The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 28

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894

USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2 > Part 28

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LLIS, COLONEL RICHARD, Builder, Soldier, and Clerk of the Orphans' Court of Philadelphia, was born Friday, July 28th, IS19, in Philadel- phia, of Irish parentage. His father, George Ellis, was well known in that city as a brewer, being one of the firm of Rudman & Ellis, and having mitigated to this comitey in 1816. Richit. r .. ceived an excellent education both in the common and private schools of the city, having been a student under William Collom, in Commissioners' Hall, Northern Liber- ties, George Ilipple, in Brook street, and afterwards under the preceptorship of the father of HIon. William B. Mann, District Attorney of Philadelphia. He was early appren- | porter of the Republican party. He was a member of the

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Convention which, at Baltimore in 1844, nominated Ilenry Clay for the Presidency, and a delegate in the con- ventions in Chicago in 1860 and in 1868, which nominated respectively Lincoln and Grant. In the local and State councils of his party he has frequently been conspicuous, and has always been regarded as one of those workers to whom its success was mainly due. In manners he is cx- ccedingly affable, and in the prosecution of all the varied duties which he has been elected to perform, he has exer- cised a carefully trained and discreet mind, and an unusual degree of industry and tact.

CHIRIVER EDMUND, Brevet-Major-General United States Army, was born in York county, Pennsylvania, September 16th, 1812; received a thorough education at the Mount Airy Military and Classical Lyceum, under the charge of Colonel Rumford, and entered the United States Military Academy July Ist, 1829. He continued his military studies, and graduating July Ist, 1833, was immediately promoted to Brevet Second Lieutenant of the 2nd Artillery, serving in garrison in Tennessee and in the Creek Nation, Alabama, until March ISth, 1834, when he received the appointment of Assistant Instructor of Infantry Tactics at the Military Academy, and was commissione I also as Second Lieutenant of the 2nd Artillery. He remained at the Academy nntil relieved, July 23d, 1835, and on the 25th was assigned to duty in the Adjutant-General's office in Washington. Dur- ing this service he was promoted to the position of First Lieutenant 2nd Artillery, November Ist, 1836, and on July 7th, 1838, to Captain of Staff of Assistant Adjutant-General. He continued in this capacity in Washington until Septem- ber Ist, IS41, save during the time of his gallant services in the Florida war in 1839; he was then assigned to duty at the Headquarters of the Eastern Department, and while there was commissioned, August 17th, 1842, Captain of the 2nd Artillery, retaining that position until his resigna- tion, July 31st, 1346. In 1847, he was elected Treasurer of the Saratoga & Washington Railroad Company, as well as of the Saratoga & Schenectady, and Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad Companies. Of the last named he was elected President in 1851, and severing his connection with the Saratoga & Washington line in 1852, devoted himself with untiring industry to the improvement of the last two roads, until the outbreak of the war in IS61, when he be- came Colonel of Staff and Aide-de-Camp to Governor Mor- gan of New York, with whom he served from April to July 14th, assisting in the organization of the first thirty-eight regiments of New York Volunteers. Commissioned Lieu- tenant-Colonel, May 14th, 1861, he recruited the 11th United States Infantry ; from July ISth to October 14th same year, was stationed at Fort Independence, Massachu- setts, and from October 16th to March 15th, 1862, at Perry- Theres.

ville, Maryland, then a great depot of supplies, having here the command of two regiments. With these two, and two others just assigned him, he marched to Fairfax Court House, where he joined the Army of the Potomac. Became Chief of Staff, and on 'May 18th, 1862, Colonel of Staff of Ist Army Corps, General MeDowell commanding. He was with the advance army in Virginia, participating in the Shenandoah Campaign (June and July, 1862), North Vir- ginia Campaign (August and September, 1862), in the battles at Cedar Mountain, passage of the Rappahannock, Manassas and Chantilly, behaving in all these with great bravery and daring. He was then summoned to attend a Court of Inquiry at Washington, and upon its adjournment, was appointed, in response to the application of General llooker, Acting Inspector-General of the Army of the Po- tomac, and was, in the March following, commissioned as Inspector-General, United States Army, continuing in that capacity with the Army of the Potomac until March, 1865, having been engaged in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburgh. In partial recognition of his gallant services, Major-General Meade made him the bearer to the War Department of the thirty-one battle-flags and other trophies of victory which were captured at Gettysburg. He took a conspicuous part in the pursuit of the Confederate army through Virginia, ending at Mine Run, November 30th, IS63, and served in the Richmond Campaign, which cov- ered the operations from the Rapidan to Petersburg. Ile was brevetted Brigadier-General United States Army, August Ist, 1864, " for faithful and meritorious services in the field," and on March 13th, 1865, " for meritorious and distinguished services during the Rebellion," was made Brevet Major-General United States Army. From March 22d to June 23d, 1865, he was ordered by the Secretary of War to special duty ; from June 28th, to August 23d, and from October 7th to November 30th of the same year, made an inspection of the Quartermaster Departments. Decem- ber Ioth, 1: 65, took charge of the Inspection Bureau, and was at the same time re-assigned by the Secretary of War to special duty. July 30th, 1866, was appointed Inspector of the United States Military Academy, but in April, 1871, was relieved of that duty and the responsibility of the Inspection Bureau, Since that time he has employed himself solely with the functions of his office as Inspector-General of the Army under the immediate orders of the War Secretary.

