USA > Connecticut > Connecticut as a colony and as a state; or, One of the original thirteen, Volume III > Part 20
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unrighteousness by one side, and despised as a spineless weak- ling by both.
That the administration had lost control of the country was evidenced in the spring of 1859, when New Hampshire, Con- necticut, and Rhode Island elected Republican candidates. The former, Pierce's State, had always been reliably Demo- cratic, while Connecticut was as likely to vote one way as the other. The death-blow to Democratic supremacy in national affairs was struck at the State elections held in the fall of 1859. Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania went Republican; this foreboded the carrying of the coming Pres- idential election by the Republicans, and a complete revolu- tion on the slavery question.
Then occurred those long, bitter, and treasonable Congres- sional debates; the John Brown raid and execution; the pub- lication of Helper's "The Impending Crisis." Under these circumstances, the political canvass of Connecticut in 1860 became the most vigorous that has ever been known.
In January the Republican convention renominated Gover- nor Buckingham; the next month, Thomas H. Seymour was nominated as the opposing candidate. This election was regarded by the country as a Presidential election in minia- ture; the State was selected by the Democratic leaders as the most likely of the Northern States in which to restore their prestige of victory. Prominent speakers visited the State to make campaign speeches, among whom was Abraham Lin- coln, who had gained national fame by his debates in Illinois with Senator Douglass; but at that time he was hardly thought of as a Presidential candidate. Mr. Lincoln made half a dozen speeches, was the guest of Governor Bucking- ham, and laid at this time the foundation of that friendship
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and confidence which were ultimately of so much benefit in the troublous times of the country.
The small plurality received by Governor Buckingham only illustrates the strenuous efforts made by the opposition, who resorted to every known political device to secure a vic- tory : the venal use of money in buying votes, the importa- tion of voters from New York, etc. In fact, that the State remained Republican was due to the popularity of the candi- date, and the education, intelligence, and Christian morality of its citizens. The early returns from the near-by cities showed good majorities for Mr. Seymour; but later, the eastern part of the State telegraphed that their honored son had received their support, which, added to the returns from the smaller and inland towns, changed the result. "The Land of Steady Habits" had by a small plurality, ranged itself on the side of "Liberty and Union"; and it was to pave the way to the election of a Republican to the Presidency of the United States.
William A. Buckingham, who by the decision of his fel- low citizens was to guide the State through the dark days of the Rebellion, was born at Lebanon, May 28, 1804. His early education was obtained in his native town, supplemented with an academical course at Bacon Academy, located at Col- chester. Having a taste for mathematics, he first undertook the profession of land surveyor; after trying it for a while he became a school-teacher, but finally returned home, and for three years was engaged in agricultural pursuits.
Upon reaching manhood he decided to devote himself to mercantile business, and entered the employ of his uncle, who carried on a dry-goods store at Norwich. Here he remained two years; after spending a short time in a wholesale store in New York City, he began business for himself in 1826 at
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Norwich. In addition to his dry-goods business, he began in 1830 the manufacture of ingrain carpets, and in 1848 became interested in the manufacture of rubber boots and shoes. The latter proving remunerative, Mr. Buckingham retired from his other business, and devoted his entire time to this new industry, in which he amassed a large fortune. He was mayor of Norwich in 1849-50, also 1856-57, and the following year was nominated for Governor.
Governor Buckingham was chief executive of the State for eight years, and was one of the most prominent war Gov- ernors of the North; he declined a renomination at the end of his eight years of service, and spent the next two years enjoying the pleasures of private life.
In 1868 he was elected United States Senator, taking his seat in that body March 4, 1869, and immediately busied himself in considering the great question of reconstruction. He was not destined to serve out his term of office : his death occurred at Norwich Feb. 5, 1875. The finest epitaph that can be inscribed to his memory is the tribute paid him by the Norwich Bulletin; that he was "a man of honor and a Chris- tian gentleman."
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CHAPTER XXIV CONNECTICUT IN THE U. S. SENATE
I N the First Congress, Oliver Ellsworth and William Samuel Johnson were Senators from Connecticut. They had been prominently identified with the con- vention that formed the Constitution of the United States; their legal education, combined with their natural gifts as pleaders and orators, made them leaders in that body. Mr. Johnson was appointed chairman of the committee to revise the language of the Constitution; the corrections in the original copy are in his handwriting. At the convening of the Second Congress, Senator Johnson hav- ing accepted the presidency of Columbia College, Roger Sherman was chosen his successor.
