A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana, Part 11

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080

USA > Indiana > Boone County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 11
USA > Indiana > Clinton County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 11
USA > Indiana > Hendricks County > A portrait and biographical record of Boone, Clinton and Hendricks Counties, Ind. : containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all of the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Indiana > Part 11

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In 1865 Gov. Morton received a partial paralytic stroke, affecting the lower part of the body, so that he never walked afterward without the use of canes. His mind, how- ever, was in no wise affected by the shock, but continued to grow stronger while he lived. In January, 1867, he was elected to the United States senate, and immediately thereafter re- signed the governorship to Conrad Baker, who served the remainder of the gubernatorial term. In 1873 he was re-elected to the senate and continued a leading member of that body while he lived. In the senate he ranked among the ablest members, was chairman of the committee on privileges and elections, was the acknowledged leader of the republi- cans, and for several years exercised a deter- mining influence over the course of the party. He labored zealously to secure the passage of the fifteenth amendment, was active in the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson, and was the trusted adviser of the republicans of the south. In the national republican convention of 1876 he received next to the highest number of ballots for the presidential nomination, and in 1877 was a member of the celebrated electoral commis- sion. In 1870 President Grant offered Sena- tor Morton the English mission, which was declined. After visiting Oregon in the spring of 1877, as chairman of a committee to inves- tigate the election of Senator Grover, of that state, he suffered another stroke of paralysis, which terminated in his death, November Ist, of the same year. The death of no man, with the exception of President Lincoln, ever cre- ated so much grief in Indiana as did that of Senator Morton, and he was mourned almost as much throughout the entire nation. On the 17th of the next January, Mr. McDonald offered in the senate a series of resolutions in relation to Senator Morton's death, which were unanimously adopted. In speaking on these

resolutions, Mr. McDonald said: "Naturally combative and aggressive, intensely in earnest in his undertakings, and intolerant in regard to those who differed with him, it is not strange that while he held together his friends and followers with hooks of steel, he caused many, whose patriotism and love of country were as sincere and unquestioned as his own, to place themselves in political hostility to him. That Oliver P. Morton was a great man is conceded by all. In regard to his qualities as a statesman, men do differ now and always will. But that he was a great partisan leader -the greatest of his day and generation-will hardly be questioned, and his place in that particular field will not, perhaps, be soon sup- plied." Senator Burnside said: "Morton was a great man. His judgment was good, his power of research was great, his integrity was high, his patriotism was lofty, his love of family and friends unlimited; his courage indomitable." The following is from Senator Edmonds: "He was a man of strong passions and great talents, and as a consequence a devoted partisan. In the field in which his patriotism was exerted it may be said of him, as it was of the Knights of St. John, in the holy wars: 'In the fore front of every battle was seen his burnished mail and in the gloomy rear of every retreat was heard his voice of constancy and courage.'" The closing speech upon the adoption of the resolutions was made by his successor, D. W. Voorhees, who used the following: "Senator Morton was without doubt a very remarkable man. His force of character cannot be over-estimated. His will power was simply tremendous. He threw himself into all his undertakings with that fixedness of purpose and disregard of obstacles which are always the best guarantees of success. This was true of him whether en- gaged in a lawsuit, organizing troops during the war, conducting a political campaign, or a

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debate in the senate. The same daring, aggressive policy characterized his conduct everywhere."

Q ONRAD BAKER, governor of Indiana from 1867 to 1873, was born in Franklin county, Penn., February 12, 1817. He was educated at the Penn- sylvania college, Gettysburg, and read law at the office of Stevens & Smyser, and was ad- mitted to the bar in the spring of 1839, at Gettysburg, where he had a lucrative practice for two years. He came to Indiana in 1841, and settled at Evansville, where he practiced his profession until after the commencement of the rebellion. He was elected to the lower house of the general assembly of Indiana in 1845, and served one session; elected judge of the district composed of the counties of Van- derburg and Warrick, in 1852, in which capac- ity he served about one year, when he re- signed. In 1856 he was nominated for lieutenant governor by the republican party, without his knowledge, on the ticket with Oliver P. Morton. They were defeated by Willard and Hammond. In 1861 Mr. Baker was commissioned colonel of the First cavalry regiment of Indiana volunteers, which he or- ganized, and with which he served until Sep- tember, 1864, in which year he was elected lieutenant governor. In 1865 Gov. Morton convened the general assembly in special ses- sion, and immediately after delivering his mes- sage, started for Europe in quest of health, leaving Col. Baker in charge of the executive department of the state government. Gov. Morton was absent five months, during which time the duties of the executive office were performed by Lieut. Gov. Baker. In Febru- ary, 1867, Gov. Morton was elected to the senate of the United States, in consequence of

