USA > New York > Biographical sketches of the state officers and members of the legislature of the state of New York in 1862 and '63 > Part 23
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JOHN PARKS.
MR. PARKS is a native of the town of Glen, Montgomery county, where he was born some forty-five years ago, but is now a resident of Medina, Orleans county. He is a man of good personal appearance, generally has on a clean shirt, a glossy, well-starched and well-ironed collar, a tasty cra- vat, and fashionable coat, &c .; and thus equipped, takes his seat every morning in full view of the Ladies' Gallery, where he probably indulges in visions of the past, before occasional gray hairs began to appear on his cranium. Usually he seems to be engrossed in the contemplation of the fair subjects before him ; but it is questionable whether admiration only is the passion that impels him. As a member of the House he is not noted for industry, proba- bly because his time is more pleasantly occupied. Never- theless he is a jovial, pleasant companion, and means to enjoy himself anyhow.
Mr. Parks is a Station Agent on the Central Railroad, and in 1850 and '51, held subordinate positions in the Assembly Chamber. He is married.
ABRAHAM X. PARKER.
MR. PARKER is a gentleman of note in the Assembly, not so much for his ability -- though he is a man of respectable talents-as for a disposition to thrust his finger into every man's pie. He is a busy intermeddling
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genius, with so grotesque and burly a figure, that no art, or artistical manufacture of his outward adornments, can refine or even mollify his appearance. He is one of those undefinable, indescribable, but imposing works of the Great Architect, that no human mind can appre- ciate, or human skill delineate. He is a man by himself and of himself, and his sympathies, therefore, run con- trary to the usual course of his species, in a diverse direction. White is said to be no color; his taste, therefore, verges to its strongest opposite -- black ; hence he is more interested in the colored race, than in the fairest of the Caucasians. His townsmen seem to have had some just appreciation of his taste, in selecting as an associate with him in the transaction of home busi- ness, a gentleman of color ; and the papers have an- nounced, with a flourish of trumpets, that Mr. Parker, and Mr. (Black) Swan, have been elected trustees of the village, &c. Doubtless their spirits are congenial, though their color varies.
Mr. Parker is a native of the Green Mountain State, and was born in Granville, Addison county, some thirty years ago. He is a lawyer by profession, and practices in Potsdam, St. Lawrence county. He is an acting Justice of the Peace, and is esteemed a good officer ; and among his neighbors bears the character of a man of integrity and fairness. He was elected a Member of the present Assembly by a large majority, and, as we have said, takes a distinguished part in the proceedings of that body. He is a married man.
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JOHN PAULDING.
This gentleman is a grandson of the Westchester lad who assisted in the capture of Major Andre, and thus secured the country against the treason of Arnold. His father, the late Alderman George Paulding, was the oldest son of the above patriot, and for many years was a leading man in the Metropolitan city.
MR. PAULDING is a native of the 8th ward in the city of New York, and is about forty-three years of age. After receiving a liberal education, he studied law, and is now engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of New York, and resides in the town of Flatbush, on Long Island. He has always maintained a leading position in the Democratic party, although more of a business man than a politician, and was elected to the House by a large majority. His position in that body is quiet and unassuming, though there are but few of his legislative associates who excel him in an honest and faithful discharge of his duties.
Mr. Paulding is now a widower, and enjoys a high social position in the community where he resides,
GEORGE I. POST.
MR. POST was born on the 2d of April, 1826, at Flem- ing, Cayuga county, N. Y., and his descent, speaking in a fractional way, is one-half German, one-fourth Dutch, one-eighth Scotch, and one-eighth English.
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After passing through the common schools of his na- tive town he concluded his education at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima. At an early day his father resolved on making him a physician, but having little taste for the medical profession, he turned his attention to the more congenial pursuit of the law, and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1855, establishing himself immedi- ately in the city of Auburn, where he has ever since continued to reside. The practice of his profession, however, was materially interrupted by the political campaign of 1856, in which he took an active and lead- ing part, and still more in 1857, by accepting the presi- dency of an organization, the object of which was to aid the settlement of the then territory of Kansas. In company with the Hon. John J. Brinkerhoff he visited the territory and used his efforts and influence in behalf of the Free State cause. Returning from the West, he turned his attention to the reorganization and resuscita- tion of the Lake Ontario, Auburn and New York Rail- road Company, an enterprise in which he has been earnestly engaged.
