The History of Warren County, Ohio, Part 41

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1081

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A full account of the early life and education of Thomas Corwin, by his schoolmate and fellow law student, is appended to this sketch. A summary of the leading events in his life will here be given. Commencing the practice

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of law at Lebanon in 1817, he soon became a leading spirit in the courts of four or five counties he attended. In 1818, he became Prosecuting Attorney of Warren County, and served in that capacity for more than ten years. He said, in the Ohio Legislature, in 1822: "In the prosecution, and sometimes in the defense, of criminals, I have had frequent opportunities of viewing and con- sidering the occult and secret sources of crime more distinctly than I possibly could had I been an unconcerned observer. I will venture to assert that there is not, in the whole circle of society, a situation so favorable to the discovery of the true nature and causes of crime as a practice at the bar of a court of criminal jurisdiction." This was said in a speech against corporal punish- ment. In 1821, he was first elected a Representative in the Legislature, and was re-elected in 1822, and in 1829. In 1830, he was first elected to Congress, and served ten years, resigning in 1840, to become the Whig candidate for Governor. The district he represented was composed at first of Warren and Butler Counties; afterward, of Warren, Clinton and Highland Counties. In 1840, he was elected Governor, but, two years later, when a candidate for re- election, the Democratic party was successful, and he was defeated. In 1844, he was tendered a unanimous nomination by the Whig State Convention as candidate the third time for Governor. This he declined, and his name was placed by the convention at the head of the Clay Electoral ticket in Ohio. In 1845, he was elected to the United States Senate, and served in that body until July 22, 1850, when he became Secretary of the Treasury in the cabinet of President Fillmore. At the expiration of that administration, in 1853, he resumed the practice of law, having his office in Cincinnati, but retaining his residence in Lebanon. In 1858, he was again elected to Congress, and was re-elected in 1860. In 1861, he was appointed by President Lincoln United States Minister to Mexico, which position he held until 1864, when he resigned. He died at Washington City, December 18, 1865, from a paralytic attack, and was buried in the Lebanon Cemetery.

Mr. Corwin began his public life as a supporter of the administration of Monroe. In 1824, he supported Henry Clay for President; in 1828, he sup- ported John Quincy Adams. He was afterward a firm supporter of the Whig party. After the rise of the Republican party, his views on the slavery ques- tion, which then agitated the country, continued to be in unison with those formerly advocated by him as a Whig, and differed considerably from those both of the Republican and the Democratic party. He was, however, elected to Congress in 1858 and in 1860 by the Republicans.

The reminiscences of Gov. Corwin, quoted below, give more information concerning the early life and education of "the Wagoner Boy " than anything yet given to the public. They are extracted from a paper read by A. H. Dun- levy at a meeting of the members of the bar held in the court house in Leb- anon soon after the death of Gov. Corwin:

"I first met Thomas Corwin at a school taught by my father, about one- half mile west of where I now stand, in the summer or autumn of 1798. He was then about four years old, and I a few months older. I then. of course, at this tender age of him and myself, saw nothing remarkable in him. I al- ways understood that he learned with great ease and rapidity, and remember to have heard that he acquired a perfect knowledge of the whole alphabet the first day he came to school. We did not. however, long continue together in that school, and, as we lived some three miles apart, we had little more intimacy than a mere acquaintance for several years afterward. Our parents, however, belonged to the same church, and the two families were always intimate. In the winter of 1806, or about that time, I again attended a school in which Mr. Corwin acquired nearly all the school education he ever had the opportunity

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to enjoy. It was in this that his peculiar talent for public speaking was first developed. This school was taught by an English Baptist clergyman, the Rev. Jacob Grigg, of good education, and possessing great influence in exciting among his scholars the spirit of emulation and determination to excel, to a greater extent than any school-teacher I have ever known. He encouraged school exhibitions-recitations of all kinds, and especially dialogues, and under his care and direction, they were not only attractive to the pupils, but to parents and the little public of Lebanon and vicinity, at that early day. For want of a hall, a bower was erected in front of the little schoolhouse (then standing on the spot now occupied by the parsonage of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Lebanon), and its interior fitted up to suit the various plays to be performed on the particular occasion. It was in these exercises that I first noticed the development of Mr. Corwin's particular talent for oratory-that attractive man- ner and fine elocution which so distinguished him in after time. In a dialogue, then found in all our school books, by the common title of Dr. Neverout and Dr. Doubty, taking the character of the former, while his elder brother, Mat- thias, took that of Dr. Doubty, he gained universal applause This was when he was but a little over twelve years of age, and yet I think it formed an im- portant era in his life and history.

