USA > Michigan > Gratiot County > Biographical memoirs of Gratiot County, Michigan : compendium of biography of celebrated Americans > Part 34
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ship, the " Kansas-Nebraska bill " was car- ried in the senate. In 1858, nothwith- standing the fierce contest made by his able competitor for the position, Abraham Lin- coln, and with the administration of Bu- chanan arrayed against him, Mr. Douglas was re-elected senator. After the trouble in the Charleston convention, when by the withdrawal of several state delegates with- out a nomination, the Union Democrats, in convention at Baltimore, in 1860, nomi- nated Mr. Douglas as their candidate for presidency. The results of this election are well known and the great events of 1861 coming on, Mr. Douglas was spared their full development, dying at Chicago, Illinois, June 3, 1861, after a short illness. His last words to his children were, "to obey the laws and support the constitution of the United States."
JAMES MONROE, fifth president of the
United States, was born in Westmore- land county, Virginia, April 28, 1758. At the age of sixteen he entered William and Mary College, but two years later the Declaration of Independence having been adopted, he left college and hastened to New York where he joined Washington's army as a military cadet.
At the battle of Trenton Monroe per- formed gallant service and received a wound in the shoulder, and was promoted to a captaincy. He acted as aide to Lord Ster- ling at the battles of Brandywine, German -- town and Monmouth. Washington then sent him to Virginia to raise a new regiment of which he was to be colonel. The ex- hausted condition of Virginia made this im - possible, but he received his commission. He next entered the law office of Thomas Jefferson to study law, as there was no open- ing for him as an officer in the army. În
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1782 he was elected to the Virginia assem- bly, and the next year he was elected to the Continental congress. Realizing the inade- quacy of the old articles of confederation, he advocated the calling of a convention to consider their revision, and introduced in congress a resolution empowering congress to regulate trade, lay import duties, etc. This resolution was referred to a committee, of which he was chairman, and the report led to the Annapolis convention, which called a general convention to meet at Phila- delphia in 1787, when the constitution was drafted. Mr. Monroe began the practice of law at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was soon after elected to the legislature, and ap- pointed as one of the committee to pass upon the adoption of the constitution. He opposed it, as giving too much power to the central government. He was elected to the United States senate in 1789, where he allied himself with the Anti-Federalists or "Republicans," as they were sometimes called. Although his views as to neutrality between France and England were directly opposed to those of the president, yet Wash- ington appointed him minister to France. His popularity in France was so great that the antagonism of England and her friends in this country brought about his recall. He then became governor of Virginia. He was sent as envoy to France in 1802; minister to England in 1803; and envoy to Spain in 1805. The next year he returned to his estate in Virginia, and with an ample in- heritance enjoyed a few years of repose. He was again called to be governor of Virginia, and was then appointed secretary of state by President Madison. The war with Eng- land soon resulted, and when the capital was burned by the British, Mr. Monroe be- came secretary of war also, and planned the measures for the defense of New Orleans.
The treasury being exhausted and credit gone, he pledged his own estate, and thereby made possible the victory of Jackson at New Orleans.
In 1817 Mr. Monroe became president of the United States, having been a candi- date of the "Republican " party, which at that time had begun to be called the " Demo- cratic" party. In 1820 he was re-elected, having two hundred and thirty-one electoral votes out of two hundred and thirty-two. His administration is known as the "Era of good-feeling," and party lines were almost wiped out. The slavery question began to assume importance at this time, and the Missouri Compromise was passed. The famous " Monroe Doctrine" originated in a great state paper of President Monroe upon the rumored interference of the Holy Alli- ance to prevent the formation of free repub- lics in South America. President Monroe acknowledged their independence, and pro- mulgated his great " Doctrine," which has been held in reverence since. Mr. Monroe's death occurred in New York on July 4, 1831.
T THOMAS ALVA EDISON, the master wizard of electrical science and whose name is synonymous with the subjugation of electricity to the service of man, was born in 1847 at Milan, Ohio, and it was at Port Huron, Michigan, whither his parents had moved in 1854, that his self-education began-for he never attended school for more than two months. He eagerly de- voured every book he could lay his hands on and is said to have read through an encyclo- pedia without missing a word. At thirteen he began his working life as a trainboy upon the Grand Trunk Railway between Port Huron and Detroit. Much of his time was now spent in Detroit, where he found increased facilities for reading at the public libraries.
