A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 9

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1474

USA > Indiana > Randolph County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 9
USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 9

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

President Benjamin Harrison was born at North Bend, Hamilton county, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His life up to the time of his grad- uation by the Miami university, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a country lad of a family of small means. His father was able to give him a good education, and nothing more. He became engaged while at college to the daughter of Dr. Scott, principal of a female school at Oxford. After graduating, he determined to enter upon the study of the law. He went to Cincinnati and there read law for two years. At the expiration of that time young Harrison received the only inher-

itance of his life; his aunt, dying, left him a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to get married at once, take this money and go to some eastern town and begin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and with the money in his pocket, he started out with his young wife to fight for a place in the world. He decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at that time a town of promise. He met with slight encour- agement at first, making scarcely anything the first year. He worked diligently, applying himself closely to his calling, built up an ex- tensive practice and took a leading rank in the legal profession. He is the father of two children.

In 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the position of supreme court reporter, and then began his experience as a stump speaker. He canvassed the state thoroughly, and was elected by a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the Seventeenth Indiana infantry, and was chosen its colonel. His regiment was composed of the rawest of material, but Col. Harrison employed all his time at first master- ing military tactics and drilling his men; when he therefore came to move toward the east with Sherman his regiment was one of the best drilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and for his braverp at Peachtree Creek he was made a brigadier general, Gen. Hooker speak- ing of him in the most complimentary terms.

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field the supreme court declared the office of the supreme court reporter vacant, and another person was elected to the position. From the time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 he had taken no leave of absence, but having been nomi- nated that year for the same office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time made a brilliant canvass of the state, and

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was elected for another term. He then started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most trying siege made his way to the front in time to participate in the closing incidents of the war.

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-elec- tion as reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 he was a candidate for governor. Although defeated, the brilliant campaign he made won for him a national reputation, and he was much sought, especially in the east, to make speeches. In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the campaign, and was elected to the United States senate. Here he served six years, and was known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and strongest de- baters in that body. With the expiration of his senatorial term he returned to the practice of his profession, becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in the state of Indiana.

The political campaign of 1888 was one of the most memorable in the history of our coun- try. The convention, which assembled in Chicago in June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer of the republican party, was great in every particular, and on this account, and the attitude it assumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest in the campaign throughout the nation. Shortly after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This movement became popular, and from all sec- tions of the country societies, clubs and dele-

gations journeyed thither to pay their respects to the distinguished statesman. The popu- larity of these was greatly increased on ac- count of the remarkable speeches made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all through the summer and autumn to these visiting delega- tions, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were his speeches that they at once placed him in the foremost rank of American orators and statesmen. On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his his power as a debater, he was called upon at an uncommonly early age to take part in the discussion of the great questions that then began to agitate the coun- try. He was an uncompromising anti-slavery man, and was matched against some of the most eminent democratic speakers of his state. No man who felt the touch of his blade de- sired to be pitted with him again. With all his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect, but his words always went like bullets to the mark. He is purely Ameri- can in his ideas and is a splendid type of the American statesman. Gifted with quick per- ception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the most distinguished impromptu speakers in the nation. Original in thought, precise in logic, terse in statement, yet withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. His term of office as president of the United States expired on March 4, 1893, when he surrendered the high position to Stephen Grover Cleveland, allusion to which fact is made on a preceding page.

GOVERNORS OF INDIANA

. . . AND . . . .

REPRESENTATIVE MEN.

GOVERNORS OF INDIANA AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN.

A RTHUR ST. CLAIR, one of the most noted characters of our early colonial days, was a native of Scotland, being born at Edinburg, in 1735. Becom- ing a surgeon in the British army, he subse- quently crossed the Atlantic with his regiment and thenceforward was identified with the history of this country until the day of his death. Serving as a lieutenant with Wolfe in the memorable campaign against Quebec, St. Clair won sufficient reputation to obtain ap- pointment as commander of Fort Ligonier, Pa., where a large tract of land was granted to him. During the Revolutionary war he espoused the colonial cause, and before its close had risen to the rank of major general. In 1785 he was elected a delegate to the Continental congress and afterward became its president. After the passage of the ordinance of 1787, St. Clair was appointed first military governor of the Northwest territory, with headquarters at Fort Washington, now Cincinnati. In 1791 he undertook an expedition against the north- western Indians, which resulted in the great disaster known in western history as "St. Clair's defeat." On November 4 the Indians surprised and routed his whole force of about 1,400 regulars and militia, in what is now Darke county, Ohio, killing over 900 men and capturing his artillery and camp equipage.