"From that time, he had a strong desire for the advantages of a liberal education. But his father was poor, the owner of a small farm only, had a large family to support, and had concluded that he could make a scholar of but one son, and that was the elder brother, Matthias, called after himself. Mat- thias, therefore, was kept at school, and Thomas on the farm. To young Tom Corwin, as he was then and all his life familiarly called, this was a severe trial of filial duty; but he submitted patiently and labored hard and assiduously on the farm and business connected with it. Wagoning for our merchants, from Cincinnati, in certain seasons of the year, was an important part of the neighboring farmers' business. The roads were then merely tracks through the woods, with few bridges, and, in the new and fresh condition of the soil, often became deep and almost impassable. For mutual aid, in these trips, it was common for five or six teams to go together, and young Thomas Corwin generally drove his father's on these occasions. It was here he first acquired the name of ' wagon boy.' He drove his four-horse team with great skill, and, as these wagoners camped at night in the woods together, this young wagon boy, by his ready wit and humor, contributed greatly to their entertainment when about their camp-fires, as well as on their tiresome journeys. It was said, too, if any team stalled in the deep roads of that day, as was not uncom- mon, Corwin's skill in managing a team was called into requisition to get out of the difficulty.

" In the war of 1812, when Hull's disastrous surrender at Detroit exposed the whole northern frontier of Ohio to the combined attack of British and In- dian forces, it became necessary to hurry an army to our outposts with all speed and without the possibility of furnishing supplies. In this emergency, it is known how rapidly Gen. Harrison hurried up a little army raised in Kentucky on the spur of the occasion and marched with unparalleled rapidity, all the way by land, to the relief of Fort Wayne. then besieged by a strong British and Indian force. The brother of Thomas Corwin-Matthias, before named- commanded a company, of which I was a member, in the Ohio Division of that little army, on which, now that Hull had surrendered all under his command, depended the defense of the Ohio and Indiana frontier, extending some four hundred miles, and embracing in its lines many strong and warlike savage tribes. Under these pressing circumstances, the farmers of Ohio were appealed to for teams and provisions to be carried to this now quite large military force,

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James Perrine (DECEASED)

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so hastily collected together, and so destitute of supplies for their maintenance. Thomas Corwin, then barely eighteen years of age, hastened with his father's team, well loaded, to aid in this patriotic duty, and brought us supplies when camped on the waters of St. Mary's of the Maumee. This may now appear a trifling performance, but it was attended with difficulties and dangers which those who did not see them can hardly realize.

"Mr. Corwin continued on his father's farm until the year 1814, when he entered the Clerk's office of this county, then under the charge of his brother Matthias, who had before been admitted to the bar. This step was preparatory to the study of the law, and the next year, he and I together entered the law office of the late Judge Joshua Collett, of delightful memory, as pupils under his direction. From that time until our admission to the bar, in May, 1817, we were much of the time companions day and night; for more than twenty years, we were constantly, at the bar and in all the associations of life. together, and I think I knew Thomas Corwin better than any other man outside of his own immediate family.