To this Congress Vermont sent as one of her first Senators Stephen R. Bradley, born in Wallingford, Connecticut, Feb. 20, 1754, and a member of the Yale class of 1775. He was a lawyer, and also commanded a volunteer company during the Revolution, being on General Wooster's staff at the time of the death of that illustrious officer. Senator Bradley had been a co-worker with his intimate friend, General Ethan Allen, in the organization of Vermont as a State; he was a man of great ability but eccentric habits.
The death of Roger Sherman occurred before the conven- ing of the Third Congress, and Stephen Mix Mitchell was appointed to fill the vacancy. He was born at Wethersfield, Dec. 9, 1743; he graduated from Yale at the age of twenty, and soon afterwards began the practice of law. It was mainly through the endeavors of Senator Mitchell that Con- necticut established her title to the Western Reserve. Mr. Mitchell resigned from the Senate at the close of the Third Congress, to accept the appointment of Judge of the Supe- rior Court of Connecticut. Noted for his Christian dignity and purity of patriotism, he was a faithful public servant.
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He was a member of the Continental Congress, and also held judicial offices. He died in his native town Sept. 30, 1835.
The successor of Senator Mitchell, Jonathan Trumbull entered the Fourth Congress with a complete knowledge of parliamentary rules, and wide experience as a legislator : he had been a member of the House of Representatives since the formation of the government, and had filled the Speak- er's chair. He resigned after a year's service in the Senate, to accept the position of Deputy-Governor. The same year Senator Ellsworth tendered his resignation, to accept the office of Chief Justice of the Superior Court of the United States.
The next two Senators from Connecticut were like their predecessors, Federalists. Uriah Tracy, who was chosen for the unexpired term of Jonathan Trumbull, was born in Franklin, Feb. 2, 1755; a graduate of Yale, he read law at Litchfield, where he became a resident. He had served as a Representative in Congress since 1793; he was of com- manding presence, universally respected, and enjoyed the friendship of the leading men of his time. Senator Tracy was President pro tem. during part of the Sixth Congress. He died at Washington, D. C., July 19, 1807, and was the first person buried in the Congressional burying-ground.
His colleague, James Hillhouse was first chosen for the unexpired term of Senator Ellsworth. He was born at Mont- ville, Oct. 21, 1754; graduating from Yale in 1773, he took an active part in the Revolutionary struggle, and commanded the Governor's Guards when New Haven was invaded by the British. Senator Hillhouse served as Representative in Congress for 1791, until he was promoted to the Senate; he was President pro tem. during a portion of the Sixth Con-
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gress, and during his sixteen years service as Senator he was recognized as among its most valuable and useful mem- bers. His resignation took place in 1810, when he became Commissioner of the School Fund; his fifteen years man- agement of this fund, coupled with his service of half a cen- tury as Treasurer of Yale College, are living monuments of his financial ability and fidelity. He died at New Haven, Dec. 29, 1832.
One of the Senators from Massachusetts to the Fourth Congress was Theodore Sedgwick, born at West Hartford, May 9, 1746. After leaving Yale he studied theology, but finally relinquished it, and was admitted to the bar before he was twenty-one. He began practice in Berkshire County, finally settling at Stockbridge. He was a zealous patriot, and had been a member of the House of Representatives since its organization. His term as Senator expired in 1798; he was President pro tem. during one session of the Fifth Congress. In 1799 he was again elected as Representative, and was chosen Speaker; in 1802 he was made Judge of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, which position he held until his death at Boston Jan. 24, 1813.
The successor of Senator Bradley of Vermont, though a native of the same State, did not belong to the same polit- ical party. Elijah Paine was a prominent Federalist. He was born at Brooklyn, Jan. 21, 1757, and was a member of the legal fraternity. He was the first president of the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard, and delivered the first ora- tion before that association. An early pioneer of Vermont, he was secretary of the convention that framed her first con- stitution. Senator Paine had held both legislative and judicial positions, and on his retirement from the Senate he was appointed by President Adams judge of the District
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Court of Vermont an office he held at the time of his death, April 28, 1842, at Williamstown.
