USA > New Hampshire > Colony, province, state, 1623-1888: history of New Hampshire > Part 57
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In 1851 he was first elected a member of the legislature from Wentworth and served as chairman of the committee on incorporations. The next year he was re-elected, and was made chairman of the judiciary committee, and in 1853 he was again a member, and was nominated with great unanimity and elected as speaker of the House of Representatives. He served with ability and impartiality and to the general acceptance of all parties.
The next winter a new man was to be selected as a candidate for senator in his district, and at the convention he was nominated with great unanimity, and was elected in March, in a close district, by about three hundred major- ity. When the Senate met in June, there was some discussion as to a candi- date for president, but at the caucus he was nominated upon the first ballot,
1.E Parquet
Eng ยช by A.H. Ritchie
Charles N. Burns
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and was duly elected as president of the Senate in 1854. He was renominated in the spring of 1855, but the Know-Nothing movement that year carried everything before it, and he was defeated, with nearly all the other Demo- cratic nominees in the State. On the 2d day of April he was appointed a cir- cuit justice of the Court of Common Pleas for the State. But in June of that year, the old courts were abolished and new ones organized. Judge Sargent was making his arrangements to go into practice again at the bar when he received a request from Governor Metcalf that he would accept the second place on the bench of the new Court of Common Pleas. This offer was ac- cepted, and Judge Sargent was appointed as an associate justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
After the repeal of the Missouri compromise and the passage of the Kansas- Nebraska Act in 1854, the great question between the political parties for sev- eral years, during the contests in Kansas that followed, was as to whether slavery should be allowed in the Territories, or whether they should be free. In the mind of Judge Sargent there could be but one answer to this question, and in acting according to his convictions of right in that matter he was compelled to oppose the party with which he had hitherto acted ; and in car- rying out his convictions consistently he could do no other way than to go with the Republican party.
He acted as judge of the new Court of Common Pleas for four years, until 1859, when, by a statute of that year, that court was abolished, and the Su- preme Judicial Court was to do the work of that court in addition to its own, and one new judge was to be added to that court, making the number of Su- preme Court judges six instead of five, as before. Judge Sargent was at once appointed to that place on the supreme bench. He was then the youngest member of the court in age, as well as in the date of his commission. He remained upon the bench of that court just fifteen years, from 1859 to 1874. He was distinguished for his laborious industry, his impartiality, and his ability. His written opinions are contained in the sixteen volumes of the New Hampshire Reports, from the 39th to the 54th inclusive, numbering about three hundred in all. Many of these are leading opinions upon various subjects, and show great learning and research. Since 1869 Judge Sargent has resided in Concord, devoting his attention at first to law, and later to finances and historical studies. He succeeded Hon. Charles H. Bell as pres- ident of the New Hampshire Historical Society in 1887.
In 1873, Charles H. Burns, of Wilton, one of the ablest law- yers and one of the most eloquent orators of New Hampshire, was elected to the State Senate. Charles H. Burns, son of Charles A. and Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Burns, and a descendant of John Burns, the pioneer Scotch-Irish settler, who settled in Milford in 1746, was born in Milford, January 19, 1835. He re- ceived a high-school education, read law with Col. O. W. Lull, graduated at the Harvard Law School in 1858, and was soon
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after admitted to the bar. He settled in Wilton, although his business grew to require an office at Nashua. In 1876 he was appointed county solicitor of Hillsborough county, and served seven years. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1879. In 1881 he was appointed United States district attorney for New Hampshire and re-appointed in 1885. In 1883 his many friends desired to elect him to the United States Senate.
During Governor James A. Weston's second term in office, in 1874, he was supported by a Democratic majority in the Senate and House of Representatives. There was a complete overturn in all State offices.
