USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 71
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" I believe it to be my moral, legal, and political duty to the community, to my party, and to myself, not to sustain what seems to be a fraud, by using technical advantages, based as they may be upon the outrages upon the purity of the ballot-box and the sacred rights of our fellow-citizens ; but on the contrary to refuse to accept any benefit whatever which might be supposed to be derived from acquiescing in a wrong, and to repudiate and denounce all such infamous frauds, no matter by whom committed, as being alike ruinous to person, party, and country, and thereby showing that if any individual is so base as to perpetrate such crimes, our party will denounce them. Permit me, therefore, to say, I will not accept an apparent advantage unless founded upon an honest reality. First, because to do so I believe would be wrong; and second, because I believe the princi- ples upon which my party is based, if possible more than ever now, in this trying hour of our country, calls upon every man to do his whole duty to its institutions. For these reasons I respectfully decline claiming iny seat or presenting you the
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On Christmas eve of 1863, he married Emily R. Peirce, only daughter of Charles W. Peirce, originally from Ports- mouth, New Hampshire, and has two children, Anna P., and Charles P. In the spring of 1863, Mr. Shoemaker received from the Government an appointment officially and professionally connected with the Provost Marshall's department, which position he held until the close of the war with credit to himself, and rendering, while in that responsible position-delicate as it was in all its bearings -invaluable services to the Government ; and, be it said to his credit, that while thus employed, and at the time not subject to draft, at his own private expense he sent a personal representative to the field. In the same year (1863), he represented his district in the Gubernatorial Con- vention at Pittsburgh. In the October campaign of 1866, he was elected by the people of the Thirteenth Ward, one of their representatives in the City Government, and took his seat in Common Council on the Ist of January, 1867 ; he was re-elected in the following year, and in June, 1868, resigned his position, the resignation to take effect on the Ist of January, 1870, when one year of his second term was yet unexpired. In October, 1869, he was elected to represent his ward in Select Council, and was re-elected in the fall of 1872, for three years. His record in the City Government is of the brightest and purest character, and no member of either branch is regarded with greater re- spect ; clear-headed, speaking rarely, cogent in his argu- ments, fair in his dealing, courteous to his fellow-members, he never rises to speak without commanding the attention of his compeers, while at all times he has proved himself to be a faithful, fearless, and honest representative. As a member of the City Government he was at once placed upon the most important committees, upon which he continues to serve, being, first, Chairman of the Law Committee of Common Council; afterwards Chairman of the Committee on Finance; and in Select Council, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Law, until he resigned to attend to the onerous duties of the Chairman of the Committee on Centennial. To further this great national enterprise, he has labored incessantly, intelligently, and unselfishly, and to him, perhaps, more than to any single man, whatever of progress has been made in the work is due. There are now hundreds, nay, thousands, who are working nobly and well, to make " our " Centennial a grand success, commen- surate with the progress of the age, but in January, 1870, even those who had thought of it were groping in the dark as to the massiveness and gigantic proportions of the under- taking. He, however, laid hold of the very " horns of the altar," and on the 20th of January, 1870, made the first public speech and official motion in a legislative body, for definite action looking to the inauguration of the great Cen- tennial movement of 1876. This was in the Select Council of the city of Philadelphia, directly over the room which had echoed to the tread of Hancock and Adams, and Jefferson and Lee, the fathers of the country, and the
founders of a nation of freemen. In a room over Indepen- dence Hall, Mr. Shoemaker, on leave, offered the following :
Resolution to provide for the appropriate celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence.
Resolved, by the Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia, That an international exhibition of arts, manufactures, and products of the soil and mine, would be an appropriate mode of celebration for the Centennial Anniversary of our National Existence.
Resolved, That Philadelphia, from its accessibility, both domestic and foreign, from its ability to accommodate a large transient population, as well as provide ample ground con- venient of access, and from having been the original seat of the national government, would be the most appropriate place for such an exhibition.
Resolved, That a Joint Special Committee of nine from each Chamber be appointed to present these resolutions to Congress, and to solicit legislation to further the object in view, and also to make all necessary arrangements for the appropriate celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of our National Independence.
