticut in 1857, and was re-elected in 1863.—423, 425, 495, 548.
NATHAN F. DIXON, son of a Senator of the same name, was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, May 1, 1812, and graduated at Brown University in 1833. After attending the Law Schools at New Haven and Cambridge, he was admitted to the bar in 1837. From 1840 to 1849 he was a member of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, and after having served in the Thirty-First Congress, was again elected to the Legislature. In 1863 he was elected a Representative from Rhode Island to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and entered upon his second Congressional term in 1865. He was in 1866 re-elected to the Fortieth Congress.
WILLIAM E. DODGE was born in Hartford, Connecticut, September 4, 1805. Early in life he went to New York City, where he engaged actively, in business. He has been forty years at the head of one of the most extensive manufacturing and importing establishments in the country. He was many years President of the National Temperance Society, and has long been a prominent promoter of benevolent enterprises in New York City. Having established his right to the seat held by James Brooks, he was admitted a member of the Thirty-Ninth Congress in the spring of 1866. He was succeeded by James Brooks in the Fortieth Congress.—511, 568.
IGNATIUS DONNELLY was born in Philadelphia, November 3, 1831, and was educated at the Central High School of his native city. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1853. He emigrated to Minnesota in 1857, and two years after was elected Lieutenant Governor of that State, and held the office two terms. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Minnesota to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—145,156, 333, 507, 238, 553.
JAMES R. DOOLITTLE was born in Hampton, New York, January 3, 1815. He graduated at Geneva College in 1834, became a lawyer, and for several years held the office of District Attorney for Wyoming County. In 1851 he removed to Wisconsin, and two years after was elected Judge of the First Judicial Circuit of that State. In 1857 he was elected a United States Senator from Wisconsin, and in 1863 was re-elected for the term ending in 1869.—28, 38, 285, 408, 431, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 462, 495, 501, 531, 532, 533, 541, 564.
JOHN F. DRIGGS was born in Kinderhook, New York, March 8, 1813. He served an apprenticeship in the sash and door-making business, and soon after set up as a master mechanic in New York City. He took no part in politics until 1844, when he assisted in the reform movement by which James Harper was elected Mayor of New York. He was soon after appointed Superintendent of Blackwell's Island Penitentiary. In 1856 he removed to East Saginaw, Michigan, and was two years after elected President of that town. In 1859 he was elected to the Michigan Legislature. Two years after he was appointed Register at the Land Office for the Saginaw District, and held the office until his election as a Representative from Michigan to the Thirty-Eighth Congress in 1862. He was returned by increased majorities to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.
EBENEZER DUMONT was born in Vevay, Indiana, November 23, 1814. He was educated at the Indiana University, and adopted the profession of law. In 1838 he was elected a member of the Indiana Legislature, and from 1839 to 1845 held the office of County Treasurer. He served in the Mexican War as a Lieutenant Colonel, and was subsequently a member of the State Legislature, a Presidential Elector, and President of the State Bank. At the breaking out of the rebellion, he was appointed Colonel of the Seventh Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, and fought in the battle of Philippi, in West Virginia. Having been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, he commanded a brigade at the battle of Murfreesboro. He was subsequently assigned to the military command of Nashville, and from that place led an expedition against John Morgan, capturing nearly all of his command. In 1862, while yet in the army, he was elected a Representative from Indiana to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected in 1864. His successor in the Fortieth Congress is John Coburn.
EPHRAIM R. ECKLEY was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, December 9, 1812, and was admitted to the bar in 1837. From 1843 to 1853 he served in the House of Representatives and in the Senate of Ohio. In the Civil War he was Colonel of the Twenty-Sixth and Eightieth Regiments of Ohio Volunteers. He fought in several battles, and at Corinth commanded a brigade. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth.—447.
GEORGE F. EDMUNDS was born in Richmond, Vermont, February 1, 1828, and was admitted to the bar in 1849. In 1854 he entered the Vermont Legislature, and served three years as Speaker. In 1861 and 1862 he served in the State Senate, and was the Presiding Officer of that body. He was appointed to the vacancy in the United States Senate occasioned by the death of Solomon Foot, and entered upon the duties of that position in April, 1866.—559, 560.
BENJAMIN EGGLESTON was born in Corinth, New York, January 3, 1816. He removed to Ohio in 1831, and gave his attention to commercial pursuits. He has been identified with many important public enterprises. He was for many years Chairman of the Board of Public Works of Cincinnati, and President of the City Council. He was for some years a member of the State Legislature. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention, and was a Presidential Elector in the election of that year. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected in 1866.
