USA > Indiana > A biographical history of eminent and self-made men of the state of Indiana : with many portrait-illustrations on steel, engraved expressly for this work, Volume II > Part 44
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HOMPSON, RICHARD W., Secretary of the Navy, was born in Culpepper County, Virginia, in June, 1809. In the fall of 1831 he emigrated to In- diana, when he taught in Bedford a private school, after which he opened the Lawrence County Seminary. After conducting this about one year, he en-
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gaged as clerk in a large dry-goods house in that county. While in that capacity he began the study of law, in which he was successful, and was admitted to the bar in 1834. During the same year he was elected to the Legislature of Indiana. In 1838 he was returned to the House, and the following year was chosen state Senator. In the Legislature of the state Mr. Thompson not only displayed great ability and foresight, but was instru- mental in effecting very important legislation. He was president of the Senate pro tempore on the occasion of the resignation of Lieutenant-governor David Wallace, and held the office of acting Governor during the ad- ministration of Hon. Noah Noble, until Hon. David Hillis was chosen Lieutenant-governor. In 1841 he was nominated for Congress by the Whig Convention of the Second Congressional District, and was elected over Hon. John W. Davis. In that Congress Mr. Thompson served on several important committees, and was consid- ered an able member. He declined a renomination to the same position, and in 1843 removed to Terre Haute, where he has since continued the practice of the law. In 1847 he was again elected to Congress by the Whig party, over Hon. John A. Wright, afterwards Governor of Indiana. He was prominent in the national legisla- ture during this term, and at its close retired from pub- lic life. In 1849 he was appointed United States Min- ister to Austria by General Taylor, but declined to accept the position. He was tendered several other appoint- ments by the general government, all of which he re- fused. Mr. Thompson held the office of Judge of the Eighteenth Judicial District of Indiana one term, com- mencing in 1867, but declined to be a candidate at the election in 1869. During the war for the Union he was active, and rendered valuable services to his country. He was commandant of Camp Dick Thomp- son, near Terre Haute, and also served as provost-mar- shal of the district. For a few years Mr. Thompson lived a retired life, declining all political offices tendered him. He also retired from the practice of law, except as attorney for the I., H. & I., the St. Louis, Vandalia and Terre Haute, and several other roads. He has always taken a deep interest in literary and educational pursuits, hav- ing collected a very extensive library of rare and stand- ard works. Ile is president of the board of trustees of the Indiana State Normal School, and a member of the board of trustees of Indiana Asbury University. In March, 1877, he was appointed by President Hayes Secretary of the Navy. His administration of the affairs of that important department has been characterized by the most signal ability and the strictest economy. At the end of the fiscal year in 1879 he held over one and a half millions of dollars unexpended of appropriations to turn in to the government. This was effected by judicious economy in every branch of the service. The condition of the navy, as far as it goes, has never been
better than now, and the appropriation for last year was smaller by nearly one half than the appropriation for the same purpose six years ago. Mr. Thompson is very popular at home, and his services are frequently called into requisition by his fellow-citizens. He is a ready and effective speaker, and is a man of benevolence and unassuming manners.