Gen. St. Clair held the office of territorial governor until 1802, when he was removed by President Jefferson. He returned to Ligonier, Pa., poor, aged and infirm. The state granted him an annuity which enabled him to pass the last years of his life in comfort. He died near Greensburgh, Pa., August 31, 1818, leaving a family of one son and three daughters.

ILLIAM HENRY HARRISON, first (territorial) governor of Indiana, and ninth President of the United States, was a native of Virginia, born in the town of Berkeley, Charles City county, February 9, 1773, [See presidential sketch. ]

HOMAS POSEY, the last governor of Indiana territory, was born near Alex- andria, Va., on the 9th day of July, 1750. His educational training was limited, being confined to the branches taught in the different schools of those days. In 1774 he took part in the expedition originated by Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, against the Indians, and was present at the battle of Mount Pleasant. At the close of the war Mr.

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Posey went back to his home in Virginia, but did not long pursue his peaceful vocations, being called upon, the following year, to take the part of the colonies in their struggle for liberty against the mother country. He par- ticipated in the battle of Bemis Heights, as captain in Col. Morgan's command; in 1779 was colonel of the Eleventh Virginia regiment, and afterward commanded a battery under Gen. Wayne. He bore a gallant part in the storming of Stony Point, was at the capitula- tion of Cornwallis at Yorktown, and continued in the service some time after peace was declared In 1793, he was appointed brigadier general in the army of the Northwest, and, being pleased with the appearance of the country, settled in Kentucky not long after. In that state he was a member of the state senate, being president of the body from November 4, 1805, to November 3, 1806, per- forming the duties of lieutenant governor at the same time. He removed to Louisiana in 1812, and afterward represented the state in the senate of the United States. While a resident of Louisiana he was appointed gov- ernor of Indiana territory, by President Mad- ison, and in May, 1813, he moved to Vin- cennes, and entered upon the discharge of his official duties. When his term as governor expired by reason of the admission of Indiana into the Union, Col. Posey was appointed Indian agent for Illinois territory, with head- quarters at Shawneetown, where his death occurred March 19, 1818.

J ONATHAN JENNINGS, the first gov- ernor of Indiana, was born in Hunter- don county, N. J., in the year 1784. His father, a Presbyterian clergyman, moved to Pennsylvania shortly after Johna-

than's birth, in which state the future gov- ernor received his early educational training and grew to manhood. He early began train- ing himself for the legal profession, but before his admission to the bar he left Pennsylvania and located at Jeffersonville, Ind., where he completed his preparatory study of the law, and became a practitioner in the courts of that and other towns in the territory. He was subsequently made clerk in the territorial legislature, and while discharging the duties of that .position became a candidate for con- gress, against Thomas Randolph, attorney general of the territory. The contest between the two was exciting and bitter, the principal question at issue being slavery, which Mr. Randolph opposed, while his competitor was a firm believer in the divine right of the insti- tution. Jennings was elected by a small majority. He was re-elected in 1811, over Walter Taylor, and in 1813 was chosen the third time, his competitor in the last race being Judge Sparks, a very worthy and popular man. Early in 1816, Mr. Jennings reported a bill to congress, enabling the people of the territory to take the necessary steps to convert it into a state. Delegates to a convention to form a state constitution were elected in May, 1816, Mr. Jennings being chosen one from the county of Clark. He was honored by being chosen to preside over this convention, and in the election which followed he was elected governor of the new state by a majority of 1,277 votes over his competitor, Gov. Posey. In this office he served six years, also acting as Indian commissioner in 1818 by appoint- ment of President Monroe. At the close of his term as governor, he was elected as repre- sentative in congress, and was chosen for four terms in succession. He was nearly always in public life and filled his places acceptably. He died near Charleston, July 26, 1834.