ALVIN, IION. SAMUEL, Lawyer, was born July 30th, 1811, in Washington, Montour county, Pennsylvania, his parents being Matthew Calvin and Mary Ilutchinson. Upon his father's side he is descended from a venerable family, which numbered many representative men, and was brought up in the Presbyterian faith, to which he still ad- Ilis primary education was very carefully conducted,

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and upon being sent to the Milton Academy, he became the | United States. They settled in Philadelphia, where they classmate of Governor Curtin, and in his company prose- cuted his studies with meritorious zeal. By a sudden and unexpected misfortune his father was deprived of his prop. erty, and he was early thrown upon his own resources. This domestie affliction occurred while he was in his seventeenth year, and before the completion of his academic course. Hle had, however, applied himself with so much devotion and success to his books, that at that time he was capable of teaching. This labor he at once assumed, giving entire satisfaction to the many families who placed their children in his charge. Subsequently he was intrusted with the charge of Huntingdon Academy, applying all his leisure time to the study of law. Among the pupils placed under his instruction were Judge Porter, George and Titian Coffey, and a number of others who have since earned the highest distinction in the judicial and mercantile capacity. In 1836, he was admitted to the Bar, rising rapidly in his profession and in public estimation. By careful and persistent reading and long-matured habits of meditation, he obtained a pro- found knowledge of the law. Ilis arguments were models of concise and logical reasoning, and invariably attracted attention. In IS4S, he was elected to Congress, serving one term, and declining a re-nomination, which was urged upon him, preferring to continue in the practice of a profes- sion for which he had not only a love hut a natural aptitude. Ile occupied many offices of local responsibility; and was selected to fill the vacancy in the Constitutional Convention of 1872-3 caused by the death of Ilon. Hugh Macalester. In this Convention, his suggestions, which were the prompt- ings of an extensive experience, had great weight in the disposition of the many questions relative to the then-exist- ing judiciary. Ile has always taken a lively interest in all matters of local and State improvement, and has contributed largely in means and self-application in their furtherance. Ile married Rebecca Smith Blodgett, and has two chiklren, a son and a daughter. Ilis present residence is Hollidays- burgh, Pennsylvania, where his enterprise and influence are very sensibly appreciated.

continued to reside until their death, and in that city Rich- ardson L. Wright received his education. His early man- hood was devoted to mechanical and mercantile pursuits. In the year 1851 he retired from business and removed to Frankford. In IS52, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives, taking his seat in that body in January, IS53. Ile was re-elected in 1853 and 1854, though but a portion of the ticket on which he ran was suc- cessful, and at the commencement of the session of 1855 he was the candidate of his party for the Speakership. In the same year he was elected to the House for a fourth term, and at the organization of that body in January, 1856, he became the unanimous choice of his friends for the office of Speaker, to which distinguished position he was duly elected. It may be noted that he was the third Speaker of the House from the county of Philadelphia in a period of sixty-six years. In the autumn of 1856 he received the nomination for the office of Senator, and was elected by an unusually large majority. During three years' service in the Senate he was a member of the Committee on Finance and Chairman of the Committee on Corporations. On re- tiring from the Senate in 1859, he was nominated by the State Convention for the office of Auditor General hy nearly a two-thirds vote on the first and only ballot. Though run- ning far above his ticket, the dissensions and divisions of his party on National issues prevented a successful result. In March, 1867, on the recommendation of Senator Bucka- lew, he was appointed United States Assessor for the Fifth District of Pennsylvania by President Johnson, and con- firmed by the Senate. During his career in this branch of the public service he received the commendations of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the faithful discharge of the delicate and im- portant duties pertaining to his office. In 1872, his friends appealed to him to become a candidate.for the House once more, and in their letter urging his acceptance of the nomi- nation used the following language : " Distinguished service in the House of Representatives and Senate in former years, and your unblemished deportment in public and private life, fit you in an eminent degree for the post of standard- bearer in our district at this time. 'In view of the general disposition to have reform introduced into our State, when we set up candidates around whom public confidence can gather, we are entitled to appeal to men of all parties and shades of opinion to go with us, and to establish a new de- parture which shall be one of purity, energy, faithfulness, integrity, and justice in government.'" In reply, he wrote : " I accept your goodwill offering, and thank you for the de- sire expressed to aid in conferring on me additional honors ; and while I cordially endorse the sentiments so clearly ex- pressed by Senator Buckalew, as quoted at the close of your leiter, I have no new promise to make or pledge to give you. In the event of my nomination and election, the

