USA > Indiana > Delaware County > A portrait and biographical record of Delaware county, 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 10
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nents bestowed encomiums upon him. On the death of Gov. Willard, in 1860, Mr. Ham- mond became governor, and as such served with dignity until the inauguration of Gov. Lane, in January, 1861. Gov. A. A. Hammond was not a showy man, but he was an able one. He possessed an analytic and logical mind, and was remarkably clear in stating his positions when drawing conclusions. When in his prime he was a fine specimen of physi- cal manhood. He was of medium height, compactly built, and of dark complexion. His head was large and well shaped, while the expression of his countenance was mild and gentle. Frank in manners, honorable in his dealings, and dignified in his deportment, he commanded the esteem of all with whom he came in contact.
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 message, 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.
0 LIVER PERRY MORTON, Indiana's great war governor and United States senator, was born in Saulsbury, Wayne county, Ind., August 4, 1823. The family name was originally Throckmorton, and was so written by the grandfather, who emigrated from England about the beginning of the Revolutionary war and settled in New Jersey. Gov. Morton's father was James T. Morton, a native of New Jersey, who moved in an early day to Wayne county, Ind., where he married the mother of Oliver P., whose maiden name was Sarah Miller. Of the early life of Gov. Morton but little is known. When a boy he attended the academy of Prof.
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Hoshour, at Centerville, but owing to the poverty of the family, he was taken from school, and at the age of fifteen, with an older brother, began learning the hatter's trade. After working at his trade a few years, he de- termined to fit himself for the legal profession, and with this object in view he entered the Miami university in 1843, where he pursued his studies vigorously for a period of two years. While in college he earned the repu- tation of being the best debater in the institu- tion, and it was here that he developed those powers of ready analysis and argument which made him so celebrated in after life. He be- gan his professional reading in the office of Judge Newman, of Centerville, and after his admission to the bar was not long in rising to an eminent place among the successful law- yers of Indiana. In 1852 he was elected cir- cuit judge, but resigned at the end of one year and afterward increased his knowledge of the profession by an attendance at a Cin- cinnati law school. On resuming the prac- tice the number of his friends and legal cases rapidly increased, and his reputation soon ex- tended beyond the limits of his own state. As a lawyer he possessed the faculty of selecting the salient points of a case and getting at the heart of a legal question. His mind was massive and logical, and he could apply great principles to given cases, discard non-essen- tials and reach decisive points. Mr. Morton's political career was of such a brilliant char- acter that his great achievements in the arena of statesmanship, his wonderful power as an organizer, won for him a recognition from the strongest opponents, and faith in his powers, and the lasting fealty and admiration of thous- ands of friends until he reached the highest point among the great American statesmen.
Up to his thirty-first year, Mr. Morton was a democrat. The county in which he lived was largely whig, thus virtually preclud-
ing him from holding elective offices. He was opposed to the extension of slavery, how- ever, and upon the organization of the repub- lican party he entered the movement, and in 1856 was one of the three delegates from Indiana to the Pittsburgh convention.
His prominence was such that in 1856 he was unanimously nominated by the new party for governor of Indiana, against Ashbel P. Wil- lard, an able and brilliant speaker, the superior of Mr. Morton as an orator, but his inferior as a logician and debater. These two distin- guished men canvassed the state together, and drew immense crowds. The speeches of Wil- lard were florid, eloquent and spirit-stirring, while Mr. Morton's style was carnest, convinc- ing and forcible. He never appealed to men's passions, but always to their intellect and rea- son, and whether in attack or defense, proved himself a ready, powerful debater. Although beaten at the polls, he came out of the contest with his popularity increased, and with the reputation of being one of the ablest public men in the state. In 1860 he was nominated for lieutenant governor on the ticket with Hon. Henry S. Lane, with the understanding that if successful he should go to the senate, and Mr. Morton become governor, He made a vigor- ous canvass, and the result of the election was a republican success, which placed Mr. Lane in the senate and Mr. Morton in the guberna- torial chair. From the day of his inauguration Mr. Morton gave evidence of possessing extra- ordinary executive ability. It was while filling this term as governor that he did his best pub- lic work and created for himself a fame as lasting as that of his state. A great civil war was breaking out when he became governor, and few so well comprehended what would be its magnitude as he. He was one of the first to forsee the coming storm of battle and most active in his preparations to meet it. Perceiv- ing the danger of a dilatory policy, he visited
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Washington soon after the inauguration of President Lincoln, to advise vigorous action and to give assurance of Indiana's support to such a policy. He commenced preparing for the forthcoming conflict, and when Sumter was fired on, April 12, 1861, he was neither surprised nor appalled. Three days after the attack, President Lincoln called for 75,000 men to put down the rebellion, and the same day Gov. Morton sent him the following telegram :
" INDIANAPOLIS, April 15, 1861.
"TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States: On behalf of the state of Indiana, I tender you, for the defense of the nation, and to uphold the authority of the governinent, 10,000 men.
" OLIVER P. MORTON, " Governor of Indiana."
In seven days from the date of this offer over three times the number of men required to fill Indiana's quota of the president's call offered their services to the country. Never in the world's history did the people of a state respond more cheerfully and more enthusias- tically to the call of duty, than did the people of Indiana in 1861. This record of the state, which Mr. Morton was instrumental in plan- ning, reflects imperishable honor on his name, and from that time forth he was known through- ont the nation as the "Great War Governor." During the entire period of the war he per- formed an incredible amount of labor, coun- seling the president, encouraging the people, organizing regiments, hurrying troops to the field, forwarding stores, and inspiring all with the enthusiasm of his own earnestness. His labors for the relief of the soldiers and their dependent and needy families were held up as matters of emulation by the governors of other states, and the result of his efforts seconded by the people was that during the war over $600,000 of moneys and supplies were col- lected and conveyed to Indiana soldiers in camp, field, hospital and prison. The limits
of a sketch like this forbid a detailed account of Gov. Morton's public acts. He displayed extraordinary industry and ability, and in his efforts in behalf of the soldier justly earned the title of "The Soldiers' Friend." The legislature of 1862 was not in accord with the political views of Gov. Morton, and it refused to receive his message, and in other ways treated him with want of consideration and respect. It was on the point of taking from him the command of the militia, when the republican members withdrew, leaving both houses without a quorum. In order to carry on the state government and pay the state bonds he obtained advances from banks and and county boards, and appointed a bureau of finance, which for two years made all dis- bursements of the state, amounting to more than $1, 000,000. During this period he refused to summon the legislature, and the supreme court condemned his arbitrary course, but the people subsequently applauded his action. By. assuming great responsibilities he kept the ma- chinery of the state in motion and preserved the financial credit of the commonwealth by securing advances through an eastern banking house to pay the interest on the public debt. In 1864 he was again nominated for governor against Hon. Joseph E. McDonald, whom he defeated by an overwhelming majority. These two distinguished men made a joint canvass of the state, and passed through it with the utmost good feeling.
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
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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 Sen- ator 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 themseles 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 debate in the senate. The same daring, aggressive policy characterized his conduct everywhere."
ENRY SMITH LANE, for two days governor of Indiana, was born Feb- ruary 24, 1811, in Montgomery county, Ky. He secured a good practical education, and at the age of eighteen com-
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menced the study of law. Soon after attain- ing his majority he was admitted to the bar, and in 1835 came to Indiana and located at Crawfordsville, where he soon obtained a good legal practice. His winning manners made him very popular with the people, and in 1837 he was elected to represent Montgomery county in the state legislature. In 1840 he was a candidate for congress against Edward A. Han- negan, whom he defeated by 1, 500 votes. He was re-elected the next year over John Bryce, and as a national representative ranked with the ablest of his colleagues. He took an active part in the presidential campaign of 1844, and made a brilliant canvass throughout Indiana for his favorite candidate, Henry Clay. On the breaking out of the Mexican war, Mr. Lane at once organized a company, was chosen captain, and later became a major and lieutenant colonel of the regiment, and fol- lowed its fortunes until mustered out of the service.
In 1858, Col. Lane was elected to the United States senate, but, owing to opposition on the part of democratic senators, he did not take his seat. February 27, 1860, he was nominated by acclamation for governor, and was elected over Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks by a majority of about 10,000 votes. Two days after the delivery of his first message, Gov. Lane was elected to the senate of the United States. He at once resigned the gov- ernorship, the shortest term in that office on record in Indiana. In the senate, Mr. Lane did not attain any great distinction, as it was not the place for the exercise of his pecular talents as an orator, which were better suited to the hustings than to a dignified legislative body. When Col. Lane's senatorial term ex- pired, he returned to his home in Crawfords- ville, and never afterward held public office except the appointment of Indian commis- sioner, by President Grant. He was chosen
president of the first national convention that assembled in 1856, and nominated John C. Fremont. It is worthy of note that every nomination ever conferred upon him was by acclamation and without opposition in his party. In person, Col. Lane was tall, slender and somewhat stoop shouldered. His face was thin and wore a kindly expression. In his later days, the long beard he wore was white as snow. He moved quickly, and his bearing was that of a cultured man. He de- parted this life at his home in Crawfordsville, on the 18th day of June, 1881.
HOMAS A. HENDRICKS was the son of Maj. John Hendricks, and the grandson of Abraham Hendricks, a decendant 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 fortune 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 iaw, 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, 1819. The next year, 1820, lured by the brilliant career 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 com- 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 Alexander was instructor, a man 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 acquaintance, 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 1843, 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 of 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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