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He was not content to be a newsboy, so he got together three hundred pounds of type and started the issue of the " Grand Trunk Herald." It was only a small amateur weekly, printed on one side, the impression being made from the type by hand. Chemi- cal research was his next undertaking and a laboratory was added to his movable pub- lishing house, which, by the way, was an old freight car. One day, however, as he was experimenting with some phosphorus, it ignited and the irate conductor threw the young seeker after the truth, chemicals and all, from the train. His office and laboratory were then removed to the cellar of his fa- ther's house. As he grew to manhood he decided to become an operator. He won his opportunity by saving the life of a child, whose father was an old operator, and out of gratitude he gave Mr. Edison lessons in teleg- raphy. Five months later he was compe- tent to fill a position in the railroad office at Port Huron. Hence he peregrinated to Stratford, Ontario, and thence successively to Adrian, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Cin- cinnati, Memphis, Louisville and Boston, gradually becoming an expert operator and gaming experience that enabled him to evolve many ingenious ideas for the im- provement of telegraphic appliances. At Memphis he constructed an automatic re- peater, which enabled Louisville and New Orleans to communicate direct, and received nothing more than the thanks of his em- ployers. Mr. Edison came to New York in 1870 in search of an opening more suitable to his capabilities and ambitions. He hap- pened to be in the office of the Laws Gold Reporting Company when one of the in- struments got out of order, and even the inventor of the system could not make it work. Edison requested to be allowed to attempt the task, and in a few minutes he
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had overcome the difficulty and secured an advantageous engagement. For several years he had a contract with the Western Union and the Gold Stock companies, whereby he received a large salary, besides a special price for all telegraphic improve- ments he could suggest. Later, as the head of the Edison General Electric com- pany, with its numerous subordinate organ- izations and connections all over the civil- ized world, he became several times a millionaire. Mr. Edison invented the pho- nograph and kinetograph which bear his name, the carbon telephone, the tasimeter, and the duplex and quadruplex systems of telegraphy.
JAMES LONGSTREET, one of the most conspicuous of the Confederate generals during the Civil war, was born in 1820, in South Carolina, but was early taken by his parents to Alabama where he grew to man- hood and received his early education. He graduated at the United States military academy in 1842, entering the army as lieutenant and spent a few years in the fron- tier service. When the Mexican war broke out he was called to the front and partici- pated in all the principal battles of that war up to the storming of Chapultepec, where he received severe wounds. For gallant conduct at Contreras, Cherubusco, and Mo- lino del Rey he received the brevets of cap- tain and major. After the close of the Mexican war Longstreet served as adjutant and captain on frontier service in Texas un- til 1858 when he was transferred to the staff as paymaster with rank of major. In June, 1861, he resigned to join the Confederacy and immediately went to the front, com- manding a brigade at Bull Run the follow- ing month. Promoted to be major-general in 1862 he thereafter bore a conspicuous
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part and rendered valuable service to the Confederate cause. He participated in many of the most severe battles of the Civil war including Bull Run (first and second), Seven Pines, Gaines' Mill, Fraziers Farm, Malvern Hill, Antietam, Frederickburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Wilderness, Petersburg and most of the fighting about Richmond.
When the war closed General Long- street accepted the result, renewed his alle- giance to the government, and thereafter labored earnestly to obliterate all traces of war and promote an era of good feeling be- tween all sections of the country. He took up his residence in New Orleans, and took an active interest and prominent part in public affairs, served as surveyor of that port for several years; was commissioner of engineers for Louisiana, served four years as school commissioner, etc. In 1875 he was appointed supervisor of internal revenue and settled in Georgia. After that time he served four years as United States minister to'Turkey, and also for a number of years was United States marshal of Georgia, be- sides having held other important official positions.