The first office held by Mr. Post was Superintendent of schools of the town of Fleming, to which he was elected at the age of twenty-one. In 1857 he was made Alderman of the third ward of the city of Auburn, and was chairman of the Board of Common Council upon the revision of the city charter. At the general election in the autumn of 1859 he was elected District Attorney of the county of Cayuga, which office he filled with ability for the term of three years. Last fall he was elected to the present Legislature in which he is a lead-
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ing Republican. Thus it will be seen that he has enjoyed in an eminent degree the continued confidence and sup- port of his fellow citizens.
From boyhood up to 1854 Mr. Post was a Democrat, sympathizing fully with the Free Soil wing of the party. In this year, being a delegate to the Democratic State Convention that indorsed the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, he withdrew from that body and has since had no political fellowship with his old associates. Subsequently he formed a slight acquaintance with "Sam," but the brief interview was uncongenial and they parted company.
Mr. P. was married to Miss Esther C. Wyckoff, a branch of the family of the Rev. Dr. Wyckoff of Albany, in 1847, and is an attendant at the Dutch Reformed Church. In person he is full six feet high, weighs one hundred and eighty pounds, has dark hair, blue eyes, and is prepossessing in appearance.
DANIEL M. PRESCOTT.
. MR. PRESCOTT is a native of New Hartford, Oneida county, N. Y., where he first saw the light, forty-four years ago, and is of English extraction on his paternal, and Welch on his maternal side. His father, Oliver Prescott, died at the age of seventy-five. His mother, whose maiden name was Ruth Morgan, died in her seventy-second year. He is a relative of Col. Prescott, of Revolutionary memory, who participated in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was one
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of the most gallant officers in the Continental service. His occupation is that of a farmer, and he is a brother of Amos H. Prescott, Esq., who was a prominent member of the American party, and, at the last meeting it ever held, was elected President of its State Council. Mr. Prescott was formerly a Whig, but went over to the Republicans when they organized into a party. In 1859, he was elected Ser- geant-at-Arms of the Assembly, and was an efficient and excellent officer. He had previously, in 1857, served as an Assistant. He was elected to the present Assembly on the Republican ticket, by a very handsome majority.
Mr. Prescott is a man of high respectability, and posses- ses a good deal of influence in his town He is an intelli- gent and well-informed man ; is quiet and affable in his demeanor, and a man of good impulses. As a Member of the Legislature, he is diligent, a good worker, but not a speaker, yet does good service for his constituents and the State at large. He attends the Universalist Church ; was married, in 1853, to Miss Lydia M. Bacon, and again, in 1862, to Miss Mary E. Wood, having lost his first wife.
ELIZUR H. PRINDLE.
MR. PRINDLE is a very prominent Member of the House, and bids fair to make his mark in the political world. He is a gentleman of decided ability, a fluent and ready debater, just in his conceptions, and apt and forcible in presenting them. In debate he is always clear, pungent and comprehensive; courteous to his
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opponents, energetic but not ungraceful in his delivery. His language is well chosen and never grates with harshness upon the ear; his points are usually strong, well arranged, and logically argued. His style is free from redundancy and is illustrative, succinct and vigor- ous. When he speaks he commands implicit attention ; and his clear, distinct utterance reaches every part of the House. His voice is good, full and strong, needing no apparent effort to throw it where he pleases. In private life he is a man of integrity and nice sense of honor, and stands deservedly high in the community in which he lives.
Mr. Prindle was born in Newtown, Fairfield county, Connecticut, May 6, 1830, and is thirty-two years old. His father, Seth Prindle, died in Otsego county, in 1841 ; his mother, whose maiden name was Blackman, is still living. He is of Scotch extraction. On coming to the State of New York his parents first located at Unadilla, where he received an academical education, and prepared himself for the practice of the law. Subsequently he removed to Norwich, Chenango county, where he opened an office and still resides. He has served as District Attorney for the county the past three years, and has received many tokens of the approbation of his fellow townsmen, in various places of trust to which they have elected him.