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AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN.

ATLIFF BOON, who became gov- ernor of Indiana upon the resignation of Jonathan Jennings, September 12, 1822, was born in the state of Georgia Jannary 18, 1781. When he was young his father emigrated to Kentucky, settling in War- ren county. Ratliff Boon learned the gun- smith trade in Danville, Ky., and in 1809 came to Indiana and settled on the present site of Boonville, in what is now Warrick county. In the organization of this county he took a prominent part, was elected its first treasurer, in the session of 1816-17 he was a memher of the house of representatives, and in 1818 was elected to the state senate. In 1819 he was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket with Jonathan Jennings, whom he succeed, as stated above. He was re-elected to the office of lieutenant governor in 1822, but resigned that office in 1824, to become a candidate for congress, to which he was elected in August of the same year. He was re-elected in 1829-1831-1833-1835 and 1837, serving most of the time as chairman of the com- mittee of public lands. In 1836 he was a candidate for United States senator, but was defeated by Oliver H. Smith. His congres- sional career ended March, 1839, and a few months afterward he removed to Missouri, settling in Pike county. In that state Gov. Boon became active in public affairs, and was one of the leading men of the state. Placing himself in antagonism to Col. Thomas H. Benton, who then controlled the politics of Missouri, he incurred the latter's deadly enmity. He again became a candidate for congress in 1844, but his death on November 20th of that year put an end to his earthly career. Mr. Boon was a pioneer of two states and left the impress of his character upon both.

ILLIAM HENDRICKS, governor of Indiana from 1822 to 1825, was born at Ligonier, Westmoreland county, Pa., in 1783. His parents were Abraham and Ann (Jamison) Hendricks, descendants from old families of New Jersey. William Hendricks was educated at Cannons- burg, Pa , and shortly after his graduation, in 1810, went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied law in the office of Mr. Carry, sup- porting himself in the meantime by teaching school. In 1814 he removed to Indiana, and located at Madison, which continued to be his home during the rest of his life. He began the practice of law at Madison, where he was also identified with journalism for some time, and shortly after his removal to the state he was made secretary of the territorial legisla- ture at Vincennes. In June, 1816, he was appointed secretary of the constitutional con- vention, and in August of the same year was elected as the first and sole representative to congress from the newly created state, serving three successive terms. He discharged the duties of his high position with so much acceptability that at the end of his third term, 1822, he was elected governor of the state without opposition. Before the expiration of his term as governor, the legislature elected him a senator of the United States, and on February 12, 1825, he filed his resignation as governor. In 1831 he was re-elected, and at the expiration of this term, in 1837, he retired to private life and never afterward took upon himself the cares of public office. In 1840 he was one of the state electors on the Van Buren ticket, and it was during the campaign of that year that he contracted a disease from which he suffered the remainder of his life. Gov. Hendricks was a man of imposing ap- pearance. He was six feet in height, hand-

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some in face and figure, and had a ruddy com- plexion. He was easy in manner, genial and kind in disposition, and was a man who at- tracted the attention of all and won the warm friendship of many. He was brought up in the Presbyterian faith, early united with that church, and lived a consistent, earnest, chris- tian life. The Indiana Gazette of 1850 has the following mention of him: "Gov. Hen- dricks was for many years by far the most popular man in the state. He had been its sole representative in congress for six years, elected on each occasion by large majorities, and no member of that body, probably, was more attentive to the interests of the state he represented, or more industrious in arranging all the private or local business intrusted to him. He left no letter unanswered, no public office or document did he fail to visit or examine on request; with personal manners very engaging, he long retained his popu- larity." He died May 16, 1850.

J AMES BROWN RAY. governor of Indi- ana, was born in Jefferson county, Ky., February 19, 1791. Early in life he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and after studying law in that city he was admitted to the the bar. He began the practice at Brook- ville, Ind., where he soon ranked among the ablest and most influential of an able and ambitious bar.