RIGHIT, RICHARDSON L., Speaker of the Ilouse of Representatives, and Senator, was horn in the Province of Ulster, Ireland, on August 30th, 1820. On the side of hisfather, Robert Erskine Wright, he is connected with the families of Wright, Erskine, and Irwin, of Tyrone, and on that of his mother, Mary Richardson Little, with those of Little, Richardson, and Armstrong, of Armagh and Fer- managh. Ilis ancestors on both sides were of the stock known as Scotch-Irish, the descendants of which race form so large a proportion of the people of Pennsylvania. 1lis parents emigrated in the first place to St. John, New Bruns. wick, and finally, when he was nine years old, to the | record of the past must serve as a guide to my future con-

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duct. The Journals of the House of Representatives and Senate during a period of seven years' service in those bodies clearly indicate my opinions and line of conduct on all measures affecting the rights, interests, and welfare of the people." In an address to the Convention after his nomination, he said : " Next to a conscience void of offence before God, the confidence and respect of our families, friends and neighbors are results most worthy to be highly prized. The man who cannot command the confidence and respect of those who are near him, and witness his daily walk and practice, is not worthy of the public support for any office." In conclusion he thanked the Convention for the honor conferred, and in the event of his clection hoped to merit a continuance of their regard and favor by active and unwearied attention to public duty. These sen- timents and expressions indicate the character of the man. In December of that year he was appointed a member of the Board of Public Education of the First School District of Pennsylvania by the Court of Common Pleas, and in Janu- ary following took his seat in that body. IIc entered, in 1854, upon the study of the law under Chief Justice Read, but never practised his profession owing to his continuous public service. Ile married, in 1846, Eleanor Elizabeth, daughter of George S. Roberts, of the Northern Liberties. Trained among the friends and supporters of Presidents Jackson and Van Buren, he is by education a Democrat, to which organization he has adhered, serving as a representa- tive of its doctrines and principles. In his legislative carcer he exhibited force and ability as a debater, and having posi- tive opinions on all publie questions, he acquired the posi- tion of a leader, and exercised great influence in and beyond his party. In all his relations public and private, he is a striking example of integrity and strict adherence to prin- ciple.

OFFEY, GEORGE ALEXANDER, Lawyer, was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, December 20th, 1820, being the son of Dr. James Coffey, a leading physician of the central district of the State. Ile was educated at Dickinson College, and graduated at the head of his class in 1841, having won great distinction for his rare intellectual powers. This class, which was one of marked ability, has produced a number of men who have become distinguished in scien- tific and commercial pur uits. Especially was he noted for his brilliant powers as a speaker, and this led him for a time to prepare himself for the ministry. Eventually he adopted the law as his profession, being admitted to prac- tice in Blair county, Pennsylvania, in 1850, and shortly after that admission, so rapidly did he gain in public esteem, he was appointed Deputy Attorney General for that county. During his incumbency of this office, the work of construct- ing the Pennsylvania Railroad was in progress in that sec- tion, and it became his duty to conduct the prosecution of a

series of trials for murder committed along the route of this then new and novel highway, and in fulfilling this grave responsibilty, he gained an enviable reputation as a criminal lawyer. In 1855, he removed to Philadelphia, where he engaged in the practice of his profession, and rose rapidly to distinction. In 1861, he was appointed United States District Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, by President Lincoln, and his elevation met with the almost unanimous approval of the Bench and Bar of that city. Ile held that responsible post until the time of his premature death, which occurred February 20th, 1864, an event has- tened by the excessive labors in the United States Court, naturally accruing from the civil war. He was an early abolitionist, and, from 1856 until the election of President Lincoln, continued with his eloquent voice and his trench- ant arguments to war upon the barbarisms of slavery, and to awaken a popular sentiment against it, one of the results of which was the organization and subsequent triumphs of the Republican Party. He was a delegate from Phila- delphia to the Chicago Convention in ISco, which nomi- nated Mr. Lincoln, and in the stirring campaign which followed in Pennsylvania, his voice was heard in every sec- tion. As an orator he scarcely had an equal, and his ser- vices in this respect were frequently solicited. Upon two occasions he delivered orations to the college societies of his alma mater.

