USA > Connecticut > Connecticut as a colony and as a state; or, One of the original thirteen, Volume III > Part 21
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Senator Tomlinson was succeeded by Perry Smith, a Dem- ocrat. Mr. Smith was born in Woodbury, May 12, 1783; attended the Litchfield Law School, and in 1807 settled at New Milford. He was a sound and stable lawyer, and dur- ing his one term in the Senate was a member of several im- portant committees. He died at New Milford, June 8, 1852. Thaddeus Betts, a native of Norwalk, and a member of Yale class of 1807, was elected as a Whig to the twenty-sixth Con- gress. He had acquired distinction as a lawyer, was greatly respected for his talents and character, and was destined to be an influential member of the Senate; but he died during the first session of the Twenty-sixth Congress, at Washington, D. C., April 8, 1840.
Senator Betts' successor was Jabez W. Huntington, born in Norwich, Nov. 8, 1788. He graduated from Yale in 1806, and studied law at Litchfield, where he practiced thirty
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years; was a member of the State Legislature, also a Rep- resentative in Congress from 1829 to 1834. In the latter year he removed to his native city; became a judge in the Supreme Court of Errors, also of the Superior Court. Judge Huntington prolitically was a Whig; he remained a member of the Senate until his death, Nov. 1I, 1847, at Norwich.
To fill a vacancy, Rhode Island elected Nathan F. Dixon Senator. Mr. Dixon was born in Plainfield in 1774; gradu- ated from Brown University, and began the practice of law in 1802 at Westerly, Rhode Island. He died at Washington, D. C., Jan. 29, 1842, before the termination of his senatorial term.
A majority of the early favorite sons of Vermont were of Connecticut birth. Samuel S. Phelps, who represented that State for two terms, was born in Litchfield, May 13, 1793. He graduated from Yale College in 1811. While studying law, he entered the American army during the war of 1812; before the close of his military career he received the appoint- ment of paymaster. Settling at Middlebury, Vermont, Sen- ยท ator Phelps practiced law, and held both legislative and judicial offices. While Senator he displayed abilities of a high order. He was politically a Whig. In January 1853 he was again appointed to fill a vacancy, serving until October 1854, when the Senate decided that he could not hold his seat by appointment. He died at Middlebury, March 25, 1855.
Among the new members of the Twenty-seventh Congress was William Woodbridge. He was born at Norwich, Aug. 20, 1780, but removed when eleven years of age, with his father, to Marietta, Ohio. Senator Woodbridge returned to his native State for his early education, studied law at Litchfield, and was admitted in 1806 to the Ohio bar. He was appointed Secretary of the Northwest Territory, which
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caused his removal to Detroit in 1819; he was elected the first Congressional delegate from that Territory. Besides holding judicial positions, he was a member of the convention that framed the constitution for that State; was Governor from 1839 to 1841, and in the latter year was elected Senator, which office he filled for one term. Judge Woodbridge, while in the Senate, was a working member on many important com- mittees, his reports and speeches were numerous; he was noted as an eminent jurist and constitutional lawyer, a faith- ful and honored public servant. His latter years were passed in retirement at Detroit, where he died Oct. 20, 1861.
To the Twenty-seventh Congress also came Samuel C. Crafts, born in Woodstock, and a member of Harvard's class of 1790. He was the youngest delegate to Vermont's first Constitutional Convention; was a member of the lower house of Congress from 1817 to 1825, Governor from 1829 to 1832; in fact, it is said that he filled every office in the gift of the citizens of Vermont. He was appointed to fill a vacancy, and afterwards elected for the unexpired term. He died at Craftsbury, Vermont, Nov. 19, 1853.
The Empire State sent two natives of Connecticut to fill vacancies in the Twenty-eighth Congress. Daniel S. Dickin- son was born in Goshen, Sept. 11, 1800; in his childhood his parents removed to Chenango County, New York. Here he obtained a common-school education, studied law, and began practice in 1828. Three years later he removed to Bingham- ton, New York. A Democrat in politics, he became a leader in his party; he held many local and State offices, and in 1844 was appointed Senator by the Governor, and afterwards elected for the full term by the Legislature. He was chair- man of the Senate Committee on Finances, besides being a member of other equally important committees; he was also
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the originator and supporter of many popular measures. At the breaking out of the Civil War he became a Republican. He died in New York City, April 12, 1866.