which the duties of governor devolved upon Mr. Baker. He was unanimously nominated by the republican convention of 1868, for governor, and was elected over Thomas A. Hendricks, by a majority of 961 votes. He served as governor with ability and dignity, until the inauguration of Mr. Hendricks in 1873, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of law in Indianapolis, being a member of one of the strongest and most widely known firms in the state.

HOMAS A. HENDRICKS was the son of Maj. John Hendricks, and the grandson of Abraham Hendricks, a descendant of the Huguenots, who emigrated to New Jersey and thence to Penn- sylvania prior to the Revolution. Abraham Hendricks was a man of remarkable force of character. He was elected to the Pennsyl- vania assembly first in 1792, and served four terms, the last ending in 1798. William Hen- dricks, second governor of Indiana, preceded his brother John in moving to this state from Ohio, and had gained much notoriety as a tal- ented and public man when Major John finally concluded to risk his fortunes in the wilds of the new west. John Hendricks, prior to 1829, resided with his family at Zanesville, Ohio. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Thompson, and a niece, were the only mem- bers of the Thompson family who emigrated west, the others remaining in Pennsylvania and other eastern states, where some of them gained enviable reputations in law, medicine, politics and ministry. Shortly after their marriage John Hendricks and wife moved to Muskingum, Ohio, where they lived for some time in a rude log house-one story, one room,

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one door and two windows-built of round logs and chinked and daubed after the pioneer fashion. In this little domicile were born two sons, Abraham and Thomas A. The last named, Thomas A., was born September 7, IS19. The next year, 1820, lured by the brilliant carcer of William Hendricks, hereto- fore spoken of, Maj. John Hendricks, with his little family, removed to Madison, Ind., then the metropolis of the state. Two years later the family removed to Shelby county, at that time a wilderness, and settled on the present site of Shelbyville. Here the father corn- menced to erect a house and carve a career for their hopeful son, then scarcely three years of age. A dwelling was soon constructed, trees felled, and a farm opened, and the 'Hendricks house early became a favorite stop- ping place for all who saw fit to accept its hos- pitalities. The future vice president received his early educational training in the schools of Shelbyville, and among his first teachers was the wife of Rev. Eliphalet Kent, a lady of ex- cellent culture, fine education, graceful, and nobly consecrated to the Master, to whom Mr. Hendricks was largely indebted for much of his training and success. Having completed his course in the common schools, he entered Hanover college in 1836, where he remained for the greater part of the time until 1841. On leaving college he returned to Shelbyville, and commenced the study of law in the office of Stephen Major, then a young lawyer of brilliant attainments and considerable tact and experience. In 1843 Mr. Hendricks went to Chambersburg, Penn., where he entered the law school, in which he had for an instructor a inan of distinguished ability, extensive learn- ing, and much experience as judge of the six- teenth judicial district of that state. After eight months' arduous work in this institution, he returned to Shelbyville, passed an exam- ination, and was the same year admitted to the

bar. His first case was before Squire Lee, his opponent being Nathan Powell, a young acqaintance, who had opened up an office about the same time. The case was a trivial one, yet the young attorneys worked hard and with the vim of old practitioners for their re- spective clients. Mr. Hendricks won, and after complimenting Mr. Powell upon his ef- fort, he gracefully served the apples which had been generously furnished by an enthusiastic spectator. Thus started the young advocate who was destined to become one of the na- tion's greatest and most beloved statesmen. In IS43, he formed the acquaintance of Miss Eliza Morgan, who was the daughter of a widow, living at North Bend, and two years later, September 26, 1845, the two were united in the bonds of wedlock.