To the Fifth Congress Vermont again sent as one of her Senators another son of Connecticut. Nathaniel Chipman was born in Salisbury, Nov. 15, 1752; he settled as a lawyer in Tinmouth, Vermont, and was professor of law for twenty eight years in Middlebury College. He had been Chief Jus- tice of the Supreme Court of Vermont, also judge of the United States District Court. Judge Chipman was the author of "Sketches of the Principles of Government" and "Reports and Dissertations." He died at Tinmouth, Feb. 15, 1843.
The resignation of Philip Schuyler as Senator from New York caused the appointment of John Sloss Herbert to fill the vacancy. He was born at Fairfield in 1738, graduated from Yale in 1757, and began the practice of law in New York. Though he was senator-elect from January 1798 to May 5, 1799, he resigned without qualifying for the posi- tion, to become judge of the United States District Court of New York. He died Feb. 4, 1805.
At the opening of the Sixth Congress, Abraham Baldwin presented his credentials as Senator from Georgia. He was born in Guilford, Nov. 6, 1754. He was a chaplain in the Revolutionary army after his graduation from Yale. Mr. Baldwin at the close of the war removed to Georgia, where he affiliated with the Democrats. He was a member of the House of Representatives from the time of its organization. He removed in 1804 to Savannah, where he was admitted to the bar. It was through his exertions that the University of Georgia was organized, and he became its first president. He was President pro tem. during a session of the Seventh
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Congress. He died before the expiration of his term as Sen- ator, in Washington, D. C., March 4, 1807.
The Federalist Senators from Vermont were succeeded in the Seventh Congress by two Democrats. Israel Smith was born in Connecticut, April 4, 1759. After graduating from Yale, he studied law and settled at Rupert, Vermont, but subsequently removed to Rutland. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1791 to 1797, and again in 1800; he resigned from the Senate in 1807 to become Gov- ernor of Vermont. He died Dec. 21, 1810. His colleague was Stephen R. Bradley, who served two senatorial terms, and was President pro tem. of a portion of the Seventh and Tenth Congresses. He died at Walpole, New Hampshire, Dec. 16, 1830.
The resignation of Senator Livermore of New Hampshire caused the election of Simeon Olcott. He was born in Con- necticut, Oct. 1, 1735; graduated from Yale in 1761, and began the practice of law at Charlestown, New Hampshire. He had filled the positions of Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and of the Superior Court. After the expira- tion of his senatorial term, he lived in retirement at Charles- town until his death, on Feb. 22, 1815.
At the opening of the Tenth Congress, Chauncey Good- rich, who had been elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator Tracy, took his seat. Mr. Goodrich was born in Durham, Oct. 20, 1759; he graduated from Yale College at the age of seventeen, having gained a high repu- tation for genius and acquirements. Five years later he established himself in Hartford as a lawyer, in which pro- fession he became eminent. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1795 to 1803. He resigned as Sen-
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ator in 1813 to accept the position of Deputy-Governor. He died at Hartford Aug. 18, 1815.
From the new State of Ohio came Return J. Meigs, second of the name; a Democrat in politics. He was a lawyer, and began practice at Marietta. He was Senator from 1808 to 1810, resigning to become Governor of Ohio.
The resignation of Senator Hillhouse occurred during the recess of Congress; Samuel W. Dana was elected to fill the vacancy. He was born at Wallingford, Feb. 13, 1760. A Federalist in politics, he was a member of the House of Rep- resentatives from 1797 until his promotion to the United States Senate. Senator Dana was a distinguished lawyer, and his appearance at the bar was much admired. If he had devoted himself to his profession, he would have secured a large practice; but from his early days he was more engaged in the counsels of the nation than in pursuit of legal practice. His long Congressional career terminated in 1821, when he retired to his adopted residential city, Middletown, of which he became mayor, and where he died July 21, 1830.
Ohio sent to the Eleventh Congress a son of Connecticut, to fill a vacancy caused by resignation. Stanley Griswold was born at Torrington in November 1763; graduating from Yale in 1786, he became a clergyman. In politics he was an avowed admirer of Thomas Jefferson. He edited a Demo- cratic paper in Walpole, New Hampshire, in 1804; and was afterwards appointed Secretary of the Territory of Mich- igan. He was Senator from June 2, 1809, to Jan 12, 1810, when he resigned to become United States Judge for the Northwestern Territory. He died at Shawneetown, Illinois, Aug. 21, 1815.