OGERS, HENRY C., Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue, was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, May 27th, 1826. The loss of his mother at a very early age caused the breaking up of his family, when he was taken by an uncle, who cared for him for four years. Ilis protector being then killed by the bursting of a cannon, the lad was again homeless. Up to this time and until he was fourteen years old, he had but few advantages for gaining an educa- tion, and those only such as the country schools of that day afforded. Without home or friends, his battle of life com- menced carly. Bravely he accepted any employment that offered, beginning with merchandizing, subsequently run- ning a blast furnace, and then assisting in building canals, until in 1855, when he was appointed by the Sunbury & Erie (now Erie & Philadelphia) Railroad as agent to pro- cure the right of way for their road through the counties of Erie, Warren, Mckean and Elk. In this, as in everything else he undertook, he displayed fine tact and good judg- ment, and won the commendation of those who employed him. In September, 1862, upon the organization of the Internal Revenue Sy-tem, he was appointed Deputy Col- lector by J. W. Douglass, then Collector of Internal Reve- nue for the Igth District of Pennsylvania, and filled the duties of that office very acceptably until the following winter, when he was appointed Assistant Quartermaster of United States Volunteers, and was placed in charge of the

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" Clothing, Camp, and Garrison Equipage Depot " for the Department of the Susquehanna, at Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania. For ten months he did duty in that capacity, when ordered to the front, and assigned to the Cavalry Corps under Sheridan, he did good service. In July, 1864, in consequence of sickness in his family he was compelled to resign ; and, on returning home, again entered the Revenue Bureau, as Deputy Collector. In 1869, Collector Douglass resigned, and his deputy was nominated and appointed in his place, holding the office for two years, until November, IS71. He was then appointed Second Deputy Commis- sioner of Internal Revenue, and in February, 1874, was made First Deputy Commissioner, which position he now holds. He has done good service in this office, and is certainly entitled to the gratitude of the nation for some valuable reforms. It was he who prepared and secured the adoption by the Internal Revenue Bureau of the draft of the Act of Congress, of December 24th, 1872, which abolished the offices of Assessor and Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue, and provided for the payment of licenses and special taxes by stamps. The results obtained by the passage of this act have been an annual reduction of ex- penditures of over a million and a half, and an actual in- erense of the annual receipts from these sources without increase of taxation. IIe is one of the most capable of government officers, is possessed of fine executive ability, is quick of decision, and to a high degree conscientious in the performance of his duties. Ile was married, in 1852, to a lady who lived but three years thereafter. Ile took a second wife in 1857.

OFFEY, TITIAN J., Lawyer, brother of George Alexander Coffey, was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, December 5th, 1824. Receiving a thorough academic education, he commenced 6 the study of law with Hon. Edward Bates, sub- sequently Attorney-General of the United States, at St. Louis. Being admitted to the bar, in January, 1846, he returned to Pennsylvania, and began practice in Ilolli- daysburg. In the spring of 1848, he removed to Indiana, Pennsylvania, where he formed a partnership with a dis- tinguished jurist, Hon. Thomas White. During the suc- ceeding twelve years, he practised his profession regularly in the counties of Indiana, Armstrong, Jefferson, and Cam- bria; occasionally going to remoter portions of the State in response to calls for his services. During that period he entered earnestly the political arena, becoming repeatedly a delegate to the Whig State Conventions, and a member of the Whig State Central Committee. He was at all times an earnest and effective advocate of the principles of his party. lle was one of the organizers of the Repub- lican party, in Western Pennsylvania, having been one of the sixty bolters from the National Convention which