The other Senator was Henry A. Foster, born at Hartford, May 7, 1800. He removed to Cazenovia, New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1822. He was a member of the New York State Senate, elected Representative to the Twen- ty-fifth Congress as a Democrat; upon the resignation of Sen- ator Silas Wright, Jr., to accept the Governorship of New York, Mr. Foster was elected for the unexpired term, serving from Dec. 9, 1844, to Jan. 27, 1847. After his retirement from Congress, he was a member of the Supreme Court of New York. He died at Rome, New York, May 12, 1889.
Among the new members of the first session of the Thir- tieth Congress was Roger S. Baldwin. He had been elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Senator Huntington. Mr. Baldwin was named after his illustrious grandfather, Roger Sherman, and was an admirable example of all that was best in the intellectual and moral life of New England. He had developed a mastery of the principles of law that was considered remarkable in a man of his years. Senator Bald- win had been Governor of the State; he served in his new position until 1851.
Senator Niles was succeeded by Truman Smith, a member of the Whig party. Mr. Smith was born at Woodbury, Nov. 27, 1791; he was a member of Yale, class of 1815, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1818. He had repre- sented the town of Litchfield in the State Legislature, and was a Representative in Congress for eight years. Senator Smith was remarkable for his wide though silent influence in national politics. Being wearied of public life, he resigned from the Senate in 1854. He removed to New York City,
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where he devoted himself to the practice of his profession. He died at Stamford, May 3, 1884.
John Wales was elected to fill an unexpired term from 1849 to 1851, caused by the resignation of J. M. Clayton, Senator from Delaware. He was born in New Haven, July 31, 1783, and died at Wilmington, Delaware, Dec. 3, 1863.
The political changes in 1852 caused the election of Isaac Toucey as Senator from Connecticut. Mr. Toucey had been a member of the House of Representatives from 1835 to 1839, also Governor of the State; he served throughout his. term, afterwards becoming Buchanan's Secretary of the Navy.
The resignation of Senator Smith caused the election of Francis Gillett for the unexpired term, by a coalition of Whig, Temperance, and Free-Soiler members of the State Legislature. He was born in Windsor (now Bloomfield), Dec. 14, 1807; graduating from Yale College in 1829, he became a farmer. He was a strong temperance and anti-sla- very advocate, and for a number of years received the nom- ination for Governor from those parties. He served in the Senate from May 25, 1854, to March 31, 1855; he died at Hartford, Sept. 30, 1879.
To fill a vacancy in the Massachusetts senatorial represen- tation, Julius Rockwell, a member of the House of Represen- tatives from 1847 to 1851, was elected June 15, 1854, serv- ing to Feb. 10, 1855. Mr. Rockwell was born at Colebrook April 26, 1805, graduated from Yale in 1826, and was admitted to the bar in Litchfield County in 1829. The fol- lowing year he began practice at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He died at Lenox in the same State, May 19, 1888.
Jared W. Williams was born at West Woodstock, Dec. 22, 1796. He studied law, and began practice at Lancaster, New Hampshire. He had been a member of both houses of
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the State Legislature, was Representative in the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses, and Governor of New Hamp- shire from 1847 to 1849. He was appointed in 1853 to fill a vacancy in the Senate, and served until the close of the Thirty-third Congress; politically he was a Democrat. He died at Lancaster, New Hampshire, Sept. 29, 1864.
To the Thirty-fourth Congress, as a new member, came Lafayette S. Foster; he was born in Franklin, Nov. 22, 1806, and was a direct descendant of Miles Standish, the Plymouth Pilgrim. His collegiate education was obtained at Brown University, from which institution he graduated in 1828. Admitted to the practice of law in Maryland, he later became a member of the Connecticut bar. Mr. Foster had been three times Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and the unsuccessful candidate of the Whig party for Gover- nor at several elections. He was elected May 19, 1854, by the combine vote of Whigs and Free-Soilers, to the United States Senate. He served from 1855 to 1861 on the commit- tee on Public Lands, Pensions, and Judiciary. On the organi- zation of the Republican party, he became one of its active members. Senator Foster was re-elected for a second term; during the exciting times attendant on the Civil War he took an important part in national politics. He was chosen Pres- ident pro tem. of the Senate; therefore when Andrew John- son became President he was the acting Vice-President of the United States. During his last term in the Senate he served on the committee on Indian Affairs, Private Land Claims, and Revolutionary Claims, and was chairman of the committee on Pensions. During the Civil War he was chairman of the committee on Foreign Affairs. Senator Foster died at Nor- wich, Sept. 19, 1880.