In 1822 he was elected to the legislature. On the 30th of January, 1824, Lient. Gov. Rat- liff Boon resigned his office, and Mr. Ray was elected president pro tempore of the senate, and presided during the remainder of the ses- sion. He was governor of the state from 1825 to 1831, and during this time was appointed United States commissioner with Lewis Cass and John Tipton, to negotiate a treaty with

the Miami and Pottawatomie Indians. The constitution of the state prevented the gov- ernor from holding an office under the United States government, in consequence of which he became involved in a controversy. He remembered the difficulty Jonathan Jennings had encountered under like circumstances, and sought to avoid trouble by acting without a regular commission, but his precaution did not save him from trouble. Through his exertions the Indians gave land to aid in building a road from Lake Michigan to the Ohio river. Gov. Ray was active in promoting railroad concen- tration in Indianapolis, and took an active part in the internal improvement of the state. At the expiration of his term of office he resumed the practice of law, and in 1837 was candidate for congress in the Indianapolis dis- trict, but was defeafed by a large majority. This want of appreciation by the public soured him, and in later years he became very eccen- tric. In 1848, while at Cincinnati, he was taken with the cholera, which terminated in his death, August 4, of that year. In person Gov. Ray, in his younger days, was very pre- possessing He was tall and straight, with a body well proportioned. He wore his hair long- and tied in a queue. His forehead was broad and high, and his features denoted intel- ligence of high order. For many years he was a leading man of Indiana, and no full history of the state can be written without a mention of his name.

OAH NOBLE, fourth governor of Indiana, was born in Clark county, Va., January 15, 1794. When a small boy he was taken by his parents to Kentucky, in which state he grew to man- hood. About the time Indiana was admitted into the Union, Mr. Noble came to the state

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AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN.

and located at Brookville, where, a few years later, he was elected sheriff of Franklin county. In 1824 he was chosen a representative to the state legislature from Franklin county, in which body he soon became quite popular and gained a state reputation. In 1826 he was appointed receiver of public moneys to suc- ceed his brother, Lazarus Noble, who died while moving the office from Brookville to Indianapolis, in which capacity he continued with great acceptability until his removal, in 1829, by President Jackson. In 1830 he was appointed one of the commissioners to locate and lay out the Michigan road. In 1831 he was a candidate for governor, and although a whig, and the democracy had a large majority in the state, he was elected by a majority of 2,791. This was remarkable, for Milton Stapp, also a whig, was a candidate, and polled 4, 422 votes. In 1834 Gov. Noble was a candidate for re-election, when he was also successful, defeating his competitor, James G. Reed, by 7,662 votes. In 1839, after his gubernatorial term had expired, he was elected a member of the board of internal improvements. In 1841 he was chosen a fund commissioner, and the same year was offered by the president of the United States the office of general land com- missioner, which he declined. Gov. Noble died at his home, near Indianapolis, February 8, 1844. Gov. Noble had a laudable ambition to go to the United States senate, and in 1836 was a candidate to succeed William Hen- dricks, but was defeated by Oliver H. Smith. In 1839 he was again a candidate to succeed Gen. John Tipton, but was defeated by Albert S. White on the thirty-sixth ballot. Oliver H. Smith says that Gov. Noble "was one of the most popular men with the masses of the state. His person was tall and slim, and his consti- tution delicate, his smile winning, his voice feeble, and the pressure of his hand irresisti- ble. He spoke plainly and well, but made no

pretense to oratory. As governor he was very popular, and his social entertainments will long be remembered."

AVID WALLACE, governor of Indi- ana from 1837 to 1840, was a native of Mifflin county, Pa., born April 24, 1799. He removed with his father to Brookville, Ind., when quite young, and in early manhood began the study of law in the office of Miles Eggleston, a distinguished jurist of that day. In 1823 he was admitted to the bar and soon obtained a large practice. He served in the legislature from 1828 to 1830, and in 1831 was elected lieutenant governor of Indiana, and re-elected in 1834. In 1837 he was elected governor over John Dumont, an able and distingnished lawyer, who lived at Vevay, on the southern border of the state. During his periods of service as legislator and lieutenant governor, he was active as an advo- cate of internal improvements and in estab- lishing a school system, and he was elected governor upon those issues.