The resolutions were read and unanimously adopted. A Joint Special Committee was at once appointed with himself at its head, a position which he still continues most ably to fill. He prepared the resolution which the Legislature soon after passed, endorsing the action of the city, and from that sprang the original State Committee of the Speakers of the Senate and House, with six other members of the Legisla- ture, which with the City Joint Special Committee and the Franklin Institute Committee, composed a General Joint Committee representing the whole Commonwealth of Penn- sylvania, of which he was also unanimously elected the chairman. This committee on the 24th of February, 1870, prepared and forwarded to Congress the following memorial, which he signed as Chairman of this General Joint Com- mittee, and which is the original application to Congress upon the subject :
To the Honorable the Senate and the
House of Representatives of the United States. The Declaration of Independence having been written and signed by its patriotic authors in Philadelphia, and its promulgation to the workl first made in that city, and as the Centennial Anniversary of that memorable and decisive epoch in our country's history is nearly approaching, it behooves the people of the United States to prepare for its celebration, by such demonstrations and appropriate cere- monies as may become a nation, so rapidly risen from strug- gling infancy to a position of power and prosperity, as at once to command the respect of all governments and the admiration of the world.
In order, therefore, to stimulate a pilgrimage to the Mecca of American Nationality, the home of American Independence, on an occasion so worthy of commemora- tion, it has been wisely suggested that prominent amongst the features for celebrating our One Hundreth Anniversary, there should be an International Exhibition of Arts, Manu- factures and Products of the Soil and Mine, as thereby we may illustrate the unparalleled advancement in science and art, and all the various appliances, of human ingenuity, for the refinement and comfort of man, in contrast with the meagre achievements of a century past.
For the fulfillment of this, where so fitting a spot as the
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cradle of our country's liberty, or, when the time, as on the Centennial Anniversary of the year her freedom had its birth ?
In furtherance of an undertaking, truly national in its character, and so commendable in spirit, the councils of the city of Philadelphia, the Board of Managers of the Franklin Institute, and the Legislature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have each appointed committees, who, clothed with authority to act from the bodies they represent, respect- fully solicit Congress by its action to recognize the fact, that the city of Philadelphia is, and of right should be, the place to hold, and that the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, would be the time to inaugurate an Exhibition of the industry of all nations.
When such action as your wisdom may deem proper shall have been taken in order to place the grand design under your fostering care and control, it is hoped the President of the United States will be authorized, in due time, to invite the participation of all governments.
The memorial having been referred by Congress to its committee on manufactures, he obtained a hearing, and with bis committee appeared before, and with others addressed the Congressional Committee upon the subject. Returning to Philadelphia, he made a report to the councils of the city, the following extract therefrom showing how clearly he foresaw the magnitude of the great undertaking, and the many difficulties to be encountered and overcome to insure success :
Your committee would here mention that while they are doing all in their power to accomplish the purpose of their appointment, and while no true patriot can deny there should be in the year eighteen hundred and seventy-six a celebra- tion of the one hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and that the city of Philadelphia, within whose limits stand the sacred walls of Independence Hall, must be conceded is the place for such an anniversary to be held; yet, with all this, a great effort is being and will be made to have in the city of New York, in that year, an international exposition, and, if so, thus deprive this great republic of the true and proper means of celebrating its centennial anniversary at Philadelphia, the birth-place of her liberties and independence. We therefore, with confi- dence, ask the public-spirited people of the age, the states- men of the day and the powerful influence of the press, to aid in securing for the people of the United States, and the world at large, a proper celebration of our centennial anni- versary at the Mecca of American nationality.