JOHN RUTLEDGE, the second chief- justice of the United States, was born at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1739. He was a son of John Rutledge, who had left Ireland for America about five years prior to the birth of our subject, and a brother of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. John Rut- ledge received his legal education at the Temple, London, after which he returned to Charleston and soon won distinction at the bar. He was elected to the old Colonial congress in 1765 to protest against the "Stamp Act," and was a member of the
South Carolina convention of 1774, and of the Continental congress of that and the succeeding year. In 1776 he was chairman of the committee that draughted the con- stitution of his state, and was president of the congress of that state. He was not pleased with the state constitution, how- ever, and resigned. In 1779 he was again chosen governor of the state, and granted extraordinary powers, and he at once took the field to repel the British. He joined the army of General Gates in 1782, and the same year was elected to congress. He was a member of the constitutional con- vention which framed our present constitu- tion. In 1789 he was appointed an associate justice of the first supreme court of the United States. He resigned to accept the position of chief-justice of his own state. Upon the resignation of Judge Jay, he was appointed chief-justice of the United States in 1795. The appointment was never con- firmed, for, after presiding at one session, his mind became deranged, and he was suc- ceeded by Judge Ellsworth. He died at Charleston, July 23, 1800.
R ALPH WALDO EMERSON was one of the most noted literary men of his time. He was born in Boston, Massachu- setts, May 25, 1803. He had a minister for an ancestor, either on the paternal or ma- ternal side, in every generation for eight generations back. His father, Rev. Will- iam Emerson, was a native of Concord, Massachusetts, born May 6, 1769, graduated at Harvard, in 1789, became a Unitarian minister; was a fine writer and one of the best orators of his day; died in ISII.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was fitted for college at the public schools of Boston, and graduated at Harvard College in 1821, win- ning about this time several prizes for es-
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says. For five years he taught school in Boston; in 1826 was licensed to preach, and in 1829 was ordained as a colleague to Rev. Henry Ware of the Second Unitarian church in Boston. In 1832 he resigned, making the announcement in a sermon of his un- willingness longer to administer the rite of the Lord's Supper, after which he spent about a year in Europe. Upon his return he began his career as a lecturer before the Boston Mechanics Institute, his subject be- ing "Water." His early lectures on " Italy" and " Relation of Man to the Globe " also attracted considerable attention; as did also his biographical lectures on Michael Angelo, Milton, Luther, George Fox, and Edmund Burke. After that time he gave many courses of lectures in Boston and became one of the best known lecturers in America. But very few men have rendered such con- tinued service in this field. He lectured for forty successive seasons before the Salem, Massachusetts, Lyceum and also made re- peated lecturing tours in this country and in England. In 1835 Mr. Emerson took up his residence at Concord, Massachusetts, where he continued to make his home until his death which occurred April 27, 1882.
Mr. Emerson's literary work covered a wide scope. He wrote and published many works, essays and poems, which rank high among the works of American literary men. A few of the many which he produced are the following: "Nature;" "The Method of Nature;" "Man Thinking;" "The Dial;" "Essays;" "Poems;" "English Traits;" "The Conduct of Life;" "May-Day and other Poems " and " Society and Solitude;" besides many others. He was a prominent member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, of the American Philosophical Society, the Massachusetts Historical Society and other kindred associations.
A LEXANDER T. STEWART, one of the famous merchant princes of New York, was born near the city of Belfast, Ire- land, in 1803, and before he was eight years. of age was left an orphan without any near relatives, save an aged grandfather. The grandfather being a pious Methodist wanted to make a minister of young Stewart, and accordingly put him in a school with that end in view and he graduated at Trinity Col- lege, in Dublin. When scarcely twenty years of age he came to New York. His. first employment was that of a teacher, but. accident soon made him a merchant. En- tering into business relations with an ex- perienced man of his acquaintance he soon found himself with the rent of a store on his hands and alone in a new enterprise. Mr. Stewart's business grew rapidly in all directions, but its founder had executive. ability sufficient for any and all emergencies, and in time his house became one of the greatest mercantile establishments of mod- ern times, and the name of Stewart famous. Mr. Stewart's death occurred April 10,. 1876.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER. - In. speaking of this noted American nov- elist, William Cullen Bryant said: " He wrote for mankind at large, hence it is that. he has earned a fame wider than any Amer- ican author of modern times. The crea- tions of his genius shall survive through. centuries to come, and only perish with our language." Another eminent writer (Pres- cott) said of Cooper: " In his productions- every American must take an honest pride; for surely no one has succeeded like Cooper in the portraiture of American character, or has given such glowing and eminently truth- ful pictures of American scenery."