Another son of Connecticut began his senatorial career in
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this same Congress, and it extended to long after the close of the Civil War. Lyman Trumbull was born at Colchester, Oct. 12, 1813; studied law, and began practice at Belleville, Illinois. Senator Trumbull served in the State Legislature of Illinois, was Secretary of State 1841-42, and Justice of the Supreme Court from 1848 to 1853. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1854, but resigned his seat on his promotion to the Senate; he served until March 3, 1873. During the war he was a leading Republican, but in the lat- ter part of his life became one of the chief independent lead- ers. He died at Chicago, June 25, 1896.
Senator Toucey was succeeded by James Dixon. He was born in Enfield, Aug. 5, 1814; attended Williams College, graduating in 1834; studied law, and was admitted to the bar. Mr. Dixon was originally a Whig, but subsequently became a Republican. He was elected to the House of Rep- resentatives for two terms, where he distinguished himself for his powers as a debator. During his first term in the Senate, he participated in all of the parliamentary debates preceding the Civil War. He was re-elected in 1863, with a unanimity that had no precedent in the annals of Connecticut. He was a member of the committee on Manufactures, and during his last term was chairman of three important committees. He died March 27, 1873.
To this Congress there came to fill a vacancy, Martin W. Bates, born in Salisbury, Feb. 24, 1787. He was educated for a physician, but after teaching school for a time, took up the practice of law. Senator Bates had served in the State Legislature of Delaware; upon the death of John M. Clay- ton, Senator from that State, he was elected as a Democrat to fill the unexpired term, serving from Dec. 6, 1858, to March 3, 1859. He died at Dover, Jan. 11, 1869.
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this same Congress, and it extended to long after the close of the Civil War. Lyman Trumbull was born at Colchester, Oct. 12, 1813; studied law, and began practice ar Belleville, Illinois. Senator Trumbull served in the State Legelture of Illinois, was Secretary of State 1841-42; and Justice rl the Supreme Court from 1848 to 1853. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1854, but resigned his seat on his promotion to the Senate; he served until March 3, 1873. During the war he was a leading Republican, but in the lat- ter part of his life became one of the chief independent lead- ers. He died at Chicago, June 25, 1896.
Senator Toucey was succeeded by James Dixon. He was born in Enfield, Aug 5, 1814; attended Williams College, graduating in 1834; studied law, and was admitted to the bar. Mr. Dixon was originally a Whig, but subsequently became a Republican He was elected to the Home of Rep- resentatives for two terms, where he distinguished himself for his powers as a debator. During his first term in the Senate, he participated in all of the parliamentary debates preceding the Civil War. He was re-elected in 1863, with a unanimity that had no precedent in the annals of Connecticut. He was a member of the committee on Manufactures, and during his last term was chairman of three important committees. He died March 27, 1873.
To this Congress there came to fill a vacancy, Martin W. Bates, born in Salisbury, Feb. 24, 1787. He was educated. for a physician, but after teaching school for a time, took up the practice of law. Senator Bates had served in the State Legislature of Delaware; upon the death of John M. Clay- ton, Senator from that State, he was elected as a Democrat to fill the unexpired term, serving from Dec. 6, 1858. to March 3, 1859. He dred at Dover, Jan. 11, 1869.
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CONNECTICUT AS A STATE
At the opening of the first session of the Fortieth Congress, Orris S. Ferry presented his credentials as Senator from Con- necticut; after taking the oath of office, he became a member of that body. He was born in Bethel, Aug. 15, 1823, was a member of Yale, class of 1844, and admitted to the bar three years later. Senator Ferry was defeated for Representative to the Thirty-fifth Congress, but was elected as a Republican to the next Congress. Declining a re-election, he became colonel of the Fifth Connecticut Volunteers, who were attached to General Bank's command. Colonel Ferry served in the army until the close of the war, and was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. He was a member of several important committees during his first term as Senator, in 1872 his re-election was effected by a coalition of Independent Re- publicans and Democrats, though he opposed the former organization. Senator Ferry voted against the Civil Rights Bill, on the ground that it would be prejudicial to the cause of public education. His death occurred at Norwalk Nov. 21, 1875.