1 In 1875, under peculiar circumstances, Person C. Cheney be- came the Republican candidate for governor. In 1874 the Re- publicans had lost the State for causes which it would not be useful to recite; and the Democrats, having control of every branch of legislation, had used their power to fortify themselves in the possession of the State government, by making new ward divisions in the city of Manchester, and redistricting for coun- cillors and senators, in such a manner as to put their adversaries at great disadvantage, and render it almost impossible to recover the State. Under such circumstances it became absolutely necessary for them to place at the head of the ticket a name of the greatest personal popularity. Such were the prestige of Mr. Cheney, gained by his successful administration as mayor of Manchester, his personal magnetism among those who knew him, and his well-known energy as a canvasser, that, unexpect- edly to himself, he was selected as the standard bearer of his party, and the result proved how wisely. The hottest campaign ever known in a State proverbial for the violence of its political contests ensued, and there was no choice of governor by the people ; but Mr. Cheney had a plurality of the votes cast, al- though Judge Roberts, his competitor, received the heaviest vote his party had ever polled in New Hampshire. The Repub- licans secured a majority in the legislature, which elected Mr. Cheney governor. In 1876 Governor Cheney was again a can- didate, and after a canvass which exceeded in intensity even that
I Daniel Hall.
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of 1875, he was re-elected by a flattering majority of the popular vote, which was heavier than had ever before been cast in New Hampshire. Mr. Cheney brought to the office of governor a patriotic love for the State and solicitude for her good name, a clear insight, great executive ability, thorough business habits, and personal dignity, urbanity, and tact of a high order. These qualities, combined with his undoubted integrity and earnest- ness of purpose, enabled him to give the State a most prudent and successful administration of its affairs. The retrenchment of expenses, so much needed in a period of financial depression following years of sharp distress, was kept steadily in view, and a thorough business system inaugurated in all branches of the government ; the affairs of the adjutant-general's office were re- deemed from years of neglect and confusion ; the State debt was materially reduced ; at his suggestion a law was passed requiring vouchers to be filed for all disbursements from the governor's contingent fund; and the finances of the State were left in all respects upon a sound and stable basis. The prominent part of New Hampshire in the Centennial Exposition was due largely to his foresight, his faith in its benefits, and his untiring efforts in its behalf. None who participated in them will ever forget the brilliant success of " New Hampshire Day " at Philadelphia, or the reception of Governor and Mrs. Cheney, during his term of office, to the members of the legislature and the citizens of the State, at White's Opera House, which was a memorable social event.
Governor Cheney retired from office with the universal respect and esteem of men of all parties, and has since devoted himself closely to business.
Person C. Cheney was born in that part of Holderness which is now Ash- land, February 25, 1828. The square, old-fashioned New England house, where the family resided, is still to be seen. It stands in the picturesque village of Ashland, overlooking the valley below, and commanding a view of lofty hills and beautiful scenery. His boyhood and early manhood were passed at Peterborough.
Mr. Cheney took an early interest in politics, and represented the town of Peterborough in the legislature in 1853 and 1854. He entered ardently into the memorable events of 1860 and 1861. and zealously aided and promoted the preparation of the State for the great struggle to maintain the Union. In due
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time he offered his personal services, and in August, 1862, was appointed quartermaster of the Thirteenth regiment, and proceeded with the regiment to the seat of war. Joining the army of the Potomac, he rendered faithful service to the regiment and the country, until exposure and overwork in the campaign before Fredericksburg brought on a long and dangerous sickness. Barely escaping with his life, he was compelled to resign and return home. He received an honorable discharge in August, 1863. In 1864 he was chosen railroad commissioner for New Hampshire. In 1866 Mr. Cheney removed to Manchester.
Mr. Cheney, upon becoming a resident of Manchester, became at once thoroughly and prominently identified with the development and prosperity of that rapidly growing city; and very soon his business capacity and in- tegrity, his liberal spirit and engaging manners, attracted attention to him as a man not only highly fitted for public honors, but as pre-eminently capable of commanding them at the hands of the people. He was brought forward as a candidate for mayor of Manchester in 1871, and elected by a larger ma- jority than any candidate had received since 1863. He performed the duties intelligently and to general acceptance, but declined a re-election. Mr. Cheney for many years has been extensively interested in manufacturing en- terprises and in banking.
During Governor Currier's administration, a vacancy occurring in the United States Senate by the death of IIon. Austin F. Pike, Mr. Cheney was appointed by the governor to act as senator until the meeting of the legisla- ture the following June, which position he accepted and filled, but declined to be a candidate for an election by that body.
1 A brave, true, and honest man, a sincere and warm-hearted friend, of positive convictions, of unflinching devotion to principle, and fitted for any station ; his useful service, his honorable and upright character, and his high and unselfish aims, have made him a power in the State.