" It was a common custom, in the early settlement of this county, at least, to have debating societies, as then called, during the winter seasons, in almost every neighborhood. Lebanon had one almost from its origin, and when I first came to town to board, in 1809, all the men of talent, whether professional or not, were members of one of these debating clubs, and when Mr. Corwin and I commenced the study of the law, we entered one of these societies. Here Mr. Corwin very soon attained such pre-eminence as to give it more than usual attraction, and he gained for himself a high reputation for youthful eloquence. These societies formed almost the only recreations of this young law student. He seldom attended those youthful parties so common then and now, but con- fined himself to his studies with an ardor and industry unusual even in that day. By this persevering industry, he not only read the usual course of law prescribed at that time, and which was more extensive than has been required in later years, but he made himself master of English history. and, in a good degree, of the English prose and poetic classics.

"At the May term of the Supreme Court. in 1817, we applied for admission to the bar. It was then the practice of the court to examine applicants them- selves, in their presence, though they frequently called on members of the bar to take part in asking questions. For this purpose, we were taken into a large room of the principal hotel of the place, in the evening, after adjourn- ment of the court, and there, to my surprise, I found quite a gathering of ladies and gentlemen, who had come to witness the examination. Mr. Corwin's rep- utation had brought them there. Under these circumstances. the examination was a thorough one, and we were subjected to a severe ordeal. But Mr. Cor- win at least passed it with triumph. His first speech before court was made soon after this, and was a pledge of his future distinction at the bar.

" From this time on, Mr. Corwin was so well known here as to require no further remark from me. His genial temper, his kind and gentlemanly deport- ment at the bar, at all times and under all circumstances, you all know or have fully understood from others His liberal encouragement and generous aid to young men in the pursuit of knowledge, and especially toward students of the law, had no limit, but embraced all who manifested a desire for the acquisition of knowledge, and he had the great pleasure, during the last thirty years of his life. of seeing many of his pupils distinguishing themselves at the bar and in high places of public confidence. Many of them have been called away from the scenes of earth long before their tutor, but there still remain of the alumni of Gov. Corwin's law office a number almost equal to those of a respectable college.

" Mr. Corwin came to the bar. as it now looks to me, in an auspicious time.

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The men who presided in our highest courts and stood at the head of the bar at that early day have never been equaled since, as I think, for legal science or commanding eloquence. There are reasons for this which I may not stop here to explain. The Miami bar and courts had first such men as Judges Burnet, Mc- Lean. Collett. Crane, Hon. Thomas Morris, Nicholas Longworth, David K. Este and Thomas R. Ross. Soon after. Bellamy Storer, Nathaniel Wright, Salmon P. Chase, Charles Hammond, Thomas L. Hamer, John Woods, Joseph S. Benham, Robert S. Lytle, and others who might be named, but who have long since left na It was the practice of early times to travel over the whole judicial circuit and the Maimi bar, as it was called, embracing the whole Miami Valley, then con- tained in one circuit, often met at the same courts to test their legal learning and their intellectual strength in arguments before the court and jury. Here, at times, was witnessed the greatest contest of minds that I, at least, ever beheld. This war of intellectual giants not unfrequently embraced some eminent men from the Scioto bar and other courts of the State, and at an early day, Mr. Cor- win, in his practice, met Henry Clay, the great orator of the West; Philip Doddridge, deceased; Hon. Thomas Ewing, still living; the Iste Hon John C. Wright, and others at the United States Courts held at Columbus, Ohio, and it is enough to say of any man that, among this array of great men and minds, Mr. Corwin was always acknowledged as an equal and a compeer.

" Here, perhaps. I ought to stop, but I cannot forbear on this occasion to say some things more in reference to the character of this remarkable man. The world, judging from his speeches so widely published, judging from his long public life and attainment to so many high places, has no doubt set him down as a man of great ambition. But if he was more than ordinarily such, I never discovered it. It is possible I may have overlooked this trait in his char- acter and judged him by too humble a standard. In our early reading, we much admired and often repeated poetic quotations, and among them, Beattie's Progress of Genius, one stanza of which I have often thought of since as strik- ingly depicting my own and the fate of many others of his early companions in our pioneer boyhood, but which, in his case, so eminently failed of truth That stanza reads thus:

"Ah! who can tell how hard it is to climb The steep, where Fame's proud Temple shines afar: Ah! who can tell how many a soul sublime Has felt the influence of malignant star, And wag'd with fortune an eternal war- Checked by the scoff of pride-by envy's frown,

By porerty's unconquerable bar, In life's lone vale. remote, has pin'd alone, Then dropt into the grave unpitied, and unknown!"