Connecticut sent to the Senate of the Forty-first Congress her famous War Governor, William A. Buckingham, already mentioned. The vacancy caused by Senator Buckingham's death was filled by the appointment of William W. Eaton, for the unexpired term ending March 3, 1875. Senator Eaton was elected for the next full term. He was born in Tolland, Oct. 11, 1816; educated in the public schools, he studied law and was admitted to practice. He had filled judicial and legislative positions, and was twice Speaker of Connecticut's House of Representatives. He was a pro- nounced Peace Democrat during the Civil War. After his retirement from the Senate, he was elected as a representative
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to the Forty-eighth Congress. He died at Hartford, Sep. 21, 1898.
From the reconstructed State of Mississippi came Henry R. Pease. He was born in Connecticut, February 19, 1835; he was admitted to the bar in 1859. He enlisted as a private in the Union army, and was promoted to a captaincy. He edited and published the Mississippi Educational Journal, the first magazine ever devoted to public education in the South. Senator Pease was elected to fill a vacancy and served from Feb. 12, 1874, to March 3, 1875 ; he was a member of the committees on Education, Labor and Enrolled Bills.
The death of Senator Ferry occasioned the appointment of James E. English, a War Democrat. Mr. English had been a member of the House of Representatives. During the Civil War period he had voted and acted with the Republicans, he also had been Governor of the State.
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For the unexpired term of Senator Ferry, William H. Bar- num, a Democrat, who was serving his fifth term as a mem- ber of the House of Representatives, was elected. Mr. Bar- num was born at Boston Corners, Columbia County, New York, Sept. 17, 1818, he received only a common school edu- cation. In 1836 he began the manufacture of car wheels, also the production of iron from the ore. This led to his taking up his residence in Salisbury. Senator Barnum gained a national prominence as chairman of the National Demo- cratic Committee in the Presidential campaign of 1884. He died at Lime Rock, April 30, 1889.
From the re-constructed State of Florida, a cosmopolitan citizen of the United States, Adonijah S. Welch, was sent to the Forty-fourth Congress. Senator Welch was born in East Hampton, April 12, 1821. He removed to Michigan in 1839, where he studied law and was admitted to the bar. He
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went to California during the gold excitement in 1849, but returned to Michigan two years later; he resided in that State until 1865, when he removed to Jacksonville, Florida, and helped to reconstruct that State. He was chosen United States Senator, serving from July 2, 1878, to March 3, 1879. He removed to Iowa, and from 1879 to 1883 was President of the Iowa State Agricultural College. He died at Pasadena, California, March 15, 1889.
The present Connecticut Senators are Orville H. Platt and Joseph R. Hawley. Senator Platt was born in Washington, July 19, 1827; he received an academical education, studied law, and in 1849 was admitted to practice. He was elected as a Republican, for his first term as Senator in 1879; he has been an earnest advocate for the abolishing of secret executive sessions of the Senate.
Senator Hawley is descended from an old Connecticut fam- ily. He was born at Stewartsville, North Carolina, Oct. 31, 1826. His father was a minister, and the family were tem- porarily in the South at the time of the Senator's birth. He graduated from Hamilton College in 1847, and three years later was admitted to the bar in Hartford; he abandoned the legal profession to become editor of the Hartford Courant. General Hawley's war record has been dealt with in another portion of this work. He was first elected to the Forty-second Congress as a Republican, to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Julis S. Strong. He was a member of the Forty-third and Forty-sixth Congresses, leaving the latter to take his seat in the Senate.
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CHAPTER XXV CONNECTICUT IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES- FROM THE FIRST TO THE THIRTIETH CONGRESS
T HE prominent position that Connecticut has always held in the proceedings of the lower house of Congress, is directly attributable to the greater advantages of cultivation naturally inherited by the older States, as well as to the sturdy worth of the character of her representatives.
At the first election held after the ratification of the Feder- al Constitution, there were five Represenatives elected by the people at large; of these Roger Sherman, whom Thomas Jef- ferson declared "never said a foolish thing in his life," was most universally known.
The member from Hartford was Jeremiah Wadsworth, born in that city July 12, 1743; in his early life he followed the sea, and at the age of thirty settled in Hartford as a mer- chant. During the Revolutionary War he was attached to the Commissary Department of the army, and shared largely in the confidence of Washington ; the latter's first interview with the French officers took place at Colonel Wadsworth's resi- dence. He was a pronounced Federalist, and served through four Congresses. He died April 30, 1804.
