USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of contemporary biography of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 4
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" He at once assumed prominence as an aggres- sive and forcible debater and skillful parliamenta- rian. Among other measures then introduced and earnestly pressed was a bill for the formation of a new county from portions of Warren, Venango and Crawford Counties. The young member from Warren, with the interests of liis constituency at heart, and more particularly voicing the sentiment of his own county, vigorously opposed this meas- ure, and although supported by a powerful advo- cacy, the bill, largely through his efforts, was finally defeated. He soon became a recognized leader of the House, although serving his first ses- sion. In 1870 he was re-elected by a grateful and admiring constituency. The rare compliment was paid him of making no opposing nomination, and the high regard in which he was held at that early period of his public career has never been dimin-
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ished in that community in which he is best and most intimately known."
The contest referred to above was at first thought to be merely a local struggle for supremacy, but as it progresscd it attracted wide attention, both by reason of the ability displayed by the young mem- ber and the bitterness with whichi his opponents pushed their scheme. In the Legislative session of 1871 Mr. Stone distinguished himself by his labors and efforts for the protection of Erie Harbor, the only outlet for the State upon the Great Lakes. He was appointed Chairman of the special House Com- mittee of five, entrusted with the task of inquiring into the condition of the harbor, the United States Secretary of War having informed Governor Geary that encroachments were reported to have been made by private parties-who, under claim of title, cut the growing timber from the peninsula, thus endangering the harbor. The Committee made two elaborate reports, accompanied by two bills which became laws, and undoubtedly operated to save the harbor from destruction and also to restore the Marine Hospital (now the Soldiers' Home) property to the Commonwealth. At the close of his second term he devoted himself entirely to his legal prac- tice, which had now reached large proportions. In the fall of 1876 he received the Republican nomina- tion for the Senate, was elected by a remarkable vote, and served with marked distinction through the sessions of 1877 and 1878, rising easily to the position of a leader through his ready and aggres- sive style of oratory, luis trenchant logic, his versa- tility of resource and familiarity with parliamentary practice. His reputation as a skillful lawyer pre- ceded him into the Senate, for he was appointed Chairman of the General Judiciary Committee-the most important committee of this branch of the State Government-and took a principal part in all its deliberations. An important bill advocated by him, and passed largely through his efforts, was the Act of June 12, 1878, relating to the State Re- porter and the publication of the decisions of the Supreme Court. By the provisions of this Act greater efficiency and promptness in the publication of these reports were secured and they were so cheapened in price as to be within the means of every lawyer. Mr. Stone became the special legis- lative champion of the interests of the great oil and lumber regions of Pennsylvania, which he faithfully guarded, meriting thereby the warm thanks of those who were benefited. The people of the northwestern part of the State, bearing in mind these services, and recognizing his great natural talents and skill as a leader, instructed their dele- gates to the Convention of 1878 to support him for
the nomination for Licutenant-Governor. This was most faithfully done, and he was placed second on the State ticket headed by General Henry M. Hoyt, receiving one hundred and eighty-two votes in the Convention, against fifty-nine. In this campaign Mr. Stone took the stump in support of the Repub- lican candidates and made a tour of the State. He was received everywhere with appreciation and enthusiasm, his fervid eloquence and personal pop- ularity invariably drawing large crowds of auditors. He was triumphantly elected with his associates on the Republican ticket, his majority being twenty- three thousand two hundred and fifty votes. As ex officio President of the Senate he presided over the joint assembly during the protracted contest for election of a United States Senator, which resulted in the selection of John I. Mitchell. It is a magnifi- cent tribute to his skill as a parliamentarian that although as presiding officer in this contest-which lasted six weeks and absorbed the entire attention of both houses of the Legislature-he was called upon to make more rulings than were ever before or since delivered in the State by a presiding officer in a similar assembly, yet not one of these rulings, either in the joint assembly or in the Senate, during his four years term of office, was ever reversed or even appealed