In the following month of June, he was the escort of the Congressional Committee of Foreign Affairs and Manufac- turers to Philadelphia, which city they reached by special train from Washington, making the quickest trip on record (three hours and forty-two minutes). For several days, assisted by his committee on behalf of the city-whose guests, this large body of distinguished statesmen were-he gave a series of the most useful, practical, important and dignified receptions, by which the city had ever been honored. Congress subsequently passed the bill, by which the United States Centennial Commission was formally created, and the city of Philadelphia definitely and officially determined upon, by the nation, as the place wherein to hold the first centennial celebration of the Imperial Repub-
lic. This Act of Congress was approved by the President, March 3, 1871. From that period, and until March 4th, 1872 -- when the commission first assembled in Indepen- dence Hall, and he, in an able and appropriate address, pre- sented them to the mayor, by whom they were welcomed to the hospitalities of the city, and the furtherance of the grand enterprise was thus committed to the national control-by his able management and untiring patriotic zeal, the great results achieved were more than to any other due. He wrote hundreds upon hundreds of letters, promptly carrying on an enormous correspondence to stir up the enthusiasm of the people. He offered and passed the ordinance to restore Independence Hall to its proper condition, and also to establish the National Museum in the State House. He is one of the most active members of the special committee appointed by the mayor for its management, which has been so successful. He has made and received sugges- tions ; entertained numerous centennial delegations froni thie various States and cities; issued and signed the official formal invitation for the whole United States Centennial Commission to meet and organize; and with heart, head, and pocket, furthered the project in every possible manner, during the whole time, personally keeping a carefully arranged scrap history of all printed matter connected with the subject and its progress, forming several large volumes of the facts as they transpired, and being the most complete basis in existence of the first three years of the movement for the use of future historians. The work he has done to further this grandest project of the age, no one will ever know ; volume after volume could be filled, but this is not the time nor place to enter into the many interesting details connected with it; the careful perusal of the " Centennial History," when published, will give a shadow of what it was, and is. From its very inception he has been one of its ablest managers, and has seen the work grow and develop, until it thrills a continent, and arouses forty millions of people. On the 25th of May, 1872, he was elected by ac- clamation the Counsellor and Solicitor of the United States Centennial Commission ; upon the reorganization of the Commission on May 10th, 1873, he was unanimously re- elected. In that capacity, in addition to his various other public and professional duties, he is giving a large portion of his time, and the most earnest and effective attention to further the great project which he, from the very beginning of the enterprise, labored hard and unremittingly, both as a private citizen and as chairman of the Centennial Com- mittee of the City of Philadelphia, to make a success, and to his constant efforts in this behalf is due, in a great measure, that which is now attracting the notice of millions of our own citizens, as well as those of foreign lands. He has thus been largely instrumental in inaugurating an under- taking destined to ultimately seal the bonds of brotherhood throughout the land, and crown the principles of a republi- can form of government with a monument of success never before witnessed.
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ANCOCK, SAMUEL P., Lumber Merchant, Brick- maker, and Controller of the City of Philadelphia, was born in Gloucester county, New Jersey, about one mile south of Swedesboro, January 22d, 1814. ITis lineage is English, his ancestors having emigrated from Great Britain about 1726 ; one branch of the family settled at a town, now called Hancock, a few miles southeast of Salem, New Jersey ; an- other located in Massachusetts, from whom the celebrated John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, de- scended. Samuel P. Hancock is the son of Samuel and IIannah Hancock, afterwards of Burlington county, and was educated in and near Philadelphia, closing his studies at Clermont Academy, under Professor Griscom. After leaving school he engaged in the lumber business with Henry and John Stiles, on Coates street wharf on the De- laware river, and when he became of age took charge of a lumber yard at the northwest corner of Chestnut and Nineteenth streets, where, he continued until 1847. He then entered into business on his own account, at