CHARLES A. ELDRIDGE was born at Bridport, Vermont, February 27, 1821. He removed to the State of New York, where he was admitted to the bar in 1846. In 1848 he removed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and served in the Senate of that State in 1854 and 1855. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Wisconsin to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was returned to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—226, 242, 355, 419, 441, 476, 507, 539, 546.
THOMAS D. ELIOT was born in Boston, March 20, 1808. Having graduated
at Columbia College, Washington, in 1825, he settled as a lawyer in
New Bedford. Having served in both branches of the Massachusetts
Legislature, he first entered Congress in 1855 for an unexpired term.
In 1858 he was elected a Representative from Massachusetts to the
Thirty-Sixth Congress, and has been returned to every succeeding
Congress, including the Fortieth.—31, 95, 138, 157 295, 296, 306,
347, 443.
JOHN F. FARNSWORTH was born of New England parentage, in Eaton, Lower Canada, March 27, 1820, but was early removed to the Territory of Michigan. In 1843 he settled in St. Charles, Illinois, and entered upon the practice of law. In 1846 he left the Democratic Party with which he had acted, and joined the "Liberty Party." In 1856 and again in 1858 he was elected to Congress, from what was then known as the Chicago District. In 1861 he raised the Eighth Illinois Cavalry Regiment, of which he was Colonel until his promotion to the rank of Brigadier General. The severe service in which he was engaged in the Peninsular Campaign brought on a disability which necessitated his resignation. In the fall of 1862 he was elected a Representative from Illinois to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected in 1864 and 1866, on both occasions receiving the largest majorities given by any district in the United States.—61, 333, 339, 448, 519, 537.
JOHN H. FARQUHAR was born in Frederick County, Maryland, December 20, 1818. With his widowed mother he removed to Indiana in 1833, and was employed as civil engineer upon some of the earliest public improvements of the State. In 1841 he was elected Secretary of the Indiana Senate. In 1843 he was Chief Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives, and was the same year admitted to the bar in Brookfield. In 1844 he was a delegate to the National Convention which nominated Henry Clay. In 1852 he was candidate for Presidential Elector on the Scott ticket, and in 1860 on the Lincoln ticket. In 1861 he was commissioned a Captain in the Nineteenth United States Infantry, and was detailed as mustering and disbursing officer for Indiana. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Indiana to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was succeeded by William S. Holman in the Fortieth Congress.
THOMAS W. FERRY was born in Mackinac, Michigan, June 1, 1827. He has been occupied extensively in the lumber trade and in banking. In 1850 he was elected to the House of Representatives of Michigan, and in 1856 to the State Senate. For eight years he was an efficient member of the Republican State Committee, and was a delegate and a Vice-President of the Chicago Convention of 1860. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Michigan to the Thirty-Ninth Congress, and was re-elected in 1866.
WILLIAM PITT FESSENDEN was born at Boscawen, New Hampshire, October 16, 1806. He graduated at Bowdoin College in 1823, and in 1827 entered upon the practice of law in Portland, Maine. In 1832 he was a delegate to the Convention which nominated Henry Clay. In the same year he was elected to the Maine Legislature, and again in 1840. In 1841 he was elected a Representative in Congress, and declined a re-election. In 1845, 1846, and 1853 he served his fellow citizens in the State Legislature. In 1853 he was elected a United States Senator from Maine, and was re-elected in 1859. Upon the resignation of Mr. Chase as Secretary of the Treasury, in July, 1864, he was appointed to that office. On the 4th of March following he resigned his seat in the Cabinet, and re-entered the United States Senate, to which he had been elected for the term ending in 1871. In the Senate he has held the important positions of Chairman of the Finance Committee and of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction. He has received the degree of LL.D. from Bowdoin College and Harvard University—27, 42, 136, 271, 224, 373, 377, 380, 394, 412, 419, 431, 432, 453, 456, 540.
WILLIAM E. FINCH was born in Ohio in 1822, and at the age of twenty-one was admitted to the bar. In 1851 he was elected to the State Senate. In the following year he was a delegate to the Convention which nominated General Scott for President. In 1861 he was again elected a State Senator. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth. He was succeeded by Philadelph Van Trump in the Fortieth Congress.—437, 462, 476, 519.
