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Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens,
TOGETHER WITH BIOGRAPHIES AND PORTRAITS OF ALL THE
® Presidents of the I5nited states.®
CinCAGO: 1893.
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UlE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most brilliant writers of the present century-, has said: "The history of a countrj- is best told in a record of the lives of Its people." In conformity with this idea the Portrait and Biographical Record ^f ^\^\^ county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their enterprise and industiy, brought the county to rank second to none among those comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli- gent public. In this volume will be found a record of manj^ whose lives are worth3^ the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited
/— viiei^H I - advantaijes for securinsr an education, have become learned men and women, with an V l,'^. )V^i influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower wallis of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of manj', very many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pui-sued "the even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — '"they have done what they could." It tells how that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after.
Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred tre.isure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and everj' opportunity possible jiven to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them- elves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph eal sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given.
The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business.
December, 18U2. CHAPMAN BROS.
192864
FIRST PRESIDENT.
ft
HE Father of our Country was born in Westmorland Co., Va., jy Feb. 22, 1732. His parents ^ were Augustine and Mary = (Ball) Washington. The family to which he belonged has not been satisfactorily traced in England. His great-grand- father, John Washington, em- igrated to Virginia about 1657, and became a prosperous planter. He had two sons, Lawrence and John. The lormer married Mildred Warner and had three -children, John, .Augustine and Mildred. Augus- tine, the father of George, first married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, two of whom, Lawrence and Augustine, reached maturity. Of si.x children by his second marriage, George was the eldest, the others being Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and Mildred. Augustine Washington, the father of George, died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, and to George he left the parental residence. George received only such education as the neighborhood scliools afforded, save for a short time after he left scliool, when he received private instruction in mathematics, H.s spellini" v/as rather defective.
Remarkable stories are told of his great physica: strength and development at an early age. He war. an acknowledged leader among his companions, and was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- ness and veracity which characterized his whole life.
When George was 14 years old he had a desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, but through the opposition of his mother the idea was abandoned. Two years later he was appointed surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business he spent three years in a rough frontier life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very essential to him. In 1751, though only 19 years of age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for active service against the French and Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there to restore his health They soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter who did not long survive him. On her demise tlie estate of Mount Vernon was given to George.
Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieuten- ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed was between 500 and 600 rniles. Winter was at hand, and the journey was to be made without military escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
irip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near losing his lite, yet he returned in safety and furnished a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment of 300 men was raiaed in Vu-ginia and put in com- mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was then begun against the French and Indians, in which Washington took a most important part. In the memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddotfk were disabled early in the action, and Washington alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped unhurt, thougli death was levelin" my companions on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit him.
After having been five years in the military service, and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 10 resign his commission. Soon after he entered the Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an active and important part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John Parke Custis.
When the British Parliament had closed the port -jf Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all " It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- delphia, Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash- ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- cord and Le.xington had been fought. Among the first acts of tliis Congress was the election of a com- mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and responsible office was conferred upon Washington, who was still a memberof the Congress. He accepted it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he receive no salary. He would keep an exact account of expenses and expect Congress 10 pay them and nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the fortunes and liberties of the people of this country were so long confided. The war was conducted by him under ever\ possible disadvantage, and while his forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion .ind matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest niti-in of earth. On Dec. 23, 1783, Washington, in a piiii^ig address of surpassing beatity, resigned his
commission as commander-in-chref of the army vo to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all connection with public lite.
In February, 1789, Washington was unanimously elected President. In his presidential career he was subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a riew government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part of other governments; trials from want of harmony between the different sections of our own country; trials from the impoverished condition of the country, owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His clear judg.nent could discern the golden mean; and while perhaps this alone kept our government from sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and very annoying.
At the expiration of his first term he was unani- mously re-elected. At the end of this temi many were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there his few remaining yeais free from the annoyances of public life. Later in the year, however, his repose seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to take command of the armies. He chose his sub- ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- ters in the field, which he superinter.ded from his home. In accepting the command he made the reservation that he was not to be in the field until it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations his life was suddenly cut off. December i 2, he took a seveie cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling in h's throat, produced inflammation, and terminated fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- teenth his body was borne wi'h military honors to its final resting place, and interred in the family vault at Mount Vernon.