Mr. Prindle was formerly a Whig, but is now a Re- publican. He has turned the corner of bachelorship, and is yet single - not exactly the place for a good- looking man. He is a member of no church, but attends the Baptist.
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JOHN A. QUACKENBUSH.
MR. QUACKENBUSH is one of the quiet men of the House, and never figures in the printed proceedings of that body. He is a native of Schaghticoke, Rensselaer county, N. Y., where he was born in 1829, and where he still resides, in the capacity of a farmer. He was formerly a Whig, and is now an unyielding Republican, being a supporter of the Emanci- pation Proclamation, and whatever else may be advocated by that party. He ran on a straight Republican ticket, for the Assembly, and was elected over John S. Fake, a pro- minent Democrat. This is his first appearance in an official capacity outside of his own town. His private character is said to be good, but he will never astonish the nation as a representative of the people.
JAMES REDINGTON.
MR. REDINGTON is one of the ablest men in the Assembly, and takes a leading part in all the important discussions in that body. He is a good speaker, and, when deeply interested in the subject under considera- tion, as, for instance, the subject of Temperance, is really eloquent. On this great moral question he is ardent and sincere ; its earnest advocate, he enters upon its discussion with great zeal and energy, when it is brought up for the consideration of the House, and pre- sents it in a light so clear, bold and eloquent, that all
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must acknowledge the truth and force of his arguments, even though they may not conform to the principle itself. Indeed, on all questions that arise he seems to be at home. He is also a useful member-a man of work, indefatigable in the performance of his duties, and suffering nothing to be lost by neglect on his part. He is peculiarly alive to whatever affects his own im- mediate constituents ; and when the people of St. Law- rence-their views or their whims, are alluded to, he is on his feet at once, to explain, or defend, as the case may require. In his personal and social relations he stands high-a man of high sense of honor, integrity and great purity of character. He is universally respected in his own community, and at the Capital, where he has spent the last two winters, he is highly honored and esteemed.
Mr. Redington was born in the town of Madrid, (now Waddington) St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in 1810, and is now fifty-three years old. He is of English extraction. His father, Jacob Redington, was a soldier of the Revolution, and served during the war. He was one of the first settlers in St. Lawrence county, and was the first Justice of the Peace in the town of Madrid. He was also in the war of 1812 and was wounded in battle, and died in 1843, aged eighty-six. His mother, whose maiden name was Eunice King, died in 1847, aged seventy-six.
Mr. Redington was educated principally at the St. Lawrence Academy at Potsdam, where his parents then resided. On concluding his academical studies, he commenced reading the law, went through his course,
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was admitted to the bar, and followed the profession several years. His reputation as a lawyer stood de- servedly high, and his practice was very successful. One of his students, Hon. Charles C. Montgomery, is now a Member of the Senate. In 1837 he was elected Justice of the Peace in his town, which was strongly opposed to him in politics ; but his personal popularity, and known integrity, with superior qualifications, car- ried him triumphantly through. In 1839 he was appointed Surrogate by Governor Seward, and held the office four years ; and in 1855 he was elected by the people to the same place. Previous to 1848 he was a Whig, but in the Presidential campaign of that year, he stepped on the Buffalo Platform and supported Martin Van Buren. In 1852 he slid down to the support of John P. Hale ; and in 1855 was a delegate to the Saratoga Con- vention, which formally organized the Republican party. He was a delegate to the State Republican Convention in 1856, and has ever since been identified with that party.
Mr Redington was married at Newtown, Connecticut, in June, 1835, to Miss Charlotte G. Colfax, a relative of a member of Congress of that name from Indiana. He is a member of the Congregational Church.
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WILLIAM P. ROBINSON.
MR. ROBINSON was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, on the 13th of June, 1836. He is of genuine Puritan extrac- tion, being a direct descendant of "Old John Robinson," who came over in the Mayflower.
In 1841 his parents, Horatio and Mary A. Robinson, emi- grated from Rhode Island to this State, and settled at Auburn. Their son, William P., was educated at Hamil- ton College, and after graduating became one of the editors of the Auburn Daily Advertiser, a paper enjoying a large circulation, and conducted with marked ability. In this occupation he has been engaged for the last six years.