Having considered Exeter in 1776, a glance at the town a cen- tury later may be of interest. It chief object of interest at the latter date is Phillips Exeter Academy.
2 This venerable institution is one of the oldest nurseries of classical education in America. It was founded in 1783 by Dr. John Phillips, a merchant of Exeter, in the days when that town was a business centre and the shipment of heavy goods was by water, in vessels of a few hundred tons burden. Dr. Phillips hav- ing amassed a considerable fortune, seems to have determined on the perpetuation of the family name, not especially to satisfy family pride, but to confer a lasting blessing on a posterity ever ready to acknowledge its obligations to the world's benefactors.
Exeter of 1888 only contains double the number of inhabi- I Daniel Hall. 2 H. H. Metcalf.
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tants it did in 1776. Yet its natural beauty remains almost un-
PHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY.
disturbed. The Squamscott river is as placid and the falls above it awaken scarcely a new echo, while many of those incident to
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shipping died along its banks forty or fifty years since. A cot- ton-mill by the river side and a machine-shop and foundry near the depot, are the principal manufactories, and occupy the place of corn-mills, saw-mills, and a few tanneries. The latter, in active operation, with shipping, ship-building, and country trade, were the foundation of prosperity and wealth one hundred years ago. It was the fortune of Dr. Phillips to endow an in- stitution more lasting than all of these, and the fortune of pos- terity to reap the manifold results of such a beneficent endow- ment. It appears by the catalogue of 1783 that 56 students attended, and of these, 38 belonged to Exeter. As early as 1785 there was one student from the West Indies. Before the year 1800 a dozen had attended from the West Indies; and other States besides New Hampshire were well represented. The number attending to April, 1869, was 3855. This number must have increased to nearly five thousand.
The list of principals is wonderfully short. Only four names appear. Dr. Benjamin Abbott, Dr. Gideon L. Soule, Albert C. Perkins, and W. Q. Scott. The labors of Dr. Abbott and Dr. Soule cover more than three-fourths of a century of indefatiga- ble toil and unremitting aid to those climbing the hill of science. Dr. Abbott was principal of the academy from 1788 to 1838, -just half a century. Dr. Soule, having been already associated with Dr. Abbott for about seventeen years, was elected princi- pal in 1838, and held the position until 1873. The success, the fame, and the lasting reputation of the school is largely attribu- table to the efforts of these venerable instructors.
Among the pupils of Exeter were Lewis Cass, Daniel Web- ster, Leverett Saltonstall, Joseph G. Coggswell, Edward Everett, John A. Dix, John G. Palfrey, Jared Sparks, George Bancroft, and others eminent in learning and statesmanship. .
The academy building being destroyed by fire in December, 1870, donations for the new building delicately and modestly dropped into the trustee's hands from members of the alumni, until (with contributions from other beneficent sources) the sum swelled to $50,000, or enough to complete the new academy building.
Daniel M. Christian.
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The academy building destroyed in 1870 was erected in 1794, with the exception of the "wings," which were afterwards added.
In 1876 a constitutional convention was held at Concord. As a result of its deliberations, the religious qualification of office-holders was removed; biennial elections were decided upon ; but the work was so poorly done that another convention was soon demanded.
In 1876, December 8, there died in Dover Daniel M. Christie, who for half a century was one of the leaders of the New Hampshire bar. Daniel Miltimore Christie was of Scotch- Irish stock. He was born in Antrim, October 15, 1790; grad- . uated at Dartmouth College, in 1815, at the head of his class ; read law in Peterborough ; and settled at first in York, Maine. In 1823 he moved to Dover. He was first elected to the leg- islature in 1826 and was re-elected eleven times. Daniel M. Christie, LL.D., was a man of extraordinary endowments, un- remitting in his labors and his diligence. He became a great man, not at a bound, but slowly and steadily. In his prime he was the contemporary and peer of Daniel Webster, Jeremiah Smith, Jeremiah Mason, George Sullivan, and Ichabod Bartlett.
He married Mrs. Dorothy Dix Woodman, daughter of John Wheeler, Esq., and widow of Hon. Charles Woodman. In his home life he was a model father and husband, kind, considerate, and indulgent. They were the parents of six daughters.