The third member was Jonathan Trumbull, who was at- tached to Washington's family as secretary and first aide dur- ing the war. He was Representative until 1795, when he was transferred to the Senate.
The fourth member was Benjamin Huntington, born in Norwich April 19, 1736; graduated from Yale College in 1761, and practiced law in his native town. He had held ju- dicial positions; was a member of the Continental Congress; served one term, and was for twelve years Mayor of Norwich, where he died Oct. 16, 1800.
The other member was Jonathan Sturges, born at Fairfield, Aug. 23, 1740. A member of Yale, class of 1759, he became
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a lawyer. Mr. Sturges was re-elected to the Second Congress, also was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Con- necticut. He died in his native town, Oct. 4, 1819.
Two natives of Connecticut, Theodore Sedgewick and Abraham Baldwin mentioned in the preceding chapter, began their Congressional careers in the First Congress. The new members of the Connecticut delegation to the Second Con- gress were Amasa Learned, who served two terms, and James Hillhouse, who was re-elected twice; but before the termina- tion of his last term, was transferred to the Senate. Mr. Learned was born at Killingly, Nov. 15, 1750; he graduated from Yale College in 1772, studied theology, but preached only a short time. He died at New London, May 4, 1825.
In the Second Congress Israel Smith, of Vermont (see pre- ceding chapter) first took his seat.
In acordance with the apportionment based on the cen- sus of 1790, Connecticut's representation in the House of Representatives was changed from five to seven. The new members to the Third Congress were Joshua Coit, Zepha- niah Swift, and Uriah Tracy; the latter gentleman remained a member of the House until 1796, when he was promoted to the Senate.
Joshua Coit was born in New London, Oct. 7, 1758; grad- uated from Harvard College in 1776, and began the practice of law in his native city. He was twice re-elected, but died at New London of yellow fever, Sept. 5, 1798, before the termination of his last term.
Zephaniah Swift was born at Wareham, Massachusetts, in February 1759; graduated at Yale College in 1778, and established himself as a lawyer at Windham. He served two terms in the House. He was a judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut for eighteen years, during the last five of
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which he was Chief Justice. Judge Swift was the author of several law works, among which was a "Digest of the Laws of Connecticut," on the model of Blackstone. He died at Warren, Ohio, Sept. 27, 1823.
To this Congress came Ezekiel Gilbert, born at Middle- town in 1755. He studied law and began practice at Hud- son, New York; served through the Third and was re-elected to the Fourth Congress.
The new faces in the Connecticut delegation to the Fourth Congress were: Roger Griswold, who served five terms, Samuel W. Dana elected to fill a vacancy caused by the trans- fer of Uriah Tracy to the Senate; he remained a member of the House until 1810, when he too became a Senator. Chaun- cey Goodrich, who was re-elected twice, and afterwards chosen to the Senate; James Davenport, elected to fill the vacancy caused by transfer of James Hillhouse to the Sen- ate. He was born in Stamford Oct. 12, 1758. Graduating from Yale College in 1777, he served in the Commissary Department during the Revolution. He was re-elected, but died during the first session of the Fifth Congress, at Stam-
ford, Aug. 3, 1797. Last was Nathaniel Smith born at Woodbury, Jan. 6, 1762. Though his education was limited, he acquired distinction by the energy of his talents. He had been a member of the State Legislature, where he took an active part in the abolishing of slavery, founding the public- school system, and disposing of the public lands of the State. He was re-elected, but declined any further renominations. He died in his native town March 9, 1822.
The new Connecticut members to the Fifth Congress were John Allen, William Edmond, and Jonathan Brace. The latter was elected to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Representative Coit.
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John Allen was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, in 1763; admitted to the bar, and settled in 1785 at Litch- field. He was a man of great intellect, and of giant stature, measuring six and a half feet in height, and weighing over three hundred pounds. He was a Federalist in politics. He died at Litchfield, July 31, 1812.
William Edmond, elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Davenport, was of Irish parentage; born Sept. 28, 1755, he graduated from Yale in 1773. He was a volunteer during Tryon's invasion, and received a wound that lamed him for life. He began the practice of law at New- town; held legislative and judicial positions; was a man of powerful frame and superior intellectual endowments. He was re-elected, and after his retirement from Congress was appointed to the bench of the Superior Court. He died at Newtown Aug. 1, 1838.
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