from. While the contest referred to was going on Lieutenant-Governor Stone had the general support of the press of northern and north- western Pennsylvania for the United States Sena- torship. In the Legislature also there was a de- cided feeling in his favor, but he declined to entertain it. As Lieutenant-Governor he was ex officio a member of the Board of Pardons, and faithfully discharged its oft-times unpleasant duties. In 1883 he served as one of the Board of United States Commissioners to locate the public buildings of the United States at Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1884 he was the choice of the delegates from Warren County for the nomination for Congress, but local and peculiar influences and complications accorded the nomination to another county for that term. Warren County and many influential Republicans of Erie County united, in 1886, in urging him to ac- cept the Congressional nomination, but again he declined to become a candidate, although the nomi- nation appeared to be within his grasp. In Janu- ary, 1887, he was tendered the appointment as Secretary of State of Pennsylvania by Governor Beaver, who had then just entered upon his admin- istrative duties. Mr. Stone accepted this flattering position and, his name being sent to the Senate, the appointment was immediately and unanimously confirmed. By the Constitution and laws of the State he thus became also a member of the Board of
Truly Yours. N.S. Klinkhatinvece
Atlas Publishund & Whyravin GUN I
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CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Pardons, the Board of Property, the State Board of Revenue Commissioners, the Board of Sinking Fund Commissioners, the Board of Trustees of the Penn- sylvania State College, one of the three Trustees of the State Library, and Master of the Rolls. Since assuming the Secretaryship Mr. Stone has partici- pated in several very important conventions. He was a delegate in August, 1887, from Pennsylvania to the Inter-State Extradition Conference in New York City, called by Governor Hill of New York, which was attended by representatives from most of the States and presided over by Governor Beaver of Pennsylvania. In the month of July, 1888, he was a delegate from Pennsylvania to the Prison Congress held at Boston. In these conferences he took an active part and accomplished some excel- lent work. Secretary Stone is a most conscientious official and devotes his whole time to the duties of his position. The volume of the business trans- acted in the department over which he presides is something enormous, yet by applying to its conduct the simple rules governing ordinary business trans- actions, heis enabled to attend to it all expeditiously, without friction, and without slighting details. He has made it a rule since assuming the Secretaryship not to issue a charter involving any question of law, not hitherto decided beyond all doubt, without having subjected it first to a critical examination. He has likewise brushed away all circumlocution in the transaction of public business, and has made himself easily accessible to the public at large as well as to the select few who have important busi- ness to transact. He is a man of rare executive power, generous impulses and varied experience. His culture is broad and his judgments clear and logical. When the floods had devastated the Cone- maugh and Susquehanna Valleys he was the first to arrive at Williamsport and Lockhaven with succour to that distressed section, bringing with him, after a toilsome and dangerous journey, the first train load of provisions and clothing from the outer world. Nor did he leave his task until all had been done that it lay in his power to do. Although a staunch Republican he has no personal or factional antag- onisms to hamper him, and he is extremely popular with both the people and the party leaders. It has been well said of him that his face is a true index of his character, its noble outlines revealing manli- ness, ability, honesty, courage and intelligence, with a remarkable degree of kindness. In the opinion of the most acute observers he is admirably equipped for leadership in the party he has served so long and faithfully, and it is not strange there- fore that he is now frequently mentioned as one whose nomination for the Governorship of the State
would elicit the heartiest and most emphatic en- dorsement of the people and their loyal support at the polls. Mr. Stone is recognized by all who come in contact with him as a high minded and honorable patriot rather than partisan, and a statesman instead of a politician. As a public speaker he is eloquent and convincing. During the Presidential campaign of 1888, he was an active and leading figure on the stump, speaking extempore, and with dignity and impressiveness upon the chief questions of the hour, and warmly welcomed everywhere. On January 30, 1868, Mr. Stone married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Moorhead, Esq., of Erie, Pennsylvania. The six children resulting from this marriage are Grace, Annie, Ralph, Elizabeth, John and Clara.
WILLIAM S. KIRKPATRICK.