At the spring election in 1877 the Republican party elected its candidate, Benjamin F. Prescott, of Epping. His Demo- cratic competitor was Hon. Daniel Marcy, of Portsmouth.
Mr. Prescott, a descendant of Captain Jonathan Prescott, who fought with Pepperrell at the siege of Louisburg, was born in Epping, February 26, 1833; graduated at Dartmouth College in 1856, was admitted to the bar in 1859, was associate editor with Amos Hadley on the Independent Democrat till 1866. In 1872 he was elected secretary of state, and was re-elected in IS73, 1875, and 1876. To him, while secretary of state and governor, and since, is chiefly due the unequalled collection of historic portraits at the State House, Dart- mouth College, and at Phillips Exeter Academy. As early as 1876 he was made a member of the Royal Historical Society of London.
Under Governor Prescott's administration the laws of the State were revised, the new prison constructed, the militia reor-
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ganized, and judicial appointments made. The prison was built within the appropriation. In all his official acts, Governor Pres- cott was animated by a purpose single to the welfare of the State, and upon his retirement to private life, at the end of his term, he took with him the respect of its people, irrespective of party or sect.
While governor he was frequently called upon to address pub- lic and private gatherings, and he seldom failed to respond. His first address was at Epping, on the occasion of a public recep- tion given him by the citizens of the town, without distinction of party, on the day after his inauguration. He was present at the inauguration of Rev. Samuel C. Bartlett, D.D., LL.D., as president of Dartmouth College, and gave an address of welcome to that eminent scholar. The governor visited, with a large de- tachment of the State militia and distinguished citizens of the State, the centennial celebration of the battle of Bennington, Vt., and spoke there for the State at the banquet on that mem- orable occasion. He was also at State and town fairs and meet- ings of various kinds.
In 1877 James F. Briggs, of Manchester, was elected a mem- ber of Congress, and was re-elected in 1879 and in 1881.
James F. Briggs, son of John and Nancy (Franklin) Briggs, was born at Bury, Lancashire, England, October 23, 1827, and in infancy was brought by his parents to the United States. In 1836 the family settled in Ashland, where the father commenced the manufacture of woollen cloth. Here the son served his ap- prenticeship, educated himself, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1851. He at first settled at Hillsborough Bridge, representing the town in 1856, 1857, and 1858. During the Re- bellion he served as quartermaster of the Eleventh. In 1871 he established himself at Manchester, where he was appointed city solicitor. He was soon elected to the State Senate, and was a member of the constitutional convention. During his term in Congress he was a faithful, hard-working member, wielding a great influence, and commanding the confidence of his associ- ates. A ready writer and an able speaker, he fairly won his success at the bar and his influence in legislative assemblies.
.
Yours truly 0 LA Briggs
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From Among the Clouds, a newspaper published on the summit of Mount Washington, and established in 1876, the following summary of leading events in White Mountain history has been selected.
The Indian name of the White Mountains was Waumbek Methna; of Mount Washington, Agiochook. The first ascent
ECHO LAKE, FRANCONIA NOTCH.
of Mount Washington was by Darby Field. The first account of the mountains was published in John Josselyn's "New England Rarities Discovered," 1672. Conway was settled in 1764. The White Mountain Notch was discovered by Nash and Sawyer, 1771. Franconia was settled in 1774; Bartlett about 1777; and Jackson (formerly Adams), about 1778. 1 Mount Washington was named in 1784. Bethlehem was settled in 1790. The first settlement at site of Fabyan House was by _
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Captain Eleazer Rosebrook in 1792. Abel Crawford, the "Patri- arch of the Mountains," Rosebrook's son-in-law, settled near Bemis Station, about 1793. The first house for visitors was built by Capt. Rosebrook in 1803. Ethan Allen Crawford, Abel's son, who was born at Guildhall, Vt., 1792, and died at Fabyan's, 1848, took Rosebrook's house, in 1817. He opened the first foot-path to the summit of Mount Washington in 1819, and built a stone cabin near the Summit soon afterwards.
CASTELLATED RIDGE OF MOUNT JEFFERSON.
A. N. Brackett, J. W. Weeks, and five others, from Lancaster, went over the entire White Mountain range, with E. A. Craw- ford as guide, in July, 1820, and named Mounts Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Franklin, and Pleasant. They were the first to spend the night on Mount Washington. The first ladies to ascend Mount Washington were three Misses Austens of Portsmouth.