Of the character of Washington it is impossible to speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- miration. The more we see of the operations of our government, and the more deeply we feel the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- ent and character,-which have be^ n alile to challenge the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will be as lasting as the existence of man.
The iserson of Washington was unusally tan, erect and well proportioned. His muscular strength was great. His features were of a beautiful symmetrv. He commanded respect without any appearance oi haughtiness, and ever serious withon' V^in^; duU.
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SECOND PRESIDENT.
OHM ADAMS, the second President and the first Vice- President of the United States, was born in Braintree ( now •'5. Quincy ),Mass., and about ten •^ miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 735. His great-grandfather, Henry Adams, emigrated from England about 1 640, with a family of eight ^ sons, and settled at Braintree. The parents of John were John and Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His father was a farmer of limited means, to which he added the bus- iness of shoemaking. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical educa- tion at Harvard College. John graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 'school of affliction," from which he endeavored to gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the study of law. For this purix)se he placed himself under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He had thought seriously of the clerical profession but seems to have been turned from this by what he termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- jils, cf diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,'' of the operations of which he had been a witness in his native town. He was well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of siieech, and having quick percep- tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his marriage, (i7''5), -^le attempt of Parliamentary taxa- tion turned him fnni law to politics. He took initial Steps toward hold'-., n town meeting, and the resolu-
tions he offered on the subject became very jwpulai throughout the Province, and were adopted word foi word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous and prominent advocatesof the popular' cause, and was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- lislature) in 1770.
Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himselt by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- vocated tlie movement for inde\)er.dence against tb-; majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies should assume the duties of self-govemment. He> wus a prominent member of the committee of iive appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but on .Adams devolved the task of battling it through Congress in a ttiree days debate.
On the day after the Declaration of Independence was passed, while his soul was yet warm with th! glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife which, as we read :t now, seems to have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question was decided that ever was debated in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or wil be decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, ' that these United States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- jiendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary? festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day o' deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almieh"- God. It ought to be solemnized \vith pomp, sho-^
JOHN ADAMS.
games, Sjx)rts, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations lioLn one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward for ever. Vou will think me transiwrted with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can seethe rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is wjrth more than all the means; and that posterity will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I ho[)e we shall not."
In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a deilegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money from the French Government. This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 1779. In Septeniber of the same year he vi^as again cliosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet might be found willing to listen to such ptoposels. He sailed for France in November, from there he went to H illand, where he negotiated imi)ortaut loans and formed important commercial treaties
Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed Jan. 21, 17S3. 'i'he re-action from the excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he was advised to goto England to drink the waters of Bath. While in England, still drooping anddespond- ing, he received dispatches from his own government urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip.
February 24, 1785; Congress appointed Mr. Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face to face the King of England, who had so long re- garded him as a traitor. As England did not condescend to appoint a minister to the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- plishing but little, he sought permission to return to .lis own country, where he arrived in June, 1788.
When Washington was first chosen President, John .•\dams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at home and aliroad, was chosen Vice President. .Again at the second election of Washington as President, Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President,though not without much opposition. S.;rving in this office four years,he was succeeded by ■^Tr. Jefferson, his oppcment in politics.
'. 'hile Mr. Adams was Vice President the great
French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, and it was upon this point which he was atissujwiili the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French peojile in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the classof atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. On tlie other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly enlisted in behalf of the French peojile. Hence or- iginated the alienation between these distinguished men, and two powerful parties were thus soon orgar.- ijed, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies were with England and Jefferson led the other in sympathy with France.
The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling had died away, and he had begun to receive that just api)reciat:on which, to most men, is not accorded till after death. No one could look upon his venerable form, and think of what he had done and suffered, and how he had given up all the prime and streni,th of his life to the public good, without the deepest emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar good fortune to witness the complete success of the institution which he had been so active in creating and supporting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest station in the gift of the people.
The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the signers of that immortal instrument left upon the earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is well known, on that day two of these finished theu earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkalile as to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning of the fourth he found hmiself too weak to rise from his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- DEPtiNDENCE FOREVER." When the day was ushered in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, he was asked by one of his ; ttendants if he knew what day it was? He replied, "O yes ; it is the glor- ious fourth of July — God bless it — Clod bless you all.'' In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and glorious day." The last words he uttered were, "Jefferson survives." But he had, at ore o'clock, re- signed his spirit into the hands of his God.