UTTLE, JOSEPH F., D. D., of Crawfordsville, president of Wabash College, was born at Bloom- field, New Jersey, March 12, 1818. When ten years of age he entered the Newark Academy, and pursued his studies for four years, afterwards ac- companying his father and family to Ohio, where he engaged in farm work with his uncle until his eighteenth year. This invigorating employment improved him physically, and developed a vitality that has endured through a long and active life, making his advanced age an easy burden. Developing in early life a desire for intellectual culture, he entered the freshman class of Marietta College during the presidency of Doctor Joel Lindsley, and graduated with the first honors as vale- dictorian, at the commencement of 1841. The same year he began a course of theological studies at Lane Seminary, under Doctor Lyman Beecher. In Septem- ber, 1843, he became a tutor in Marietta College, which position he held one year. In 1844 he was licensed a minister of the Presbyterian denomination. About the first public literary effort of Mr. Tuttle was on the oc- casion of his receiving the degree of A. M., in 1844, when he delivered a poem entitled, "The Aztec Sacri- fice." In 1845 Doctor Tuttle was ordained and installed pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church at Delaware, Ohio. Two years later he accepted a call to the Presby- terian Church at Rockaway, New Jersey, where he remained for fifteen years. These years of ministerial work yielded abundant fruit in the growth and pros- perity of the Church, and in the earnest and close ties of fellowship developed between pastor and people. During his busy labors as a clergyman Doctor Tuttle made many contributions to the current religious and secular literature of the day, including a number of elaborate articles written for the New Englander, the Biblical Repository, and other reviews. He also prepared and published several volumes on various subjects. In 1860 Marietta College conferred upon him the first hon- orary degree of D. D. given to any of her alumni. A new and important field of labor was opened to Doctor Tuttle by his election to the presidency of Wabash Col- lege in 1861, and he entered upon the responsible duties of the position in May, 1862. At the commencement of the war of the Rebellion in 1861, the larger portion of the students attending this college volunteered
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in the military service of the general government, | Catherine Van Buskirk. After the usual preliminary which left the classes very much depleted in numbers. It may be worthy of record here that this band of youthful patriots so well performed the duties of the soldier at the front as to reflect lasting honor upon the institution whose classic halls they willingly left to en- counter the perils of the "tented field." Under the wise and energetic presidency of Doctor Tuttle, Wabash College did not languish. The number of students in- creased beyond those of ante-bellum days. Friends of the institution came forward to relieve its financial em- barrassments. Additional endowments were generously subscribed. Unfinished buildings were completed; and the college, in all of its facilities and appointments, before long took rank second to none in the great cen- tral states of the country. The venerable and venerated president remains, in health and vigor, to chiefly direct the destinies of this important and growing institution of learning, which is the pride of the people of the state, and a credit to the nation. During the first year of his ministry, in 1845, Doctor Tuttle was happily married to Miss Susan C. King, of Rockaway, New Jersey, and they have four children. In physical de- velopment, Doctor Tuttle is a fine specimen of man- hood. He is above the medium height, muscular, erect, and elastic in motion, with a massive head of perfect shape, and a benevolent and highly intellectual cast of countenance, united with a gentle dignity of demeanor. Doctor Tuttle's life and character may properly serve as an example from which the youth under his ministra- tion may derive an influence that can not fail to be of benefit in their future career. Besides special educa- tional duties, Doctor Tuttle has been much before the public as a prominent citizen, and as a public speaker has frequently been invited to deliver addresses on im- portant occasions. His Sabbath afternoon lectures to the students during the college terms are esteemed as among the most profitable and interesting exercises of the college. -
AN VALZAH, ROBERT, D. D. S., Terre Haute, is a member of a family known as a " family of doctors," from the numerous members of it who have engaged in that time-honored profession. The Mifflinburg (Pennsylvania) Telegraph, of February 22, 1877, contains an article, under the above heading, which fully bears out the claims of the Van Valzah family to that distinction. The grandfather of the sub- ject of this sketch had a family of seven sons, five of whom became physicians. William M., father of Rob- ert, did not, however, follow the traditional choice of his family, but engaged in mercantile business and lumbering at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where his son Robert was born, April 9, 1843. His wife's name was D-4