nominated Fillmore for the Presidency, in 1855. Entering actively into the campaign of 1856, he was nominated and elected, in that year, to the State Senate for three years. While a member of this body, he introduced and secured the passage of the law organizing the Normal School sys- tem of Pennsylvania, having early taken a great interest in the improvement of the standard of popular education in that State. He was the first to introduce and to advo- cate the law, which has since been enacted, authorizing parties to testify in their own defence. Having declined a re-election to the State Senate, he removed, in 1860, to Pittsburgh, and was one of the delegates elected by the Republican party, that year, to the Chicago Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency. In March, 1861, he was appointed Assistant Attorney- General of the United States, retaining that position until 1864, when he resigned. During the three years succeeding, his services were frequently secured by the Government in the prosecution of important cases, especially in the United States Supreme Court. In this high tribunal, he won his greatest distinction as a man profoundly learned in the law, and as a reasoner, clear, logical, and eloquent. It was his duty to conduct the prosecution of some of the most im- portant prize cases growing out of the Rebellion, and he acquitted himself with uniform success. During his tenure of office as Assistant Attorney-General, he wrote the first official opinion, upon which the Government based its recog- nition of the right of colored officers and troops to equal rank and pay with the volunteer organizations of the Army. In the spring of 1869, he was appointed Secretary of Legation to the Court of St. Petersburg, and accom- panied Governor Curtin on his mission thereto. He re- signed in 1870, but continued to reside in Europe until 1873. Although still a resident of Pennsylvania, he prac- tises his profession in Washington, District of Columbia. Ile married Mary, daughter of the late Andrew L. Kerr, of Pittsburgh, on February 14th, 1855.

ANGEWER, ALLEN MATTER, Chief Clerk Third Auditor's Office, Treasury Department, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, June 27th, 1818. ITis paternal grandfather, Andrew Gan- gewer, was a soldier of the Revolution, for which service he was granted a pension. Ile lived for many years at Allentown, where he died at the age of ninety-six. His youngest son, George, was a prin- ter, and published a German newspaper in Carlisle, where he married, in 1817. He died in 1819, at the early age of twenty-six. Allen's maternal ancestors were Germans, having emigrated from the neighborhood of Alsace. Ile was educated at a private school kept by Gad Day, in the old College building, which was first used by the students of Dickinson College, before the present spacious buildings

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werc crected for their use. About IS31, he was sent to the office of the American Volunteer newspaper, then printed by J. & Wm. B. Underwood, to learn the art and mystery of printing. He continued with them until 1838, when he removed to New Bloomfield, Perry county, where he published the Perry Forrester newspaper. In 1840, he removed to Berwick, Pennsylvania, where he became part- ner in the publication of the Berwick Sentinel. He was married, in Berwick, April 5th, 1842, to Anna Maria, eldest daughter of Hon. Jesse C. Horton, of Northumber- land county, who was afterwards a member of the Penn- sylvania House of Representatives, and subsequently of the Pennsylvania Senate. In 1844, he was appointed Collector of Canal Tolls, at Berwick, and in 1846, to a Clerkship in the Third Auditor's Office, at Washington, District of Columbia. When he first eame to Washington, James K. Polk was President, James Buchanan Secretary of State, and R. J. Walker Secretary of Treasury. At the time the War with Mexico was in progress, and at its close, an exciting discussion arose as to the exclusion of slavery from the territory acquired from Mexico. In the House of Representatives, in 1846, David Wilmot, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, introduced what was called the " Wilmot Proviso," by which slavery was to be ex- cluded from any territory acquired from Mexico; it passed the House with great unanimity, but the Senate adjourned without coming to a vote on it. Mr. Buchanan's celebrated Berks county Harvest Home Letter, in 1847, changed the question at issue, so that the " Wilmot Proviso," when again proposed in the House, ceased to be a practical question, and was but little heard of afterwards. Mr. Gangewer was warmly in favor of the " proviso," but the prevailing feeling in the Departments in Washington was against it, and, in the fall of 1848, he was removed. In the winter of r$54, he removed to Columbus, Ohio, and took charge of The Columbian, an Anti-Slavery weekly journal, which he published for several years, when it was united with the Ohio State Journal, a daily and weekly newspaper. This paper was sold to Henry D. Cooke, afterwards a member of the firm of Jay Cooke & Co., also Governor of the District of Columbia. In IS55, IIon. S. P. Chase was elected Governor of Ohio, and a Republican Legislature was also chosen. Governor Chase was re- elected in 1857, and Mr. Gangewer was appointed his private Secretary. After this came the election of Mr. Lincoln as President, in 1860, the appointment of Gover- nor Chase as Secretary of the Treasury, an'l the re-ap- pointment of Mr. Gangewer as a Clerk in the Third Auditor's Office. In November, 1863, lie was pro- moted to the Chief Clerkship in Third Auditor's Office, which position he has since held; besides, that of Acting Auditor, on the several occasions, when vacancies have occurred, by the removal or resignation of several in- cumbents of the office. He is a gentleman of large and varied ability, and has proved himself a valuable official.

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The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 28

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 894

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894