the foot of Market street, on the Schuylkill, which was then open to the river on the south side of the bridge. Here he re- mained until the property was sold to the Philadelphia Gas Works, when he became identified with the manufacture of bricks, his establishment being located on the Gray's Ferry Road, and adjoining the United States Arsenal. IIe subsequently added to his business another yard, located near Hestonville, on ground which he had purchased in 1851 ; and such was the quality of the manufactured article, and his manner of transacting his business, that every one who is acquainted with his career as a brickmaker bears testimony to his straightforward, unswerving honesty and integrity, and fidelity to the principles which had been in- stilled into him during his youthful days. His family and all his associates were members of the Society of Friends, and he had been educated in the liberal principles of the Hicksite branch. It is not strange therefore that he became imbued with that love of liberty which was and still 'continues to be a characteristic trait of that Society. Accordingly, he early identified himself with the old " Lib- erty Party," commonly termed Abolitionists ; and, from 1838 to 1843, was an earnest laborer in the cause. Having the welfare of the African race at heart, he occupied his winter evenings in teaching colored youth, in Clarkson Hall, Cherry street, above Sixth street. He is an earnest ad- vocate of the principles of Radical Republicanism, and of reform in all cases of systematic abuse of human rights. In 1863, he entered the office of City Controller, where he at once saw vast room for improvement. His positive ideas in favor of reform were fearlessly expressed, and upon their being put into practice a great change for the better in the routine of the office was at once effected. Being, at this time, a warm advocate of Republican principles, which had accepted the dogmas of the old Liberty Party, he was honored with the nomination by that party, in 1868,
to the office of City Controller, and was elected by the people in the fall of that year. The election being con- tested it was thrown into court, and after eighteen months had elapsed, and a vast amount of labor and argument had been given to the case, it was finally decided in his favor. He was now able fully to carry out all his views in ad- ministering the affairs of the office faithfully and for the welfare of the city. He looks forward hopefully and earn- estly for the time when every one in office, women as well as men, or occupying other influential positions, will feel their individual responsibility, and honor their places with a single eye to the public good, and to the welfare of future generations as well as to those of the present. He is tho- roughly in earnest in whatever he undertakes, energetic, hard-working, and diligent. ITis habits, like those of his sect, are temperate and regular; his manners unassuming. Ile is in the enjoyment of excellent health, and though he has passed over three score years of life, he yet appears only to have attained his prime. He is the occupant of a pleasant home in which he enjoys the fruits of a well spent life. He was married, February 22d, 1844, to Charlotte, daughter of Jonathan Gillingham, a successful iron merchant of Philadelphia.
ALDER, WILLIAM, Bank President, was born in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, July 3Ist, 1821. Ile is the son of William Calder. His educational advantages were very limited indeed, for at the early age of tweve years his father- who was the very Napoleon of stage-coach pro- prictors-inducted him into all the mysteries of the busi- ness, training him under his own eye, so that as he grew older and more experienced he might give him assistance, and eventually succeed him in his great undertaking. It was the era of stage-coach travelling, and prior to the rail- road and locomotive. IIis father ran two lines of stages to Pittsburg, on the Northern Route, also one to Buffalo, New York. IIe had also three lines to Philadelphia, two of these being by the way of Reading, and one via Down- ingtown; besides, he had canal lines to many points. He had over one thousand horses, distributed through the State, and very many coaches. In 1837, the State Railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia was completed, and he ran the first car through to Philadelphia. At this time he was six- teen years old, and to him his father entrusted the entire charge of the " Pioneer Packet Line " from Columbia to Pittsburg, this being by canal via Harrisburg and Dun- can's Island, and the Juniata river to Hollidaysburg, at which point the canal terminated on the eastern side of the mountains. The portage railroad with its ten inclined planes carried the traveller to Johnstown, where the western division of the Pennsylvania Canal with its line of packets awaited the passenger, so conveying him by water to Pitts- burg. In 1851, he succeeded to his father's business and
indexy L'ab Co Fal well hon.