HON. WILLIAM SEBRING KIRKPATRICK, Attorney-General of Pennsylvania, late President of the Bar Association of Northampton County, and formerly President-Judge of the Third Judicial Dis- trict of the State, was born at Easton, Pennsylva- nia, April 21, 1844. His ancestors on both sides for several generations have been persons of high re- spectability and considerable prominence. His pa- ternal grandfather was the late Rev. Jacob Kirk- patrick, D.D., a distinguished Presbyterian divine, whose scholarly eloquence and devout life are still remembered and reverenced in his denomination. His maternal grandfather was the late Hon. William L. Sebring, in his day a lawyer of great prominence at the Northampton County bar, and at one time Associate Judge of the County Court. His father, the late Newton Kirkpatrick, was a native of Rin- goes, New Jersey, and by profession a teacher. He married Susan, daughter of Judge Sebring. By this union there were four children. William Se- bring Kirkpatrick, the subject of this sketch, was the eldest child. His entire education, primary, preparatory, collegiate and professional, was ob- tained in his native place. After leaving the gram- mar schools, he entered the High School at Easton, and was duly graduated at that institution. In 1859 he entered Lafayette College as a member of the class of 1863. Having won his bachelor's degree, he turned his attention to the study of law, which he prosecuted diligently in the office and under the supervision of the late Judge Henry D. Maxwell of Easton, an accomplished lawyer and gentleman and a warm personal friend of his father. He was regularly admitted to practice in the local courts October 2, 1865, and although but a few months
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CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
past his twenty-first year he entered at once upon professional work. Possessing many natural quali- fications for success at the bar, his advance was rapid. About 1867 he became Boroughi Solicitor of Easton and held the office several years. When Northampton County was erected into a separate Judicial District, Mr. Kirkpatrick was the unani- mous choice of the bar of the county for the office of President-Judge, and was duly commissioned as such by Governor Hartranft, in April, 1874. Upon the expiration of his brief term of office Judge Kirkpatrick was honored by a nomination for the place, on the Republican ticket. His opponent in the canvass, the Hon. Oliver H. Meyers, was suc- cessful in winning the election, by the small ma- jority of about three hundred votes. Judge Kirk- patrick is an active member of the Republican party and a warm supporter of its principles and tenets. He is an earnest advocate of reforms in political work, and a true friend of good govern- ment, for which he has always labored and pleaded vigorously. In 1882 he was Temporary Chairman of the State Republican Convention held at Harris- burg, which nominated Gencral Beaver for Gov- crnor; and in both that and the succeeding cam- paign was his ardent supporter. As a lawyer he has few equals at the Pennsylvania bar. Well grounded in the great underlying principles of law, which have come down to the present times from remote antiquity, and thoroughly well versed in statute law, he is a veritable power in legal argu- ment. In pleading before juries he is eloquent and forceful. When addressing the court he is more than these, he is logical and scholarly and a master of technicalities. His colleagues at the bar all agree that he has excellent judgment and a keen percep- tion of the force of things, and marvel at the clear and subtle distinctions he is always able to make. His habits are industrious to the last degree. He tries every case with the closest attention to detail, and it is rare that even a trifling point in all the labyrinths of law or facts escapes his vigilant scru- tiny. Distinguished for his probity and honor as well as for his eminent legal and literary attain- ments, vigorous intellectual power and marked ca- pacity for labor, he stands among the foremost law- yers and jurists of the State. His clevation to the Attorney-Generalship, which took place in January, 1887, was warmly applauded by general public sen- timent and thoroughly endorsed even by numbers of his political opponents. His high status profes- sionally is shown by the fact that upon the organi- zation of the Bar Association of Northampton County, he was elected its President. He was an- nually re-elected to this position and held it until
his appointment as Attorney-General, then declin- ing a re-election. His interest in the cause of edu- cation lias always been sincere and helpful. In 1874 he was elected President of the Alumni Asso- ciation of Lafayette College. He is by nature a student, and to this day gives the closest attention to the work of mastering the classics, in which lie has a rare proficiency. On general subjects he is singularly well informed, for he reads continuously -and his reading embraces nearly the whole field of literature and science. His library is well- stocked with valuable and useful books, and in its peaceful recesses he loves to lose himself with the master minds of all ages. His appearance and bearing stamp him a gentleman of refinement and culture. Generous, kindly and gentle, he has in his nature all the elements of great personal popularity. When added to these are his brilliant attainments and remarkable success, it is little to be wondered at that he holds so high a place in public esteem and is so generally favored in social life. His legal practice has always been very large, but of late years it has ranked with that of the giants in the profession. Judge Kirkpatrick is especially happy in his home life. His wife, whom he married early in life, is a daughter of the late Matthew Hale Jones -one of Pennsylvania's distinguished jurists. His home on Third Street near Centre Square is one of the best appointed and most artistically arranged in the city of Easton. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpat- rick take a kindly interest in the Christian and charitable work done in the city of their residence, and add very largely to their own enjoyment of life by extending some of the comforts and blessings which fall to their lot to those whose lives are of struggle, hardship and privation.