Yet Thomas Corwin, contrary to all the conditions of the poet, however true in general, did overcome all opposing difficulties -- even " poverty's uncon- querable bar " -- and ascended those giddy heights until he stood calm and erect in that very temple of fame which shines so bright but at such unattain- able heights to the millions who in every age attempt to reach it. But Mr. Corwin was not ambitious in the common acceptation of the term. The ruling passion of his heart was not so much distinction as to be useful -- to .be great as to be good. I know the world has not thus read him. His bluntness of manner at times, his severe invective at others, and his denunciation of what- ever he deemed wrong, in public or private life. in government or in law, often impressed the stranger as having a sternness and severity of disposition which never belonged to him. He. indeed. possessed a heart of great tenderness. and his prevailing desire was to do good. He would not harm any one-but benefit all; and any attempt to injure or oppress, on the most limited scale, or

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by the strong arm of official or national power, was sure to rouse his opposi- tion. Sometimes, when he saw so little regard for these high principles of rectitnde, justice and humanity, by government, by men in high places, and by the great masses who rule in this country, he would give vent to terrible rebukes, and remind his friends of the Psalmist when he cried: " In my haste I said, all men are liars." This strong trait in his character furnishes a key to many passages in his speeches, and particularly to that severe philippic against the Mexican war. He looked upon all the claims we had trumped up against Mexico, and the march of our army into Mexican territory for the very purpose of provoking attack, as the mere pretexts to hide the settled determi- nation of our then national cabinet to wage a war of conquest, and this, too, with the sole aim of adding slave territory to our domain. His soul detested the object and the low subterfuges by which that object was attempted to be concealed, and he gave vent to his feelings in that great speech-for which he was ostracized for a time by the then ruling majority of the nation. But, as more light has dawned upon the true causes of that war, the ban of that ostra - cism has given way, and the time is not far distant when it will be deemed the greatest speech of the age.

"No, Mr. Corwin was not ambitious in the common sense of that term- and in the midst of all his success, his soul often sickened at the tinsel of worldly honors by which he was surrounded. and he looked upon the whole as mere shadows. 'What shadows we are and what shadows we pursue!' was the exclamation of an eminent man before him, and such was his estimate of human greatness for many of the last years of his life." .

GEORGE J. SMITH.

George J. Smith was born on the 22d day of May, 1799, near Newtown, in what is now Hamilton County. Ohio. He was the ninth and last child of Rev. James Smith, who emigrated with his family from Powhatan County, Va., to the territory northwest of the Ohio in the year 1798. Prior to his removal from Virginia, Mr. Smith had purchased a survey of land on the Little Miami River at the junction of Caesar's Creek with the river.

As no improvement had been made upon the land, upon his arrival he took up his temporary residence at what was called Middletown Station, between Columbia and Newtown. Here the subject of this notice was born, and here his father died in July. 1800. His widow, Elizabeth Smith, was left with a family of nine children, the eldest of whom was about eighteen years of age. Mrs. Smith remained with her family at the residence above mentioned until the month of December, 1800, when she removed to the tract of land which had been purchased by her husband, and upon which, in the meantime, a dwelling house had been partly constructed. The country was then almost entirely new, the population sparse, and the family was in consequence compelled to endure many of the hardships and inconveniences incident to early pioneer life. Here the subject of this notice passed the years of his boyhood and youth, laboring on the farm, and from time to time availing himself of such opportunities for education as were then afforded. These, of course, were slender.