The personal appearance and manners of Mr Adams were not particularly pIeposses^in^. His face, as his portrait manifests.was intellectual ard expires sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and \\-\ manners were frequently abrupt and unronrteous He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked the manners and address of Tefiferson,
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THIRD PRESIDENT.
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HdMAS JEFFERSON was born April 2, 1743, at Shad- well, Albermarle county, Va. His parents were Peter and Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson, the Ibraier a native of Wales, and the latter born in Lon- don. To them were born six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas was the elder. When 14 years of age his fatiier died. He received a most liberal education, hav- ing been kept diligently at scliool from the time he was Ave years of age. In 1760 he entered William f.nd Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion a. id splendor. V'oimg Jefferson, who was then 17 years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- able in his morals. It is strange, however, under such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec- ond year of his college course, moved by some un- explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen nouvs a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex- ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out of the city and back again. He thus attained very high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; anvl
I there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virgir.ia, a ! more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. Immediately upon leaving college he began the study of law. For the short lime he continued in the practice of his jirofession he rose rapidly and distin- guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a lawyer. But the times called for greater action. The policy of England had awakened the spirit of resistance of the .American Colonies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses In 1772 he married Mrs. .Martha Skelton, a very beauti- ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, th-re was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new home; and here he reared a mansion of modest ye' elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon became the most distinguished resort in our land.
In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, where, though a silent member, his abilities as a writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he was placed uix)n a number of important committees, and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 1776 What must have been the feelings of that
THOMAS JEFFERSON.
man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — who was charged with 'he preparation of that Dec- laration, wliich, while it made known the wrongs of America, .vas also to publish her to the world, free, soverign and independent. It is one of the most re- markable i)apers ever written ; and did no other effort of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be sufficient to stamp his name with immortality.
In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to Patrick Henry, ;.s Governor of Virginia. At one time the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to Moniicelio, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never very good, was much injured by this e.<citement, and in the summer of 1782 she died.
Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. Two yens later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- tentiary to France. Returning to the United States in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned Jan. I, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- dent, and four years later was elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, and George Clinton, Vice President.
The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con- spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a military expedition into the Spanish territories on our southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there a new republic. This has been generally supposed was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been generally known what his real plans were, there is no doubt that they were of a far more dangerous character.
In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined to retire from political life. For a period of nearly lorty years, he had been continually before the pub- lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- voted the best part of his life to the service of his country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his declining years required, and upon the organization of the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello.
Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole families came in their coaches with their horses, — fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and nurses, — and remained three and even six months. Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a fashionable watering-place.
The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver-
sary of the Declaration of American Independence, great preparations were made in every part of the Union for its celebration, as tlie nation's jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer. and one of the fetv surviving signers of the Declara- tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and had been continually increasing, compelled him to decline the invitation.
On the second of July, the disease under which he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced state that his medical attendants, entertained nc hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the ne.\» day, which was Monday, he asked of those around him, the day of the month, and on being told it was the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish tha; he might be permitted to breathe tfe airof the filtietl' anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble life! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - the day which his own name and his own act had rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, was all that was wanting to fill up ihe record his life,
Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- dred siiirit of the venerable Ad;.ms, as if to bear him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and animated their desponding countrymen; for half a century they had labored together for the good of the country; and now hand in hand they depart. In their lives they had been united in the same great cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not divided.
In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes were light, his hair originally red, in after life became white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore head broad, and his whole coui'»enance intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great fortitr,de of mind as well as personal courage ; and }.is command of tem- per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends never recollected to have seen him in a passion. His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and his language was remarkably pure and correct. He was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is discernable the care with which he formed his style upon the best models of antiquity.
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FOURTH PRFSIDENT.
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AMES MADISON, "Father of the Constitution," and fourth _," President of the United States, ^ was born March i6, 1757, and ;b died at his home in Virginia, ■^^^ June 28, 1836. The name of James Madison is inseparably con- nected with most of the important events in that lieroic period of our country during which the founda- tions of this great republic were laid. He was the last of the founders of the Constitution of the United States to be called to his eternal reward.