So soon as Mr. Hendricks emerged from boyhood, his success as a lawyer and public man was assured. Having established an office in Shelbyville, he gained in a short time a fair .competence, and soon became one of the leading attorneys of the place. As an advocate he had few equals, and as a safe counselor none surpassed him at the Shelby county bar. In the year 1848 Mr. Hendricks was nominated for the lower house of the gen- eral assembly, was elected after a brilliant canvass, and served his term with marked dis- tinction. In 1850 he was chosen a delegate to the state constitutional convention, in the deliberations of which he took an active part, having served on two very important commit- tees, and won distinction by a brilliant speech upon the resolution relative to the abolition of the grand jury system. The following year was the beginning of Mr. Hendricks' career in national politics. He was nominated for con- gress at Indianapolis, May 16, 1851, over several other candidates, made a vigorous canvass, and was elected by a decided majority over Col. James P. Rush, the whig candidate,

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In congress he progressed with signal ability, and was called to act on some of the most important committees, and soon won a national reputation. Scarce had congress adjourned when he was required to make another cam- paign, for the constitution had transferred the congressional elections to even years, and the month to October. The whig candidate, John H. Bradley, of Indianapolis, was a brilliant man and a public speaker of rare attainments, whom Mr. Hendricks defeated by a largely increased majority. In 1854, when the north- ern whigs were in a chaotic condition, pro- slavery, anti-slavery, free-soilers, abolitionists, know-nothings and democrats commingling in a storm of confusion, a "fusion " state and congressional ticket was formed for the oc- casion. Opposed to Mr. Hendricks was Lucian Barbour, a talented lawyer of Indianapolis, who exerted himself to combine all the oppo- nents of democracy. Mr. Hendricks made a vigorous and manly contest, but was defeated, after which he retired to his profession and his home at Shelbyville. In 1855 he was ap- pointed by President Pierce general land com- missioner, in which capacity he served nearly four years, and 1860 was nominated for gov- ernor of Indiana against Henry S. Lane. After a brilliant and able canvass, during which the two competitors spoke together in nearly every county in the state, defeat again came to Mr. Hendricks. In the same year he moved to Indianapolis, where he lived until his death. In January, 1863, he was elected to the United States senate, which position he held for six years. In 1872 he was again nominated for governor, his opponent being Gen. Thomas Brown, a man of ability and enviable reputation. This campaign was peculiar in one particular. The republicans had infused the crusaders with the idea that they were the salvation of their cause, while the democracy opposed all sumptuary laws.

Yet Mr. Hendricks went before the people as a temperance man-opposed to prohibition, but willing to sign any constitutional legisla- tion looking toward the amelioration of crime and the advancement of temperance. He was elected and kept his pledges to the letter. He always kept his pledges inviolate, and ever remained true to his friends. He had a high sense of duty, and a spirit of philanthropy pervaded his whole nature. In 1876 he was nominated for the vice presidency on the dem- ocratic ticket with Samuel J. Tilden, of New York, and of this election it was claimed they were flagrantly defrauded by returning boards and the electoral commission. In 1880 the name of Thomas A. Hendricks was placed in nomination for the presidency at Cincinnati, by Indiana, and his nomination was strongly urged in the convention. In 1884 he was a delegate to the Chicago convention, and as chairman of the Indiana delegation presented in fitting terms and masterly manner the name of Joseph E. McDonald for the presidency. After the latter had positively refused to accept the second place on the ticket, Mr. Hendricks was unanimously chosen, and the successful ticket for 1884, the first in twenty- five years, became Grover Cleveland and Thomas A. Hendricks. But few greater calam- ities ever befell the people than the death of Vice President Hendricks, which occurred on the 25th day of November, 1885, at his home in Indianapolis, of heart disease. Mr. Hen- dricks was one of the nation's greatest men; deep, broad-minded, diplomatic and, above all, a true man. His acts and speeches in con- gress, both in the house and senate, his defense of what he conceived to be right, his labors for the poor, the oppressed and the wronged of every class in this and other countries, were of great interest to his people and worthy of emulation by all. His devotion to his party, his candor and honesty of purpose, his noble

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ambition to serve the people faithfully, his. philanthropy and universal love of mankind, all combined to make him one of the noblest of men. Strong in his convictions, yet court- eous . to opponents; great in intellect, yet approachable by the humblest of men; high in position, he met every man as his equal; independent in thought, self-reliant in prin- ciple, and rich in pleasant greeting to all whom he met; though dead, he yet lives in the hearts of the people, and his noble characteristics stand out in bold relief as beacon lights to guide and direct generations yet to be.