As he advanced toward manhood, he attended a school taught in the neigh- borhood by a person of considerable attainments. where he diligently prosecuted the study of the Latin language, in which he acquired a considerable degree of proficiency. During the whole of his after life, he retained his familiarity with and fondness for the Latin. He was not acquainted with any other of the classic languages, and had no opportunities for studying the higher mathe- matics. As may well be supposed, his opportunities for general reading in his

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youth were very limited, on account of the scarcity of books at that day, but his taste for reading was gratified to the full extent of the means afforded. In April, 1818, he commenced the study of law, which he prosecuted under the preceptorship of Thomas Corwin. He continued his studies regularly until June, 1820, when he was admitted to the bar. In the following month, he commenced the practice of his profession at Lebanon, where he ever afterward resided. Shortly after entering the practice, he formed a partnership with William McLean, which continued for several years. Very soon thereafter, Mr. McLean was appointed Receiver of the Land Office at Piqua, and was afterward elected to Congress, and for these reasons gave but little personal attention to the business of the firm, which was conducted almost entirely by the junior member. In accordance with the custom which obtained in the pro- fession at that day, he attended the courts in the other counties composing the judicial circuit.

On the 9th day of April, 1822, Mr. Smith was married to Mrs. Hannah W. Freeman, the widow of Thomas Freeman, a former member of the Lebanon bar. This marriage union, which was one of singular felicity, subsisted for more than forty-four years, and until November 25, 1866, when it was termi- nated by the death of Mrs. Smith.

In 1825, Mr. Smith was elected a member of the House of Representatives from Warren County, and took his seat as such at the session of the Legisla- ture commencing December 5, 1825. He was again elected to the same posi- tion in 1826, and again in 1827. In 1828, he was a candidate for re-election, but at that time, political feeling was running high in view of the approaching contest for the Presidency, and Col. John Bigger (also a candidate for Repre- sentative) and himself, who were favorable to the election of Adams, were de- feated by a majority of about fifty votes, their successful opponents being friends of Gen. Jackson. During the session of the Legislature which commenced in December, 1828, and in February, 1829, Judge Joshua Collett, who was then the President Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, of which Warren County formed a part, was elected a Judge of the Supreme Court, and thereupon Mr. Smith was elected by the Legislature to the office vacated by Judge Collett. This result was brought about through the influence of his friends in the Leg- islature, without any solicitation upon his part, and, indeed, wholly without his knowledge, he having been taken by surprise by the bestowal of the honor upon him. The judicial circuit was then composed of Butler, Warren, Greene, Clinton, Highland and Adams Counties. During his term of office, however, the counties of Highland and Adams were detached from the circuit and placed in another, leaving the first four named counties constituting his circuit. At that time, the only practicable mode of traveling was by riding on horseback. To this necessity he attributed the fact that a tendency to pulmonary disease which had manifested itself in his earlier life soon disappeared, and his health, which had been somewhat delicate, became robust.

Judge Smith served a full term of seven years as President Judge, and, although a candidate for re-election, he was unsuccessful. Benjamin Hinkson, of Clinton County, having been elected as his successor. At the expiration of his term of office, there was a Democratic majority of ten or twelve in the Leg- islature, and it may serve to show the impression he had made by his judicial services to state that. although he was a decided and ardent Whig. his success- ful opponent, who was a Democrat, received a majority of but a single vote; and, although all of the counties in the circuit except Warren were represented in the Legislature by Democrats, yet all the Senators and Representatives from the counties composing the circuit supported Judge Smith. Soon after re- tiring from the bench, he resumed the practice of law, and formed a partner-

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ship with John Probasco, Jr., which continued until the election of the latter as President Judge, in 1850.

In 1836, Judge Smith was elected a Senator in the Legislature from War- ren County, and was re-elected in 1838, and accordingly served in the Senate two full terms of two years each. At the session commencing December 4, 1837, the Whigs then being in the majority in the Senate, he was elected Speaker of the Senate, and served in that capacity during the session. At the next session of the Senate, he was nominated by the Whig members for re- election as Speaker, and received their support, but, the Democrats then being in the majority in that body, he was not re-elected. While a member of the Senate, and when on the floor, he took an active and prominent part in all the more important parts of legislation, and served upon the Judiciary Committee, being the Chairman of that committee at one or two sessions.

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The History of Warren County, Ohio, Part 41

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1081

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1081