He has also been connected with the Board of Super- visors of Cayuga county, three years as clerk and three as member.
He is a staunch supporter of the principles and policy of the Republican party, and has, perhaps, contributed as much as any man of his age to their success in his district, in which he received a majority of one thousand four hun- dred and seventy-six.
Mr. Robinson is a gentleman of culture, agreeable in his manners and popular with his associates. He is a married man, and an attendant upon the Universalist Church.
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LUKE ROE.
MR. ROE is a native of Greene county, N. Y., and was born in the town of Athens, on the 23d day of No- vember, 1824, and is now in his thirty-ninth year. His father, William Roe, died in 1861, at the age of seventy- five. His mother, whose maiden name was Jane Baker, is still living. They were both natives of the State of New York. He was educated in the district school, and ob- tained a good English education. He now resides in the town of Cairo, which has been his residence for about six- teen years.
Mr. Roe is a farmer, and is a leading man in his town. He has held several town offices, and in the years 1858, '59 and '60 was Supervisor. In political matters, he has always been a hard Democrat, and there is little prospect of his ever softening, as he is as firm as adamant in his opinions. He is a good legislator, but no speaker, and never even reads a dissertation or an essay, on some abstruse subject, to his complacent fellow-members, who generally occupy the time thus taken up by the essayist, or Buncombe orator, in writing, reading the newspapers, eating apples, or cracking peanuts. He is a man of strong mind, good com- mon sense and sound judgment, qualities peculiarly adapted to the position he occupies, but of which many members of more pretensions are sadly deficient. He is also indus- trious and energetic, and attends to his duties closely and faithfully. His constituents are as well, perhaps better, served than those who send members to the Legislature, excelling only in book knowledge, but who know little of
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the world and its concerns. He is a strong and influential man in his own county, and commands universal respect. He attends the Baptist Church.
HENRY ROGERS.
MR. ROGERS was born in the city of Albany in 1832, and is, therefore, in the thirty-first year of his age. His parents were both natives of Ireland. Having received a limited English education he learned the mason trade, which he now follows in the city of New York, where he resides. Politically, he was brought up in the Demo- cratic school, and has always proved faithful to the principles and interests of his party. He was nominated by the Democrats of his district for the Assembly with flattering unanimity, and was elected by nearly a thou- sand majority over two opposing candidates. He is not a brilliant Member of the House, but discharges his duties diligently and conscientiously.
GEORGE L. ROUSE.
MR. ROUSE is a native of Cazenovia, Madison county, N. Y., and is thirty-four years old. He represents the second district of his county, and was elected by a majority of six hundred and twenty-nine. His occupa-
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tion is that of a merchant, and his politics are Republi- can. He is in no wise distinguished in the House, but keeps himself within himself - saying nothing and doing little. He is said to be a good, clever, sociable man ; and this is all that we can glean respecting him."
HORATIO SEYMOUR.
MR. SEYMOUR is descended from the same family to which Gov. Seymour of this State, belongs. His father, and Henry Seymour, the father of the Governor, were both sons of Major Moses Seymour, of Connecticut, and were natives of that State. The former settled in Ver- m'ont, which he afterwards represented in the United States Senate some twelve years, and the latter in On- ondaga county, N. Y. The Hon. Origen Seymour, for- merly Member of Congress from the Litchfield District, Connecticut, is the son of another brother, and the late Gov. Seymour, of Connecticut, and the Hon. David L. Seymour, of Troy, are also members of the same family.
Mr. Seymour is a native of Middlebury, Addison county, Vermont, and is forty-eight years of age. He was liberally educated, and after leaving school, studied law, in the practice of which he has always since been successfully engaged. Having no particular taste for the turmoil and strife of political life, he always remained a quiet citizen at his home in the city of Buffalo, where he now resides, until the breaking out of the rebellion, when, at the solicitation of his fellow-citizens, he consented
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to become the Democratic candidate for Member of As- sembly, and was triumphantly elected. This was in the fall of 1861, and so well were the people of his district pleased with his course during the session of the Legis- lature which followed, that they again returned him at the last election by a majority of five hundred over the Hon. Erastus S. Prosser, late Senator from the thirty- first district, and the strongest Republican probably in the county. He was the Democrat candidate for Speaker in 1862.