The Madison family were among the early emigrants to the New World, landing ujxjn the shores of the Chesa- ])eake but 15 years after the settle- ment of Jamestown. The father of James Madison was an opulent planter, residing upon a very fine es- tate called " Montpelier," Orange Co., Va. The mansion was situated in the midst of scenery highly pictur- esque and romantic, on the west side of South-west Mountain, at the foot of Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of Jefferson at Monticello. The closest jjersonal and jx)litical attachment existed between these illustrious men, from their early youth until death.
The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. Here he applied himself to study with the most im-
prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor of constitution. He graduated in 177 i. with a feeble body, with a character of utmost purity, and. with a mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning which embellislied and gave proficiency to his subsr quent career.
Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. This educational course, the spirit of the times in whicli he lived, and the society with which he asso- ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work ot a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of mind, and his frail health leading him to think that his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with almost unecjualled powers of reasoning, he weighed all tlie arguments for and against revealed religion, until his faith became so established as never to be shaken.
In the sjiring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to frame the constitution of the State. The next year (1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and consequently lost his election ; but those who had witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to the E.\eculive Council.
Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained member of the Council ; and their appreciation oi his
• lite ' ■ ■ ' ^ ill, coiiiii;.iiu-a 1,..' I Ir • c. In tlir )car 17S-. - ^ .1 the C'omiiiciiial L'on^icMk. Here iic uict the incnt illustrio'.iii men in uur iiiml, nril he W;H iiiiine<ti,itoly iin^i^Mcd to one of the 1 . !icni.
1 . .cU in Con-
cie^ . - 'i.il members.
In tnc year I7n4, hu term having expired, he was elected a inenilier uf the Virginia Legislature.
No man Icll mure deeply tlian Mr. Madison the utter incthticncy ol the old conl'edcrai y, wiih no na- tional government, Miih no |iowlt to lorin treaties which would tic binding, or to enforce law. There was not any State more prominent than Virginia in the declaration, that an elVicient n.itional government mu»t Ik: lormcd. In J.inuary, 17S6, Mr. Madi>on earned a relation throiigii the (iencr.il Asscmlily of Virginia, inviting the other .Stales to ap|X)int commis- sionets to meet in convention at .'\nna|<(>!is to discuss this subject. I'ive States only were represented. The convention, however, issued auotlier call, drawn up by Mr. Madison, urging all the Stales to seiul their delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 17S7, to draft a Constitution for the United States, to t.ike the place of that Confederate League. The delegates met at
• he time ap|iointeil. Kvcry Stale but KIhhJc Island wa.s represented, (leorge Washington was chosen oresident of the convention; and ihe present Cimsti- tution of the United States was then and there fonned. There was, i>erhai«, no mind and no pen more ac- tive in framing this iminori.il document than the mind and the \M:n of James Madison.
The Con-titution, .idopted by a vote Si to 79, w.-is to l)e presented to the several States for .icceptance. Hut grave solicitude was felt. .Should it be rcjct ted we should l>eleft but a conglomeration of inde|>endenl State'., with but little (lower at home and little icspect abro.t<l. Mr. Madi'iui was selected by tne conven- tion to draw up an arldress to the |)c<>ple of the United Stales, ex|>ounding il.e principles of the Constitution, and urging its .idoption. There was great op|osition to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and went into effect in 17S9.
Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Rcpre- tentaiives in the first Congress, aiul soon became the avowed leader <jI the Rc|>ublic.in party. While in New York attending Congress, he met Mrs Todd, a young widow of remarkable jmwcr f)f fascination, whom he marric*!. She was in i>erson and character queenly, and jtrobably no lady has thus f.ir occujiied ■to pmminent a (losition in the vcy |ic<:iiliar society which has constittiled our republican court as Mrs. Midison..
Mr Madison served as Secretary ol State under JefTcrvm, and at the close of his ailministiation was ilioscn Prciident. At this time the encroach- ments of Kngland had brought us to the verge of war.
I,;;', .. •■:...■:■. , - ,.,'.-,- - , . ., : .1
out (lag was c\
was a man ol i ■ ' r
in hlsdii|iosillou, «al liad iiuchaiiiislui htiii. liul the ineekckt S|>irit can be ruusetl. It makes unc'o bhuMi boil, even now, to think ol . ' ' ' (
to, u|iun theoiean, by the .