J AMES D. WILLIAMS was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, January 16, 1808, and moved with his parents to Indiana in 1818, settling near the town of Vincennes, Knox county. He grew to manhood there, and upon the death of his father, in 1828, the support of the family de- volved on him, He received a limited educa- tion in the pioneer log school-house, but, by mingling with the best people in the neighbor- hood, he obtained a sound practical knowledge of men and things, which, in a great measure, compensated for his early deficiency in liter- ary studies, so that when, on reaching his ma- jority, he was unusually well versed for one in his circumstances. He was reared a farmer, and naturally chose agriculture for his life work. and followed it with much more than ordinary success, until the close of his long and useful life. Gov. Williams entered public life, in 1839, as justice of the peace, the duties of which he discharged in an eminently satis- factory manner for a period of four years, re- signing in 1843. In the latter year he was elected to the lower house of the state legisla- ture, and from that time until his election to the national congress, in 1874, he was almost

continuously identified with the legislative service of the state. Few men in Indiana have been so long in the public service, and few have been identified with more popular legislative measures than he. It is to him that the widows of Indiana are indebted for the law which allows them to hold, without administration, the estates of their deceased husbands, when they do not exceed $300 in value. He was the author of the law which distributed the sinking fund among the coun- ties of the state, and to him are the people largely indebted for the establishment of the state board of agriculture, an institution that has done much to foster and develop the agri- cultural interests of Indiana. He was a dele- gate to the national democratic convention at Baltimore in 1872, and in 1873 was the nomi- nee for United States senator against Oliver P. Morton, but the party being in the minor- ity, he was defeated. He served in the national house of representatives from Decem- ber, 1875, till December, 1876, when he re- signed, having been elected governor in the latter year. The campaign of 1876 was a memorable one, during which the opposition, both speakers and press, ridiculed the demo- cratic nominee for governor, making sport of his homespun clothes and plain appearance, but the democracy seized upon his peculiari- ties and made them the watchwords of victory. Gov. Williams, or " Blue Jeans," as his friends were pleased to call him, was a man of the strictest integrity, and was known as a careful, painstaking executive, entering into the minut- est details of his office. He was self-willed and self-reliant, and probably consulted fewer persons about his official duties than any of his predecessors. In personal appearance, Gov. Williams was over six feet high, remark- ably straight, had large hands and feet, high cheek bones, long sharp nose, gray eyes, and a well formed head, covered profusely with

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black hair. He was courteous in his inter- course with others, a good conversationalist, and possessed in a very marked degree shrewd- ness and force of character. He died in the year 1880.

LBERT G. PORTER .- Among the self-made men of Indiana, none stand higher or have a more noteworthy career than the distinguished gentle- man whose name heads this sketch. Albert G. Porter was born in Lawrenceburg, Ind., April 20, 1824. He graduated at Asbury uni- versity in 1843, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1845 and began to practice in Indianapolis, where he was councilman and corporation attorney. In 1853 he was ap- pointed reporter of the supreme court of Indi- ana, and was subsequently elected to the same position by a very large majority of the voters of the state. He was elected to congress from the Indianapolis district in 1858, on the republican ticket, overcoming an adverse democratic majority of 800, which he con- verted into a majority for himself of 1, 000. Two years subsequently, he was re-elected by a smaller majority. On March 5, 1878, he was appointed first comptroller of the United States treasury, which position he filled with distinguished ability until called therefrom to become a candidate for governor of Indiana on the republican ticket. He resigned, and en- tered into the campaign of 1880, which will ever be memorable in the history of the state. After a canvass of remarkable bitterness and excitement, in which every inch of ground was stubbornly contested, Mr. Porter was elected governor by a handsome majority. He held the office from 1881 to 1884, his administra- tion being regarded by friend and foe, alike, as one of the ablest in the history of the state.