The successor of Senator Goodrich was David Daggett born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, Dec. 31, 1764; he gradu-
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ated from Yale College in 1783, and was professor of law in that institution. He practiced law in New Haven, presided over the Connecticut House of Representatives, and was also mayor of his residential city. Mr. Daggett was Sena- tor from 1813 to 1819, and afterwards was judge of the Supreme Court; also Chief Justice, from which office he was retired on attaining the age of seventy. He died at New Haven, April 12, 1851.
To the same Congress came Jeremiah Mason born at Lebanon, April 27, 1768. Graduating from Yale in 1781, he was destined for a professional life; he studied law, and acquired the reputation of being profoundly learned in com- mon law. Emigrating to Vermont, he was admitted to the bar of that State; but afterwards removed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he became the friend of Daniel Webster, who always spoke of him in extravagant terms of praise. Senator Mason was appointed Attorney-General of New Hampshire, and from 1813 to 1817 was Senator from that State. He was a Federalist in politics, and resigned his seat in Congress to devote himself to his profession; he removed to Boston where he retired from active practice at the age of seventy, but was consulted as chamber-counsel until his death, Nov. 14, 1848.
Ohio again sent a son of Connecticut to represent her in the uppper house of Congress : Benjamin Ruggles, who gained the sobriquet of "The Wheel-horse of the Senate," on account of his well-known habits of industry, and con- stant devotion to the interests of his constituents, during his three terms of office. He was born in Windham County in 1783; received a classical education, and taught school in the winter; studied law, and was admitted to practice at Marietta, Ohio. He finally settled at St. Clairsville in the
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same state. He was Senator from 1815 to 1833, serving on many important committees. Though a Democrat in politics, he was presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1836. He died at St. Clairsville, Sept. 2, 1857.
To fill a vacancy, Vermont sent to the Fifteenth Congress William A. Palmer. He was born in Hebron, Sept. 12, 1791, studied law, and began practice at Danville, Vermont. Judge Palmer had served on the Supreme Bench; he was a member of the Senate from Oct. 18, 1818, to March 3, 1823, and was Governor of Vermont from 1831 to 1835. He died at Danville, Dec. 3, 1860.
The change of politics in Connecticut which resulted in the adoption of a new constitution placed the Democrat party in power. James Lanman was elected to the Sixteenth Con- gress, and was the first Democrat from Connecticut to take a seat in the Senate. He was born in Norwich, June 14, 1769. He graduated from Yale in 1788, studied law, and began practice in his native city. Senator Lanman had been a member of both houses of the Connecticut Legislature, and was secretary of the convention that formed the new Con- stitution. During his term in the Senate he was a member of several important committees; he voted with the Southern members on the Missouri Compromise. Though he was appointed by the Governor during the recess of the Legisla- ture to a second term, before the vacancy occurred the Senate refused to give him his seat on the ground that the appoint- ment was without authority of law. Senator Lanman sub- sequently became judge of the Supreme and Superior Courts of Connecticut, and was also mayor of Norwich, where he died Aug. 7, 1841.
The two Senators from Connecticut to the Seventeenth Congress were James Lanman and Elijah Boardman. The
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latter was born at New Milford, March 7, 1760. He was a successful merchant, and was largely interested in the town of Boardman, Ohio, where he died Oct. 8, 1823.
To this Congress came as a representative of Vermont, Horatio Seymour, born in Litchfield, May 31, 1778. He graduated from Yale College in 1797, studied law at the Litchfield Law School, and in 1800 began practice at Middle- bury, Vermont. Senator Seymour was an uncle of ex-Gover- nor Horatio Seymour of New York. While nominally a Democrat, he was the Whig candidate for Governor in 1836. For the greater part of his two terms in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Agriculture. He died at Middlebury, Vermont, Nov. 21, 1857.
The Ohio Senator Ruggles' colleague in the Seventeenth Congress was another son of Connecticut, Ethan Allen Brown, who had been elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator Trimble. He was born in Darien, July 4, 1776; he received a liberal education, and studied law under Alexander Hamilton. In 1804 he removed to Cincinnati, where he began the practice of his profession. He was judge of the Supreme Court of the state from 1810 to 1818, and elected by the Democrats as Governor, holding the office from 1818 to 1822. His term as Senator ended March 3, 1825; he was afterwards United States representative to Brazil. He died at Indianapolis, Feb. 24, 1852.