In 1841 he was elected to congress from the Indianapolis district, defeating Col. Nathan B. Palmer. As a member of the committee on commerce, he gave the casting vote in favor an appropriation to develop Col. S. T. B. Morse's magnetic telegraph, which vote had great weight in defeating him for re-election in 1843. At the expiration of his term in con- gress he resumed the practice of law, which he continued uninterruptedly until 1850, when he was elected a delegate to the constitutional convention from the county of Marion. In 1856 he was elected judge of the court of com- mon pleas, which position he held until his death, on the 4th of September, 1859. Gov. Wallace was twice married. His first wife was a daughter of John Test, and his second a

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daughter of John H. Sanders. The latter still lives and is prominent in reformatory and religious work. When a young man, Gov. Wallace had a well proportioned body, but in his later years its symmetry was marred by an undue amount of flesh. He had black hair, dark eyes, and a ruddy complexion. He was cultured and well bred, his address was good and his manners unexceptionable. He was a laborious and impartial jurist, a painstaking executive, and as an orator had few equals in the nation.

S AMUEL BIGGER, who succeeded David Wallace as governor of Indi- ana, was born in Warren county, Ohio, March 20, 1802, and was the eldest son of John Bigger, a western pioneer, and for many years a member of the Ohio leg- islature. He was prepared for college in his own neighborhood, graduated with honors from the university at Athens, and afterward began the study of law. In 1829 he removed to Lib- erty, Ind,, where he was duly admitted to the bar, and soon secured a lucrative practice. He remained at Liberty but a short time, remov- ing thence to Rushville, where his public life began in 1834 as representative of Rush coun- ty in the state legislature. He was re-elected in 1835, and shortly after the expiration of his term was chosen judge of the eastern circuit, a position for which he proved himself ably qualified, and which he held in an acceptable manner for many years. In 1840 he was nomi- nated for governor by the whig state conven- tion, and after an exciting race was elected, defeating Gen. Tilghman A. Howard. He was a candidate for re-election in 1843, but was defeated by James Whitcomb. After the ex- piration of his gubernatorial term, Gov. Big- ger moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., and resumed the practice of law, which he continued until

his death, September 9, 1845. "Gov. Bigger possessed talents of a high order, rather sub- stantial than brilliant. His judgment was remarkably sound, dispassionate and discrimi- nating. and it was this chiefly that made him eminently a leader in every circle in which he moved, whether in political life, at the bar, or society at large." He was a man of fine form and presence He was six feet two inches in height and weighed 240 pounds. His hair was black, his eyes a blue hazel, and his complex- ion dark. The expression of his face was kind and benignant, and denoted goodness of heart. He was a patriotic citizen, an incorruptible judge, and an executive officer of very respec- table ability.

J AMES WHITCOMB was born near . Windsor, Vt., December 1, 1795. His father removed to Ohio, and settled near Cincinnati, when James was quite young, and it was there upon a farm that the youthful years of the future governor and senator were passed. He received a classical education at Transylvania university, subse- quently studied law, and in March, 1822, was admitted to the bar in Lexington, Fayette county, Ky. Two years later he came to Indi- ana and located at Bloomington, where he soon became known as an able advocate and suc- cessful practitioner. In 1826 he was appointed prosecuting attorney of his circuit, and in the discharge of the duties of this office traveled over a large scope of country and became acquainted with many leading men of the state. In 1830 and 1836 he was elected to the state senate, where he did much to stay the progress of the internal improvement fever which was then at its highest point. In October, 1836, President Jackson appointed Mr. Whitcomb commissioner of the general land office, to

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A portrait and biographical record of Delaware and Randolph 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 9

Author: Publication date: 1894 Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co. Number of Pages: 1474

Author:
Publication date: 1894
Publisher: Chicago, A. W. Bowen & Co.
Number of Pages: 1474