Mr. Porter has for many years ranked as one of the ablest and most successful lawyers in Indiana, and his "Decisions of the Supreme Court of Indiana" (5 vols., 1853-6), are re- garded as among the best of their kind in the state. Besides his talent in politics and law Mr. Porter enjoys a literary reputation of no mean rank, attained chiefly from his law writ- tings and lectures. He is especially good authority on matters relating to pioneer his- tory in the west, and has in preparation a history of Indiana, which will undoubtedly rank as a classic in that line of literature. Mr. Porter also filled the position of United States minister to Rome, which high honor was conferred upon him by his friend, Presi- dent Benjamin Harrison.

'SAAC P. GRAY is a native of Pennsyl- vania, having been born near Downing- town, in Chester county, October 18, 1828. His father, John Gray, moved to Ohio and settled near Urbana, when Isaac was almost eight years old. Within a short time thereafter his parents removed to near Dayton, Ohio, but did not long remain there, when they moved to New Madison, Darke county, Ohio, where young Gray grew to man- hood and became proprietor of a dry goods store. He married Eliza Jaqua, a few years his junior, and the daughter of Judson and - - Jaqua, who resided about two miles from New Madison, in a neighborhood (which had a postoffice) called Yankee Town. Gray's parents are of Quaker descent, but they never adhered to the society. Their ancestors came over with William Penn and took a prominent part in early colonial times. On November 30, 1855, Isaac P. located at Union City, Ind., his family then consisting of his wife and two baby boys, Pierre and Bayard S. From the

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time of his arrival he became one of the lead- ing citizens of the then .small town. He was always active, energetic and progressive, and no work or enterprise in the town was consid- ered without his advice and counsel, and in many cases financial co-operation. He always bore a prominent part in all public matters and was depended upon to speak for the interests of the place.

He was engaged in the dry goods business for a while after he came to Union City, then in the banking business, finally drifting into the law, where by reason of his pleasant speech, excellent judgment of human nature and the happy faculty of condensing and mak- ing plain his thought, he became a successful advocate.

After a few years of practice in the law, however, the civil war came on, and Gray, being a strong unionist, was appointed colonel of the Fourth Indiana cavalry, which position he held from September 4, 1862, to February II, 1864. He also raised and organized the 147th regiment Indiana volunteers, mustered in March 13, 1865, Col. Peden; mustered out August 4, 1865. He was also colonel of the 105th Indiana (minute men). Served five days-July 12-17, 1863. At the close of the war he became a banker, organizing with Hon. N. Cadwallader, the Citizen's bank, of which he is a prominent stockholder and vice presi- dent. In 1866 he was a candidate of the anti- Julian wing of the republican party for con- gress. Entered the law in 1868, and, was state senator of Randolph county in 1868-72, on the republican ticket, of which body he took position as a leading member. In 1870, he was appointed by President Grant consul to St. Thomas, West Indies, and confirmed by the senate, but declined. In 1872 he was ap- pointed a delegate at large for the state of Indiana to the national liberal republican con- vention at Cincinnati, and, by that conven-

tion, was made the member, for the state of Indiana, of the liberal republican national ex- ecutive committee.

Dissatisfied with the administration of Gen. Grant, he joined the Greeley liberal movc- ment in 1872, and from that time on acted with the democrats. In 1876 the democratic state convention nominated him by acclama- tion for lieutenant governor, and he was elected to that office in October, 1876. In 1880 he was a candidate for governor before the demo- cratic state convention, and lost the nomina- tion by four votes, but was named by accla- mation a second time for lieutenant governor. In the general democratic defeat incurred in October, 1880, Col. Gray shared the catas- trophe. But, by the death of Gov. J. D. Wil- liams, in November, 1880, Lieut. Gov. Gray was promoted to the position of governor of Indiana, which honor he sustained with appro- priate dignity, addressing the legislature in perhaps the most voluminous message ever presented by any occupant of the gubernatorial chair to any legislative body. · In 1884 he received the democratic nomination for gov- ernor, to which position he was triumphantly elected in the fall of that year, and for four years served in a manner so satisfactory to his partisan friends that he became the recognized leader of the democratic party in Indiana, and it has always been insisted by his supporters that his name, on the ticket with Cleveland, in 1888, would have that year secured the presidency of the United States to the dem- ocratic party. In the spring of 1894 Mr. Gray was appointed by the Cleveland admin- istration United States minister to the republic of Mexico.

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Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1080

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : A.W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080