The family of James Willey, jr., was destroyed by a land- slide in White Mountain Notch, August 28, 1826. The first bridle-path to the summit was opened in 1840, by Thomas J.
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Crawford, brother of Ethan. His father, Abel Crawford, then seventy-five years old, rode the first horse that climbed the mountain.
The old Summit House was built by J. S. Hall and L. M. Rosebrook, in 1852. The old Tip-top House was built by Sam- uel F. Spaulding & Co., in 1853.
The carriage road was begun in 1855, and finished in 1861 ; the engineers were D. O. Macomber and C. H. V. Cavis. The railway was projected by Sylvester Marsh, of Littleton; it was chartered in 1858 ; work was begun in 1866 ; the road was opened to the public when built to Jacob's Ladder, August 24, 1868 ; and finished in July, 1869. The depot was built at Summit in fall of IS70 ; it was blown down in spring of 1876. The Summit House was built by John E. Lyon and Walter Aiken in 1872. The signal station was built in 1874. The Glen stage office was built in 1878. The Tower was built in 1880. The first winter ascent of mountain was made by the sheriff of Coos county and B. F. Osgood of the Glen House, December 7, 1858. The first party spent a night on the mountain in winter, February 19, 1862. The signal station was established in 1870. Private William Stevens died at the station, February 26, 1872.
Frederick Strickland, an Englishman, perished in the Am- monoosuc Ravine, October, 1851. Miss Lizzie Bourne, of Ken- nebunk, Me., perished on the Glen bridle-path, near the Sum- mit, on the night of September 14, 1855. Mr. B. L. Ball, of Boston, was lost on Mount Washington, in October, I855, in a snowstorm, but was rescued after two days' and nights' expo- sure without food or sleep. Benjamin Chandler, of Delaware, perished near Chandler's Peak, August 7, 1856, in a storm, and his remains were not discovered for nearly a year. Harry W. Hunter, of Pittsburg, Pa., perished on the Crawford bridle-path, September 3, 1874, a mile from the Summit. The remains were discovered July 14, 1880.
In the election of 1878 Governor Prescott was the successful candidate against Hon. Frank A. McKean, of Nashua.
The amended constitution was to go into effect in June, 1879, the election of governor and members of the legislature taking place in November instead of March as formerly.
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At the convention in September, 1878, which was the first to select candidates for a biennial term, Natt Head was nominated upon the first ballot by a decided majority. By reason of the third party or "Greenback " movement, it was not expected by his most sanguine supporters that he would be elected on the popular vote, yet the result was that he was chosen over all by a large majority.
Governor Natt Head was descended from Welsh and Scotch ancestry, and was born in Hooksett, May 20, 1828. His great-grandfather, Colonel James Head, had command of a garrison in " Suncook " during the French war and was killed at the battle of Bennington. Colonel Head had three sons, of whom Nathaniel, born in Bradford, in 1754, was the grandfather of Governor Natt Head. When a young man the son paid his addresses to Miss Anna Knox, daughter of Timothy Knox, of Pembroke. She was of Scotch-Irish blood, and one day, as the father and son were plowing, the former remarked, " Nathaniel, do you intend to marry that Irish girl?" The son respectfully but emphatically answered in the affirmative; whereupon the father added, "Then, understand, you can never share in my property." Young Nathan- iel's answer was : " Very well; I will take care of myself." And in accordance with his declaration he dropped the goad-stick, and in a few hours left the paternal roof to take up a farm in the wilderness and build a home. The father made good his threat, and at his death Nathaniel received one dollar and his brothers the remainder of the property. Nathaniel located in that portion of Chester now Hooksett, and, building a log-house, carried to it Anna Knox, his wife. The site of the primitive cabin was the identical spot where Governor Head's residence now stands.
The appointment which brought Governor Natt Head most conspicuously before the public was that of adjutant, inspector, and quartermaster-general of the State, which he received from Governor Gilmore, in March, 1864. He was called to that office at a period when the Republic was in one of the most serious crises of the great civil war, and when the loyal people of New Hampshire were putting forth every effort to enlist the men called for under the president's proclamation of the preceding month.
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