DANIEL H. HASTINGS.
GENERAL DANIEL HARTMAN HASTINGS, Adjutant-General of Pennsylvania, was born near Salona, Pennsylvania, February 26, 1849. He is of Scotch and Irish descent-his mother born in Scot- land, and his father, William Hastings, born in Ireland. They emigrated from the County of Clare, in Ireland, and settled in what is now Clinton County, Pennsylvania, in 1832. The Pennsylvania Canal being then in process of construction, his father obtained employment as a laborer thereon, after which he worked as an ordinary farm hand. His parents had not the advantage of even a rudi- mentary education. The parents' wages were only fifty cents a day, and they lived in a log house, in
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Det. Hasting
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CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
which they reared a family of nine children. In that log house, two miles from Salona, the sub- ject of this sketch was born. He was named for the venerable Rev. Daniel Hartman, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, still living in the fifty-eighth year of his ministry, who has thus far lingered in his earthly journey to be gladdened by the successful life-struggle of his namesake. The poverty of young Hastings' parents prevented his access to any other than the public schools, but Mr. George Hopson, of Farrandsville, generously al- lowed him to attend a select school taught by Miss Mary A. Crosby, and it was through her careful training and good influence he acquired a fair knowledge of the English branches. The further prosecution of his studies was, however, interrupted by the slender means of his father, which compelled assistance in obtaining a livelihood for the family. In 1861 the boy of twelve was following his father's plow on a Nittany Valley farm in Clinton County, when the rattling drum of the recruiting officer caught his ear; with it came discontent and rest- lessness, and he determined to follow the patriotic example of his older brothers, who had joined the ranks of the defenders of the Union. On account of his youth and his need at home, his father would not consent ; the boy planned an escape and suc- ceeded in getting to Lock Haven, where he was captured and brought home. In a second attempt he reached Williamsport and was again brought back. In the last effort he reached Carlisle in safety, and was happy in a private's uniform, but his youth was against him, and his father again appearing upon the scene, he ruefully resumed his place with the hoe and behind the plow. In the winter of 1863, when young Hastings was but fourteen years of age, a school in Wayne township, Clinton County, became vacant by the selection of its teacher, Colonel W. W. S. Snoddy, for County Superinten- dent. Forthwith the boy borrowed a dollar, trudged through the snow on a wintry day, and secured the appointment. It was, however, condi- tioned upon his passing an examination. He
walked back to Lock Haven the same day, was ex- amined and received his certificate, and returned on foot in time to open the school the next morning. Meanwhile the dollar was spent and his first day's experience as a school teacher was passed without anything to eat. The following four years were spent in teaching the neighboring schools in the winter, and assisting his father on the farm in the summer. He studied diligently through the winter evenings, the better to qualify himself for teaching, and in 1867 his exertions were rewarded by his be- ing elected Principal of the High School at Belle-
fonte. He became, by virtue of his office, superin- tendent of all the schools in the borough. Feeling the need of education in the higher branches, he became a private pupil of Professor W. H. Murray, who then taught the Bellefonte Academy, and under his tuition the young teacher acquired a competent knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages. He filled the position of Principal of the Bellefonte High School from 1857 to 1875, with general satis- faction and with the commendation, still openly ex- pressed, of the pupils and their parents. During two years of this period he was assistant editor of the Bellefonte Republican, filling that place with conspicuous ability and spirit. With all this varied employment Mr. Hastings found time to read law, and having passed a thorough examination, was ad- mitted to the bar of Centre County, April 29, 1875. He became a member of the law firm of Bush, Yocum & Hastings. Colonel Bush retired from the firm in 1877, and the business was conducted under the firm name of Yocum & Hastings