GEORGE G. FOGG was a newspaper editor, of New Hampshire, until his appointment by President Lincoln as United States Minister Resident for Switzerland. He made a considerable fortune while there by investing his salary in United States Securities when they were very low in Europe. At the opening of the second session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress he took his seat in the Senate, having been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Daniel Clark, which closed on the 4th of March, 1867. He was succeeded by James W. Patterson.
SOLOMON FOOT was born in Cornwall, Vermont, November 19, 1802, and graduated at Middlebury College in 1826. Having occupied some years in teaching, he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1831. He was for many years a member of the State Legislature of Vermont, and State Attorney. From 1843 to 1847 he was a Representative in Congress. In 1851 he was elected a Senator in Congress from Vermont, was re-elected in 1857, and again in 1863. For several years he held the office of President pro tem. of the Senate. He died in Washington, March 28, 1866.—253, 269.
LAFAYETTE S. FOSTER, a lineal descendant of Miles Standish, was born in Franklin, Connecticut, November 22, 1806. In 1828 he graduated at Brown University, which honored him with the degree of LL.D. in 1850. He was admitted to the bar in 1831. He was six times a member of the Connecticut Legislature, and two years Mayor of the city of Norwich. In 1855 he was elected a United States Senator for Connecticut, and was re-elected in 1862. He was chosen President pro tem. of the Senate at the extra session in 1865, and by the elevation of Andrew Johnson to the Presidency became Acting Vice-President of the United State. His service of twelve years in the Senate closed March 4, 1887, when he was succeeded by Orris S. Ferry.—23, 137, 187, 288, 306, 497, 576.
JOSEPH S. FOWLER was born near Steubenville, Ohio. He was left dependent on his own resources when very young, but by energy and perseverance succeeded in attaining a thorough collegiate education. Having adopted the profession of teaching, he was elected to a college Professorship of Mathematics in Tennessee. He was subsequently for some years at the head of a flourishing seminary of learning near Nashville. He was conspicuous for his staunch loyalty, and when the State Government passed out of the hands of the rebels he was elected to the important office of Comptroller of Tennessee. In 1865 he was elected a Senator in Congress from Tennessee, but with his colleagues was not admitted to a seat until near the close of the first session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress.—478.
FREDERICK T. FRELINGHUYSEN was born at Millstone, New Jersey, August 4, 1817. His grandfather, of the same name, was a member of the Continental Congress, and was a United States Senator from 1793 to 1796. Young Frederick having been left an orphan at an early age was adopted and reared by his uncle, Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen. He graduated at Rutgers College, and studied law. He was appointed Attorney General of New Jersey in 1861, and was re-appointed in 1866. On the 24th of January, 1867, he took his seat as a United States Senator from New Jersey having been elected for the unexpired term of William Wright, deceased, which will end March 4, 1869.—492, 497.
JAMES A. GARFIELD was born in Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, November 19, 1831. He graduated at Williams College, Massachusetts, in 1856, and was for some years principal of a flourishing Seminary of learning at Hiram, Ohio. In 1859 and 1860 he was a member of the Ohio Senate. In 1861 he entered the army as Colonel of the Forty-Second Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, and in the following year was commissioned a Brigadier General. He served as Chief of Staff to General Rosecrans. He fought at the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, and Chicamauga. For gallant service in the last named battle he was promoted to the rank of Major General. In 1862 he was elected a Representative from Ohio to the Thirty-Eighth Congress, and was re-elected to the Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth Congresses.—144, 438, 450, 524, 540, 538, 553, 557.
ADAM J. GLOSSBRENNER was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, August 31, 1810. He was apprenticed at an early age to the printing-business. When seventeen years of age he journeyed westward, and became foreman in the office of the "Ohio Monitor," and afterwards of the "Western Telegraph." In 1829 he returned to Pennsylvania and settled in York, and there published the "York Gazette." In 1849 he was elected Sergeant-at-arms of the House of Representatives for the Thirty-First Congress, and held the same office through the four following Congressional terms. In 1861 he was private secretary to President Buchanan. In 1864 he was elected a Representative from Pennsylvania to the Thirty-Ninth Congress.
CHARLES GOODYEAR was born in Schoharie County, New York, April 26, 1805. He graduated at Union College in 1824, and entered upon the practice of law in 1827. In 1839 he was elected to the New York Legislature, and in 1841 was appointed First Judge of Schoharie County. In 1845 he was elected a Representative to the Twenty-Ninth Congress, and twenty years after was elected to the Thirty-Ninth Congress. During the interval he devoted his attention to the business of banking. His successor in the Fortieth Congress is John V. L. Pruyn.