studies, Robert Van Valzah entered the university at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, a Baptist institution. After his promotion to the senior year he left his studies, and engaged in dentistry under the tuition of Doctor R. E. Burlan, with whom he remained two years. He then went to Philadelphia, and engaged with J. D. White, emeritus professor of dentistry in the Pennsylvania Dental College. This business connection lasted about a year; and, March 7, 1864, he came to Terre Haute, where he has ever since practiced his calling, and where he has secured a very large and lucrative patronage. A thorough master of his profession, his motto, "What- ever is worth doing at all is worth doing well," he car- ries out consistently in all his relations. While enthu- siastically devoted to the principles of the Democratic party, and never backward in giving expression to his convictions, he has refrained from entering the field as a candidate for office, although his friends have repeat- edly determined to drag him into the arena, against his expressed wishes. In 1868 he was elected a member of the city council. In 1878 he was elected to the state Legislature by a majority of twelve hundred and twenty- six over his Republican and seven hundred and ten over his National opponent. He is chairman of the House Committee on Railroads. He had the honor of nomi- nating Hon. Daniel W. Voorhees for the United States Senate. Mr. Van Valzah's military career, to which he never refers except with a twinkle of sly humor, was neither a brilliant nor a bloody one. He entered the Union army as a member of a company of college stu- dents, officered by the professors, and attached to the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteers, June 16, 1863. The reg- iment was in service when Fitzhugh Lee made his raid into Virginia, and took charge of the prisoners after the battle of Gettysburg ; and the Doctor was mustered out with the rest, without having received the coveted " baptism of fire." Mr. Van Valzah has always taken an active interest in educational matters, and is at pres- ent a member of the city school board, and president of the Terre Haute board of education. Ile is one of those peculiar dispositions that rarely become interested , in any thing without being completely absorbed. His connection with the institution of Freemasonry partakes of this character, and has made his name familiar to every Mason in the state. He has been a member of the fraternity since 1865, and has occupied all the prominent positions in that body. He was for ten years Master of Terre Haute Lodge, No. 19, in which he was made a Mason, and in 1878 was elected Most Worship- ful Grand Master of the state of Indiana. He has taken thirty-two degrees in the Scottish Rite, four in Capitulary Masonry, two in Cryptic Masonry, and three in the Christian Order of Knighthood. He evinces an intense interest in all matters pertaining to the mystic
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brotherhood, and is reputed to be extraordinarily well versed in their ritual. He was married, November 28, 1864, to Margaret Caroline Sparks, of Terre Haute. They have two children, a son and daughter. Mr. Van Valzah is now in the prime of life, active and energetic in his habits, a gentleman of cultivated tastes, and uni- versally esteemed as a man of integrity and character.
ANCE, ROBERT J., of Crawfordsville, was born in Frederick County, Virginia, September 22, 1814. His education was confined to the elementary branches, and, such as it was, was completed in his fourteenth year, at which time he began the world for himself. At nineteen, in company with his brother- in-law, Samuel D. Vance, he removed to Crawfords- ville, Indiana, and worked in a store with Samuel D. until 1838, and then entered into partnership with him, being engaged in buying and selling goods most of the time from his first entrance as clerk, in 1828, until 1870, a period of forty-two years. Since 1870 Mr. Vance has been engaged in the grain trade, and is still an active and enterprising business man. His paternal ancestry were Scotch-Irish, his maternal Scotch, and they emigrated to this country during the first quarter of the last century. His maternal grandfather was a major in the Revolutionary War, in the Virginia Continental line, and did a soldier's duty in the battle of the Brandy- wine, at Monmouth, Stony Point, and elsewhere. Mr. Vance, at his elegant home in Crawfordsville, has an autograph letter written by General Washington to his grandfather, urging upon him to remain in the service, which the latter had thought of leaving for what he deemed sufficient reasons. But he could not resist the appeal of his illustrious commander, and continued in the service until victory crowned the long and arduous struggle. This fact forms the basis of a noteworthy in- cident that occurred a century after. By enactment of the Virginia Legislature during the Revolutionary War, certain lands were promised to such officers as remained in the Continental service until the close of the war. The North-western Territory then belonged to Virginia. Having, however, been ceded to the general govern- ment, the United States became responsible for the ful- fillment of the provisions of the Virginia enactment, and the heirs of Major Beall received five thousand and five hundred acres. A century after, Robert J. Vance, the grandson, and the subject of this sketch, was notified, by a claim agent in Washington, that his grandfather's heirs had not received all the land they were entitled to; and in a few months after he received scrip for one thousand five hundred and forty acres, being the re- mainder due. Mr. Vance was the son of Robert Vance and Mazey Beall, who were born and reared in Virginia,
and married in 1798. His family are attached to the Presbyterian Church, and of the same religious faith were his ancestry, extending far back of the time of their emigration from Scotland to America. December 21, 1843, he was married to Miss Martha Tilden, of Frankfort, Indiana. She sprung from a Virginia family. Her father was a prominent physician, and her grand- father a Methodist minister. Of eight children, five are living, four daughters and one son. Mr. Vance be- longs to a family that has been prominently connected with the growth and advancement of the West. A manly pride characterizes the race, and during a long business career he has been guided by a strict sense of honor that has won him the esteem of his many friends and his fellow-citizens generally. His eye is yet bright, his step elastic, and age sits easily upon him. He has lived to see the rudely built village of Crawfordsville, where he has dwelt forty-six years, expand into a beautiful city of six thousand inhabitants, and his children rise up and do him honor.