The vacancy caused by the death of Senator Boardman was filled by the election of Henry W. Edwards, who served for the balance of the term; he was a pronounced Democrat, and his legal knowledge made him an active and useful mem- ber of the Senate.
A native of Connecticut was sent to the Senate from Louis- iana. Josiah S. Johnston born in Salisbury Nov. 25, 1784,
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was in his infancy taken by his father to Kentucky. Gradu- ating from Transylvania College, he studied law, and in 1 805 removed to Alexandria, Louisiana. In politics a Clay Democrat, he served from 1821 to 1823 in the House of Representatives. In 1824 he was elected to fill a vacancy in the Senate. He retained this position until his untimely death, May 19, 1833, caused by the explosion of gunpowder on board the steamboat Lioness on the Red River.
Senator Lanman was succeeded in the Nineteenth Con- gress by Calvin Willey. He was born at East Haddam, Sept. 15, 1776; read law, and began practice at Stafford, but in 1 808 removed to Tolland. Senator Willey served one term; he died at Stafford, Aug. 23, 1858. To this Congress came Asher Robbins, born in Wethersfield, Oct. 26, 1757; a mem- ber of Yale class of 1782, he became tutor in Providence College, now Brown University. After studying law, he began practice at Providence, but in 1795 removed to New- port. Mr. Robbins was a leading Senator of Congress from 1825 to 1839; he was first elected from Rhode Island to fill a vacancy. He was a Whig in politics; an accomplished scholar and orator. His death occurred at Newport, Feb. 25, 1845.
Owing to political changes, Senator Edwards was defeated for a re-election; his successor, Samuel A. Foot, had been twice a member of the House of Representatives, and during his senatorial term served as chairman of the Committee on Pensions.
To fill a vacancy, Oliver H. Prince, born in Connecticut in 1787, a lawyer from Macon, represented Georgia in the Senate, from Dec. 1, 1828, to March 3, 1829.
In the Twenty-first Congress was David Jewett Baker, elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator John
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McLean of Illinois. Mr. Baker was born at East Haddam, Sept. 7, 1792; with his parents he emigrated to Ontario County, New York. He was a graduate of Hamilton Col- lege, studied law, and began practice in Illinois; he attained a high position in his profession. Though politically a Dem- ocrat, he was strenuously opposed to slavery. Senator Baker was the author of the act to sell public lands to actual set- tlers in tracts of forty acres. He died at Alton, Illinois, Aug. 6, 1869.
There was a change in the Connecticut Senators in the Twenty-second Congress. Gideon Tomlinson resigned as Governor of the State to take his seat in the Senate. He had served for nearly four terms in the House of Representatives ; during his one term in the Senate he took an active part in national affairs.
To this Congress came Samuel Prentiss, who was for two senatorial terms to represent Vermont. Senator Prentiss was born in Stonington, March 31, 1782; he removed with his father to Worcester, Massachusetts, and subsequently to Northfield, where he studied law. He began practice in 1803 at Montpelier, Vermont, where he acquired a reputation for eloquence and integrity. Judge Prentiss was Chief Jus- tice of the Supreme Court of his adopted State, and a promi- nent member of the Whig party. On his retirement from the Senate he was appointed Judge of the Federal District Court of Vermont, which office he held until his death, Jan. 15, 1857.
Senator Foot was succeeded by Nathan Smith, who was acknowledged one of the most distinguished advocates of New England. He was born at Woodbury, Jan. 8, 1769, and received his professional education at the Litchfield Law School. Senator Smith located at New Haven, and was
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State Attorney for New Haven County, also United States District Attorney. His demise at Washington, D. C., Dec. 6, 1835, deprived the Whig party of one of its prominent and influential members.
The vacancy thus created was filled by the election of John M. Niles, a supporter of State Rights principles and a Dem- ocrat. Mr. Niles served as Senator from 1835 to 1839, and was again elected in 1843, serving until 1849.
Judah Dana was born in Pomfret, April 25, 1772, gradu- ated from Dartmouth College in 1795 ; studied law, and be- gan practice in 1798 at Fryeburg, Massachusetts (now Maine). He was elected to fill a vacancy, serving from Dec. 31, 1836, to March 31, 1837. Senator Dana had filled sev- eral legislative and judicial positions; was a delegate to the convention to frame a Constitution for Maine. He died at Fryeburg; Dec. 27, 1845.
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