James Fenimore Cooper was born Sep-
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tember 15, 1789, at Burlington, New Jer- sey, and was a son of Judge William Cooper. About a year after the birth of our subject the family removed to Otsego county, New York, and founded the town called " Coop- erstown." James Fenimore Cooper spent his childhood there and in 1802 entered Yale College, and four years later became a midshipman in the United States navy. In 18II he was married, quit the seafaring life, and began devoting more or less time to lit- erary pursuits. His first work was " Pre- caution," a novel published in 1819, and three years later he produced "The Spy, a Tale of Neutral Ground," which met with great favor and was a universal success. This was followed by many other works, among which may be mentioned the follow- ing: "The Pioneers," "The Pilot," "Last of the Mohicans," "The Prairie," "The Red Rover," " The Manikins," "Home- ward Bound," "Home as Found," " History of the United States Navy," "The Path- finder," "Wing and Wing," "Afloat and Ashore," "The Chain-Bearer," "Oak- Openings," etc. J. Fenimore Cooper died at Cooperstown, New York, September 14, 1851.
M ARSHALL FIELD, one of the mer- chant princes of America, ranked among the most successful business men of the nineteenth century. He was born in 1835 at Conway, Massachusetts. He spent his early life on a farm and secured a fair education in the common schools, supple- menting this with a course at the Conway Academy. His natural bent ran in the channels of commercial life, and at the age of seventeen he was given a position in a store at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Field remained there four years and removed to Chicago in 1856. He began his career
in Chicago as a clerk in the wholesale dry goods house of Cooley, Wadsworth & Com- pany, which later became Cooley, Farwell & Company, and still later John V. Far- well & Company. He remained with them four years and exhibited marked ability, in recognition of which he was given a part- nership. In 1865 Mr. Field and L. Z. Leiter, who was also a member of the firm, withdrew and formed the firm of Field, Palmer & Leiter, the third partner being Potter Palmer, and they continued in busi- ness until 1867, when Mr. Palmer retired and the firm became Field, Leiter & Com- pany. They ran under the latter name until 1881, when Mr. Leiter retired and the house has since continued under the name of Marshall Field & Company. The phenomenal success accredited to the house is largely due to the marked ability of Mr. Field. The house had become one of the foremost in the West by 1870, and lost heavily during the Chicago fire. It rapidly recovered from the effects of this and to-day the annual sales are enormous. Mr. Field's real estate holdings were very extensive. He was one of the heaviest subscribers to the Baptist University fund, although he was a Presbyterian, and gave $1,000,000 for the original endowment of the Field Columbian Museum-one of the greatest institutions of the kind in the world, for which he made further handsome provision in his will. He died in New York City January, 15, 1906.
E "DGAR WILSON NYE, who won an im- mense popularity under the pen name of "Bill Nye," was one of the most eccen- tric humorists of his day. He was born Au- gust 25, 1850, at Shirley, Piscataqua coun- ty, Maine, " at a very early age " as he ex- presses it. He took an academic course in
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River Falls, Wisconsin, from whence, after his graduation, he removed to Wyoming Territory. He studied law and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1876. He began when quite young to contribute humorous sketches to the newspapers, became connected with various western journals and achieved a brilliant success as a humorist. Mr. Nye settled later in New York City where he devoted his time to writing funny articles for the big newspaper syndicates. He wrote for publication in book form the following : "Bill Nye and the Boomerang," "The Forty Liars," "Baled Hay," "Bill Nye's Blossom Rock," "Remarks," etc. His death occurred February 21, 1896, at Ashe- ville, North Carolina.