As a legislator, he is one of the most valuable and useful men in the House. He is a good speaker of em- phatic manner, and his familiarity with parliamentary rules renders him a troublesome opponent, and at the same time enables him frequently to carry his point even against the opposition of a majority. In debate, there are but few more ready speakers on the floor of the Assembly, and there are none more prompt in an off-hand, unpremeditated speech. He is never at a loss for words, and the facility with which he enters the arena of discussion, on any subject, evinces a good store of general information. In politics, he is consistent and unyielding, always fighting to the " bitter end " for pure Democratic principles, and never sets aside his political sentiments for the sake of mere expediency.
Mr. Seymour is a man of family, and enjoys a high social position in private life.
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GUY SHAW.
MR. SHAW is a farmer; was born in Pennsylvania; is forty-two years old, and resides in Barrington, Yates county, N. Y. He was elected to the present Assembly by a majority of eleven hundred and fifty-five. He is a good, substantial member, and never speaks, although he is said to be a good speaker. He is good size, well- proportioned, and is a married man.
ASA S. SHERMAN.
MR. SHERMAN has always been a firm and consistent Democrat, and cast his first Presidential vote in 1840 for Martin Van Buren. He was a candidate for the Assembly in the fall of 1861, but was defeated by the Hon. Thos. D. Penfield, a member of the last House, by a majority of six hundred and four. He was re-nominated, however, at the last election, and was victoriously elected by precisely the same majority that he was defeated by the previous year, thus showing a change, in one year, in his favor, in the district, of twelve hundred and eight votes.
Mr. Sherman was born in Cazenovia, Madison county, N. Y., and is forty-three years of age. His parents were both natives of Massachusetts. His mother is dead, but his father, Asa Sherman, is still living, at an advanced age. He removed, when quite young, into Onondaga county, where he received a common school education, and where
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he resided until 1844, when he located in Madison county, his present place of residence. His occupation is that of a builder, in which he has been quite successful. He never held a public position previous to his election to the pre- sent Assembly, but has given considerable evidence during the winter of his ability to successfully fill the place.
HENRY SHERWOOD.
MR. SHERWOOD is a native of Woodhull, formerly Troupsburgh, Steuben county, where he was born on the 27th January, 1824. He was educated for the legal profession, reading law with the Hon. F. C. Dininny at Addison, and was admitted to practice in all the courts of this State in 1852. Since then he has practised at the bar of Steuben, and the judicial district in which it is included, with success.
He was elected to the Assembly of 1862, and was a member of the Judiciary Committee, in which capacity his legal knowledge was appreciated. He was returned to the Assembly of 1863 by a majority of one thousand and seventy-five over Amos Carr, his Democratic com- petitor.
Such was the favorable reputation Mr. S. had secured for himself at the preceding session, his friends selected him as the Republican candidate for Speaker. In the fierce contest that ensued, however, he withdrew, which eventually threw the election in favor of Mr. Callicot.
He was originally a Democrat, of Freesoil proclivi-
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ties, voting in 1848 for Van Buren, and in 1852 for Pierce, but in 1856 advocated the election of Fremont, and was among the founders of the Republican organi- zation, the party to which he still strenuously adheres.
He is descended from the Sherwoods of Long Island, who rendered efficient aid to the American cause throughout the Revolution.
In 1855 he married Miss Eleanora Robinson, then of Ithaca. Though not a member, he is a general atten- dant upon the Episcopal Church. Mr. Sherwood is one of the most prominent men in the House, and a gentle- man of decided character and ability.
SAMUEL SKINNER.
MR. SKINNER is the oldest man in the Assembly, and was also the oldest in the last House. He was born on the 18th of January, 1797, in Cheshire county, New Hampshire, and is of pure English descent. His father, Peffril Skinner, died in 1811, at the age of thirty-seven, and his mother, whose maiden name was Lucy Abbott, died in 1839, at the age of sixty-four. They both lived, at the time of their death, in Union village, Washington county, N. Y., whither they had removed when the subject of this sketch was about twelve years of age.
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