OORHEES, DANIEL W., Terre Haute, Indiana, was born in Butler County, Ohio, September 26, 1827, and was only two months old when his par- ents removed to Fountain County, Indiana, where they now reside. His father, Stephen Voorhees, was born in Mercer County, Kentucky, in 1798, emigrated when quite young to Butler County, Ohio, and, in De- cember, 1827, moved to the farm in Fountain County, Indiana, which he now occupies. His grandfather, Peter Voorhees, was born in New Jersey, and soon after the close of the Revolutionary War emigrated to Ken- tucky. Peter Voorhees's wife, whose maiden name was Van Arsdale, was born at Bryant's Station, then a fort; her father, Luke, fought at the battle of Blue Licks, and distinguished himself there and elsewhere against the Indians, under Daniel Boone. His other grand- father, Stephen Voorhees, for whom his father was named, was a soldier in the Revolutionary army under General Washington, and fought at Princeton, Mon- mouth, and other celebrated historic fields. His pater- nal ancestors came from Holland, the original name being Van Voorhees. In this connection it may be well to state that Mr. Voorhees resents with indignation any disparagement of Hollanders, and often dwells with en- thusiasm on the valor and genius of the citizens of the old Dutch Republic. Mr. Voorhees's mother, Rachel Elliot, born in Maryland, of Irish ancestry, was married in 1821, and still survives. She is a lady of superior endowments of mind and strength of character. Daniel W. is the third child, and was brought up on a farm about ten miles from Covington, Indiana, remaining there until 1845. This early experience proved of great value to him in after life, and has served to knit him
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close to the hearts of the people. In his magnificent flights of oratory the apt, witty, and telling illustrations that he drew from agricultural life never failed to re- mind the sun-brown sons of toil that he was one of them. In 1845 he entered Asbury University, Green- castle, Putnam County, Indiana, whence he graduated in 1849. Here he wooed and won his wife, and, since his first entrance into college, Putnam County has stood by him through good and evil report. His college life gave ample promise of his future career. Professor Larrabee, one of the faculty of the university, said of him to a friend at the time that he was a "natural orator," and was destined, if he lived, to "take rank with the first men of the nation." Soon after graduat- ing he entered the law office of Lane & Wilson, Craw- fordsville, Indiana, and the following spring settled to practice at Covington, the county seat of Fountain County. Here Hon. E. A. Hannegan, formerly United States Senator, having heard him deliver a " Fourth of July " oration, made proposals for a law partnership, which was consummated in April, 1852. In June, 1853, Mr. Voorhees was appointed, by Governor Wright, prosecuting attorney of the Circuit Court, in which position he soon established a fine reputation as a crimi- nal lawyer, and broke up a nest of desperadoes whose headquarters were at Lafayette, Indiana. In 1856 he was nominated by acclamation Democratic candidate for Congress and was defeated by two hundred and thirty majority, in a district previously Republican by two thousand six hundred. In November, 1857, he re- moved to Terre Haute, the county seat of Vigo County, and the ensuing April (1858) was appointed United States district attorney for the state of Indiana by Presi- dent Buchanan, in which position he increased his repu- tation as an orator and lawyer. He was elected to Congress in 1860 and 1862, and in 1864 was again a suc- cessful candidate, but in this last election his majority of six hundred and thirty-four votes was contested by his opponent, Hon. Henry D. Washburne, who obtained the seat. In 1866 Mr. Voorhees refused the nomination, but in 1868 he was elected, and again in 1870. In 1872 he was defeated by the Hon. Morton C. Hunter. As a precursor of the late war, the "insurrection, trea- son, and murder " at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in which old John Brown, John E. Cook, and others were con- cerned, and for which they were convicted and hung in 1859, will always stand prominent in the history of the country. At that time the gifted A. P. Willard was Governor of Indiana, and the champion of the Indiana Democracy ; and it was with sorrow and dismay that his friends learned that Colonel Cook, arrested with "Ossa- watomie Brown," was a brother of Governor Willard's wife. Governor Willard was not the man to turn his back upon a brother or a friend. His first thought was of "Dan Voorhees," who was then at Vincennes argu-