until the elec- tion of Mr. Yocum to Congress in 1878, when the former withdrew from the firm and Mr. Hastings associated with him W. F. Reeder, constituting the present firm of Hastings & Reeder. His success in his profession at once became apparent and he was soon looked up to as a leader in the local politics of his. party. His natural ability and indefatigable in- dustry were rewarded with many local lionors; he was elected a member of the School Board, then Burgess of Bellefonte, Trustee of the Methodist Epis- copal Church, and is now one of the Trustees of the Pennsylvania State College. His military abilities were developed in the riots that occurred in July, 1877. Governor Beaver then commanded a division of the National Guards, and at liis request Hastings accompanied the command to Altoona, serving as an aid on General Beaver's staff. As was his wont, he threw all of his energy and ability into this, to him, new field of action, and soon attracted the ad- miration of the officers and soldiers. He rose rapidly in the service. In July, 1877, he became Paymaster of the Fifth Regiment, with the rank of Captain; in March, 1878, he was elected and com- missioned Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fifth Regiment; in June, 1883, he was appointed Assistant Adjutant- General of the Second Brigade, and in March, 1884, he was elected Colonel of the Fifth Regiment and at the annual inspection of 1886 his regimeut achieved the highest standing of any iu the State. After serving nearly three years as Colouel, in January, 1877, Colonel Hastiugs resigned his commission and accepted the appointment of Adjutant-General of Pennsylvania. As a member of the military com- mission, created to revise the military code of the
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CONTEMPORARY BIOGRAPHY OF PENNSYLVANIA.
Commonwealth, General Hastings, in connection with General Hartranft and the other able officers of that board, rendered excellent service in the pre- paration aud passage of the present military bill, which places the militia of the State on its present basis of efficiency and completeness. As Adjutant- General, the National Guard openly acknowledges General Hastings' ability, zeal and efficiency. It recalls the success of the division encampment of 1887 at Mount Gretna, where General Sheridan re- viewed the eight thousand guardsmen all fully equipped for war, all due chiefly to the united energy and vigilance of Generals Hartranft and Hastings. As the soldierly regiments passed in review before the veteran Sheridan, with uniform and accoutrements in perfect trim, with ranks in true alignment, followed by the cavalry and batteries conforming to the best standards, the old soldier was heard to say : " That looks more like business than anything I have seen in this country since the disbandment of the army at Washington in 1865." Turning to General Hastings' record as a politician, it is evident that he brings to the discharge of duty in this sphere, honesty and earnestness of purpose and commendable zeal and energy. From his youth he was an ardent Republican. His first prominence as a local leader was in the Congressional campaign of 1878, when he managed the campaign for his partner, Seth H. Yocum. Full of resources and shrewd in the management of "the opposition ele- ment, he secured the election of Mr. Yocum in a district whose Democratic majority reached three thousand. In the campaign of 1882 General Hast- ings was the personal friend and enthusiastic sup- porter of General. Beaver for Governor. Defeated, but not disheartened, in 1886 General Hastings pre- sented the name of Governor Beaver to the Repub- lican Convention for renomination, and asked and succeeded in having justice done to a brave and generous man who had been defeated by misrepre- sentation and prejudice. In 1887 General Hastings was Chairman of the Republican State Convention which nominated Henry W. Williams for Judge of the Supreme Court and William B. Hart for State Treasurer. But it was in the Republican National Convention of 1888 that General Hastings placed his fame as an orator far forward into the political world. Hon. John Sherman was the favorite of the delegates from Pennsylvania and General Hastings, who was one of the Delegates-at-Large from that State, was selected to present the name of that grand old Republican for the highest office in the land. General Hastings was equal to the occasion, and in a single half hour attained a national reputation as an orator. The press throughout the country acknowl-
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