Um Calder
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took sole charge of the same, and having by this time been thoroughly educated in the stage business was able to bring it up to a better standard than ever had been effected pre- viously. In 1857, he undertook a very hazardous enter- prise. The contractors of the Lebanon Valley Railroad became insolvent, and all work on the improvement was abandoned. He immediately entered into a contract with six hundred men to pay them on April Ist of that year their wages from the Ist of September previous. Without one cent of cash he completed the road, which brought people to the inauguration of Governor Packer. The men received every cent of the pay which was due to them. In 1858, he became one of the partners in the banking firm of Cameron, Calder, Eby & Co., of Harrisburg, which on the introduction of the National Bank system was changed to the First National Bank of Harrisburg, of which he be- came President ; he had previously served as Director of the old Harrisburg Bank for six years. In the same year he was elected one of the Directors of the Northern Cen-' tral Railroad Company, and was most prominent in the interest of his native State against Baltimore men in main- taining the supremacy and control of Pennsylvania in the' road. In this connection he was ably assisted by General Cameron and others associated with him. IIe has ever manifested much interest in railways, especially in the Pennsylvania Railroad; and he it was who recommended its present energetic and indefatigable first Vice-President, Colonel Thomas A. Scott, to the management of the Cor- poration-in fact, the progress and prosperity of this line and its many branches have been his life-study. In 1861, his father died, and he then assumed much greater respon- sibilities. At this period also the War of the Rebellion opened, during the course of which his abilities and ad -. mirable business qualifications were manifested in behalf of the Union cause and the Government. At the very commencement of the war, before the first battle of Bull Run was fought, and when Washington was in danger of being captured by the insurgent forces, horses were in great demand. From his great knowledge of these animals, his long career as a stage owner and the transportation of pas- sengers, he was looked to as the one most likely to afford aid to the Government in this emergency. Generals An- drew Porter, Fitz John Porter and Graham made a call or demand for four hundred animals to be furnished within three days. He responded, and at once turned over seventy- five head of fine stock from his own farms; and by the aid of the telegraph, and his wide acquaintance with the owners of good horse-flesh, he succeeded in placing the Govern- ment in possession of the requisite number within the time specified. The funds necessary to pay for the animals thus , purchased were obtained by him from the banking firm of which he was a partner, and at six per cent. interest. All that the Government was called upon to pay was the amount in gold (which he paid to the house and used currency ) for .
the stock so furnished. The insinuation which was made
during the war, that he had some partnership connection with Simon Cameron, can be pronounced utterly destitute of truth. The Senator's son, and he only, was benefited to the extent of his partnership share of the six per cent. interest on the first amount of $200,000 gold which the banking firm raised and advanced, until William Calder could recover from the Government the amount which was due to him ; and it may be further remarked, that owing to the " red tape " surroundings he was obliged to wait the pleasure of the Government for two whole months, when the amount then due aggregated $450,000. Nor was it only the knowledge he possessed as to the source whence the animals were to be obtained. The facility with which he was enabled to fill the orders was remarkable; and it should be particularly noticed, that his judgment and opinion regarding the fitness and soundness of each animal was equally reliable. Furthermore, he saved to the Govern- ment a large sum of money by himself naming the price at which they should be sold.' It is but human nature, after all, that takes advantage of the fact that when any article is in great demand there should be a corresponding increase in the price. When he assumed the responsibility of pur- chasing horses, etc., for the Government, the traders de- manded as high as $175 for each animal. He established the Government price at $125 for horses and $117.50 for mules, contenting- himself with a moderate commission, which. was chargeable to the owner of the stock. The ex- tent of his operations in this line during the war may be demonstrated when it is known. that he furnished 42,000 horses and 67,000 mules for the service, besides thousands of tons of hay. Ile was one of the originators and founders of the Harrisburg Car Works, in which his father had been interested. . By his care and ability, conjoined with T. W. Hildrup, the enterprise was successfully established. In 1863, he was one of the foremost in establishing the Lochich Rolling Mills, which continue in successful operation : among his associates was Simon Cameron. Another of his undertakings resulted in the re-organization of the Harrisburg Cotton Mills. This manufactory had been started on a small scale with a moderate capital, but for lack of more means and energy in its management was in a declining state. With the aid of a friend to the enterprise, he raised $300,000, which established the concern on a firm foundation, and since the period in which he has been interested in it it has thrived, giving employment to some 350 hands, and is even now carried on by himself and his associates, with the generous and charitable object of keep- ing this class of hands so employed. He was the main projector of the Harrisburg Foundry and Machine Works, which by his persistent efforts was developed to a success. Prior to the panie of 1873, no less than 1400 men were here employed, turning out fourteen 8-wheeled cars each day. In 1867, the Fire Brick Works were established, which owes much of its success to his financial assistance and general business advice. He has also taken part in locating
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and developing the Pennsylvania Steel Works at Baldwin. In addition to his Presidency of the bank previously noticed, he has been one of the Directors of the Central Insurance Company of Harrisburg. In politics, he first adhered to the fortunes of the Native American party, and then became a Whig. After the latter ceased to exist, he gave his whole heart to the Republican cause, though he has never sought office. He has, however, served in the City Council for one term. Ile, in conjunction with others, organized, in 1873, the Harrisburg Hospital; and principally through his de. termined efforts, the same is now in full operation. He is a Trustee of the Insane Asylum, and also of the Home for Friendless Children, both of which institutions owe much to his charity and labor. He is attached to the Methodist Church, and is a Trustee of the congregation worshipping. in the new edifice recently erected on State street. He was mainly instrumental in founding the same, and furnishing the funds wherewith to build it. He was married, in 1848, to Regina C. Greenewalt, of Harrisburg, whose family were, among the earliest settlers of that section. The name is a historical one in revolutionary annals. Of the six children resulting from this union, five are now living.