ing a case before Judge Michael F. Burke. Governor Willard sent a messenger to Vincennes, and Judge Burke continued the case, while Mr. Voorhees immedi- ately started to consult with Governor Willard. Several advised him not to undertake the defense, but he em- phatically declared his resolution to defend his friend's brother regardless of consequences. He went, and took part in that celebrated trial. The result is known ; old John Brown was convicted of murder and treason. Mr. Voorhees succeeded in having a Virginia jury convict Cook of murder only, thus bringing him within the pardoning power of the Governor. Governor Wise, however, refused to pardon, and Cook was exe- cuted with the others. This was, however, the beginning of Mr. Voorhees's national reputation. His speech was listened to by the vast audience with rapt attention, and met with unequaled approbation. He was the recipient of enthusiastic congratulations, and his speech was pub- lished all over the country, and in Europe in several different languages. Like the author of "Childe Harold," he might have said, "I awoke one morning and found myself famous." From this time forward he has occupied a conspicuous place in the eyes of the public. At the bar, on the stump, in the halls of Con- gress, he has been a man of mark. Mere description of his powers as an orator, and his fine presence, is unsatis- factory ; he has to be seen and heard to be appreciated. Mr. Voorhees's political career and principles, his powers as a parliamentary orator and a statesman, are now a portion of the history of the nation. His part in the stirring debates of the Forty-fifth Congress from his place in the United States Senate has been too recent to view without passion or prejudice, but the fu- ture historian can not fail to extol the efforts of the orator from Indiana. From the sobriquet of "the tall Syca- more of the Wabash," so often and familiarly applied to Mr. Voorhees, it will be inferred that he is of tall stature. He stands six feet and one inch in height, weighs over two hundred pounds, has fair complexion, dark gray, hazel eyes, and carries himself erect. In 1850 he married Miss Anna Hardesty, of Greencastle, Indiana, a lady of remarkable intelligence and refine- ment, and they have four children. Mr. Voorhees was appointed, November 6, 1877, to succeed Governor Morton in the United States Senate. The issue in the election of 1878 in Indiana was whether he should be elected by the Legislature to succeed his appointment. On this issue the Legislature pledged to his support was elected by a majority of more than thirty thousand over all opposition. During his term of service in the Senate he has been assiduous in his attention to the public needs. He is always present, and allows no measure of his political opponents to pass without the severest scrutiny. With him vigilance is the price of liberty.
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HITCOMB, JAMES, Governor of Indiana, was born in Stockbridge, Vermont, December 1, 1791. He received a classical education, graduating at Transylvania University. He was admitted to the bar, after studying at Bloomington, in 1824. He was appointed prosecuting attorney of Monroe County in 1826, and was a member of the state Senate in 1830. He was a valuable member of the Democratic party, and was nominated by President Jackson com- missioner of the general land-office, which position he held for five years. Returning to Indiana, he began practice at Terre Haute. He was twice elected Gov- ernor of the state, but before his second term expired he was elected United States Senator. He served from December 3, 1849, to October 4, 1852, when he died in the city of New York. He was a vice-president of the American Bible Society.
ASHBURNE, GENERAL HENRY D., was born in Windsor County, Vermont, on the 28th of March, 1832. His father was a physician of standing, and his mother was a woman of un- usual mental power and force of character. His parents removed to Ohio when he was very small. In the pub- lic schools of that state, and at Oberlin College, he re- ceived the basis of a good education. From the age of thirteen he maintained himself, at first as an appren- tice in the tanner's trade and afterward in teaching school. When seventeen years old he came to Vermil- ion County, Indiana, teaching on Helt's Prairie for three years. In 1852 he entered the law school at Poughkeepsie, New York, graduating in 1853. He returned to Newport, at once engaging in the practice of law, and served as auditor from 1854 to 1861. In December, 1854, he was married to Serena Johnson, a circumstance which he considered the most fortunate of his life, and to which he was indebted for a great por- tion of his after success. He entered the army August 16, 1861, as lieutenant-colonel of the 18th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers, and served with his regiment in the Missouri campaigns of that year under Fremont and Hunter. Early in 1862 his regiment moved south, and took part in all the military operations in Arkansas. On the 15th of July, 1862, he was promoted to the colonelcy of his regiment, vice Colonel Patterson re- signed. During the year 1864 his command was attached to General Grant's Army of the Mississippi, and was engaged in the siege of Vicksburg and the various cam- paigns of the South. Later in 1864, after re-enlistment as a veteran regiment, his command was transferred to the Army of the Potomac, and his service was thence- forth with that army. On the 15th of December, 1864, he was breveted as brigadier-general. He was in the |
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