THOMAS DE WITT TALMAGE, one of the most celebrated American preach- ers, was born January 7, 1832, and was the youngest of twelve children. He made his preliminary studies at the grammar school in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At the age of eighteen he joined the church and entered the University of the City of New York, and graduated in May, 1853. The exercises were held in Niblo's Garden and his speech aroused the audience to a high pitch of en- thusiasm. At the close of his college duties he imagined himself interested in the law and for three years studied law. Dr. Tal- mage then perceived his mistake and pre- pared himself for the ministry at the Reformed Dutch Church Theological Semi- nary at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Just after his ordination the young minister re- ceived two calls, one from Piermont, New York, and the other from Belleville, New Jersey. Dr. Talmage accepted the latter and for three years filled that charge, when he was called to Syracuse, New York. Here it was that his sermons first drew large
crowds of people to his church, and fromi thence dates his popularity. Afterward he became the pastor of the Second Reformed Dutch church, of Philadelphia, remaining seven years, during which period he first entered upon the lecture platform and laid the foundation for his future reputation. At the end of this time he received three calls, one from Chicago, one from San Francisco, and one from the Central Presbyterian church of Brooklyn, which latter at that time consisted of only nineteen members with a congregation of about thirty-five. This church offered him a salary of seven thousand dollars and he accepted the call. He soon induced the trustees to sell the old church and build a new one. They did so and erected the Brooklyn Tabernacle, but it burned down shortly after it was finished. By prompt sympathy and general liberality a new church was built and formally opened in February, 1874. It contained seats for four thousand, six hundred and fifty, but if necessary seven thousand could be accom- modated. In October, 1878, his salary was raised from seven thousand dollars to twelve thousand dollars, and in the autumn of 1889 the second tabernacle was destroyed by fire. A third tabernacle was built and it was for- mally dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1891.
JOHN PHILIP SOUSA, conceded as. J being one of the greatest band leaders in the world, won his fame while leader of the United States Marine Band at Washing- ton, District of Columbia. He was not originally a band player but was a violinist, and at the age of seventeen he was conduc- tor of an opera company, a profession which he followed for several years, until he was offered the leadership of the Marine Band at Washington. The proposition was re- pugnant to him at first but he accepted the
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offer and then ensued ten years of brilliant success with that organization. When he first took the Marine Band he began to gather the national airs of all the nations that have representatives in Washington, and compiled a comprehensive volume in- cluding nearly all the national songs of the different nations. He composed a number of marches, waltzes and two-steps, promi- nent among which are the "Washington Post," "Directorate," "King Cotton," "High School Cadets," " Belle of Chica- go," "Liberty Bell March," "Manhattan Beach," "On Parade March," " Thunderer March," "Gladiator March," " El Capitan March," etc. He became a very extensive composer of this class of music.
JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, sixth president of the United States, was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, July 11, 1767, the son of John Adams. At the age of eleven he was sent to school at Paris, and two years later to Leyden, where he entered that great university. He returned to the United States in 1785, and graduated from Harvard in 1788. He then studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1791. His practice brought no income the first two years, but he won distinction in literary fields, and was appointed minister to The Hague in 1794. He married in 1797, and went as minister to Berlin the same year, serving until 1801, when Jefferson became president. He was elected to the senate in 1 803 by the Federalists, but was condemned by that party for advocating the Embargo Act and other Anti-Federalist measures. He was appointed as professor of rhetoric at Harvard in 1805, and in 1809 was sent as minister to Russia. He assisted in negotiat- ing the treaty of peace with England in 1814, and became minister to that power
the next year. He served during Monroe's administration two terms as secretary of state, during which time party lines were obliterated, and in 1824 four candidates for president appeared, all of whom were iden- tified to some extent with the new " Demo- cratic" party. Mr. Adams received 84 elec- toral votes, Jackson 99, Crawford 41, and Clay 37. As no candidate had a majority of all votes, the election went to the house of representatives, which elected Mr. Adams. As Clay had thrown his influence to Mr. Adams, Clay became secretary of state, and this caused bitter feeling on the part of the Jackson Democrats, who were joined by Mr. Crawford and his following, and op- posed every measure of the administration. In the election of 1828 Jackson was elected over Mr. Adams by a great majority.
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