ATTS, HENRY M., Lawyer and »Statesman, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania," October roth, 1805. He is the second son of the late David Watts, an erudite scholar and profound lawyer. Under the tuition of his father, the son received an excellent classical education, and he subse- quently graduated from Dickinson College with the usual diploma. In 1827, he was admitted to the bar, and com- inenced practice in the city of Pittsburgh, receiving shortly thereafter the position of Deputy Attorney-General, which gave him prominence as a young gentleman of ability in the ranks of his profession, and introduced him rapidly into a general civil practice. Ilis success in the argument of causes in the Supreme Court of the State, and of the United States, in Washington, greatly extended his reputa- tion as a lawyer. In 1835, he was elected by the citizens of Pittsburgh and of Alleghany county, to represent them in the popular branch of the Legislature, and he continued to serve them in that capacity for three successive elections -from 1835 to 1838. This brief period was marked as an interesting and brilliant epoch in the history of Penn- sylvania. The Legislature was composed of extraordinary men, and the Acts of Assembly were of an extraordinary character. The great commoner, Thaddeus Stevens, was the leader of the popular side, and the Senate had several distinguished men. The measures were the inauguration of a system of canals and railways, extending from the western and northern parts of the State, to connect with the eastern and southern at tide water, so as to reach the com- mercial cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore. The former | more than one nomination sent in by the President : but
plan for the education of children, called the pauper, was so impolitic and offensive that it was changed by the intro- duction of the present common schools. The undigested laws of the State were codified and rendered more intelli- gible. The old Bank of the United States, whose charter had expired, and the renewal of which occasioned such an uproar in the nation, was re-chartered by Pennsylvania, and the enormous bonus paid into the treasury of the State, by the bank, was applied by the Legislature to the establish- ment of schools and internal improvements. Measures were also adopted which favored the gradual disapproba- tion and extirpation of slavery in the United States. In all these important measures, he took the affirmative and decided part, and for so doing was rewarded by the gene- rous support of his constituents, so that, notwithstanding the political party to which he belonged was overturned in his county in 1836, he alone was reelected, with three Demo- cratic associates. Declining further honors, he married, in 1838, the second daughter of Dr. Peter Shoenberger, and re- moved to Philadelphia. After a two years' residence, he was appointed, by President Tyler, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1856, he relinquished the practice of his profession, and, with his family, embarked for Europe, and for two years resided in Paris, superintend- ing the education of his children. He returned to the United States in 1858, and in 1861, on the outbreak of the Rebellion, his two eldest sons, Henry and Ethelbert, though still in their minority, volunteered their services as privates to aid in its suppression. During the war of the Rebellion, it would have been unnatural for him-descended as he is from patriots of the Revolution, both on the paternal and maternal side-to have pursued any other course than that of unfaltering devotion to the Union. Ile was an original member of the Union Club, an association of a few gentle- men only, who were organized to preserve and protect the Union from the dangerous and insidious assaults made upon it by some of the leaders in fashionable life. Out of this coterie originated the more numerous and useful Union League, which exercised so powerful an influence during the war. He liberally contributed to the funds raised for recruiting and hospital purposes, and was earnest in sustain- ing the policy of the President and Congress, regardless of scruples about the constitutionality of the means adopted to save the life of the nation. In 1864, he again visited Europe, with some of his younger children, for educational advantages; and, after a sojourn of nearly two years, re- turned again to the United States. In 1868, he was unex- pectedly honored by appointment as the United States Minister to Austria. This nomination by President John- son was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. During the administration of President Johnson, the relations of the Executive with the Congress were not harmonious, and when vacancies occurred in both the missions to Berlin and Vienna, the dominant party in the Senate rejected
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