A young lieutenant sle|/s ' ' .i-
crcw to lie paraded Itelore hiiu. Witii gicat nuiuhal- ance he selects any nuiiil>er whom he may please to designate as Unlish subjects; orders them dcwn the ships side into his lioat ; and pl.ices them on the gun- deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the battles of Kngland. This right of search and im- pressment, no efforts of our (.iovernment could induce the Hiitish cabir,et to relimpiish.
On the i-Sth of June, 1812, President Madison gave his appioval to an act of Congress declaring war against (Weat Britain. Noiwitlisianding the bitter hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country in general appiuved; and Sir. Madisiin, on the 4th of .Mart h, lijij, was re-elei led b) a l.irge majority, ami enlered uj'on his second term of office. This is not the place to describe the vanoiis adventur.:s ol this war on the land and on the water. Our infan navy then laid the foundations of its renown in gTa|>- pling wiih the most formidable [lower which ever swe|)t the seas. The contest commenced in earnest by the aiijiearancc of a British fleet, early in February, 1813, in Chesajicake Bay, derlanrg neatly the whole coast of the Unilc-d States under blcn kade.
The Kmi>eror of Russia offered his services as me dilator. .America accepted; Kngland refused. A Brit- ish force of five thousand men landed on the lianks ofthePatuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- |>cake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- burg, u|ion Washington.
The straggling little city of Washington was thrown into consternation. The cannon of the brief lonflict at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the metropolis. The whole fiopuialirn fled from the city. The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the Wiiite House, with her carriage drawn up at the doer to await his speedy return, hurrie-«i to meet the officers in a count il ol war He met our tnio|>s utterly routc*d, and he could not go back without danger of l)eii>g ca|>turcd. But few lioiirs cla|>sed ere tl>e Prcsidenti.i! Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in Washington were in flames.
The war close<l after two years of fighting, and on Feb. 13, iSn.the treaty of (leace was signed atChent.
On the 4th of Manh, 1817, his sc<€ind term of offi.c expired, and he resigned the Prc>>idcniial chair to his friend. James Monroe. He rciia"<l to his leau- tifiil home at Mont(ielicr, and Iheie pas'-etl the re- mainder of his days On June jS, 1S36. then at the age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi ion died July la, 1849.
LIBRAflY
^/ii^) -y -t^ y // -^-^ f^ ^ (^^
' FIFTH' PRES7D^1^2\
35
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^s^lg^lY"^/^'
y.-<3*"'^>-ol
AMES MOXROR. the fiftli I'rcsidentof The United States, was born in Westmoreland Co., V'a., April 28, 1758. His early life was passed at the place of nativity. Hi.5 ancestors had for many years resided in the prov- ince in which he was born. When, at 17 years of age, in the process '^^ of completing his education at William and Mary College, the Co- lonial Congress assembled at Phila- delphia to deliberate uixjn the un- just and manifold oppressions of Great Britian, declared the separa- tion of the Colonies, and promul- gated the Declaration of Indepen- dence. Had he been born ten years before i: is highly probable that he would have been one of the signers of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left school and enlisted among the patriots.
He joined the army when everything looked hope- less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased from day to day. The invading armies came ixDuring in ; and the lories not only favored the cause of the mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- t3nding with an enemy whom they had been taught to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through difficulty and danger, the United States owe their |X)litical emancipation. The young cadet joined the ranks, and es|ioiised the cause of his ijijured country, • with a firm determination to live o. lie with her strife
for liberty. Firmly \ et sadly he shared in the tnel- anclioly retreat from Hadeam Heights and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled before its foes Ihrougli New Jersey. In four months after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- ing upon the enemy he received a wound in tlie left shoulder.
As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro- moted a captain of infantry; and, having recovered from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable ardor, tlie study of common law. He did not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; but on the invasions of the enemy, served as avolun teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits.
In 1782, he was elected from King George county, a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive Council. He was thus honored with the confidence of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having at this early period disfjlayed some of that ability and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards employed with unremittir^g energy for the public good,
i*
James a/onrob.
>>en a merober of
Mutituctwli liic iiii|icrfc(tiontorihco)U ' ».is u|i|itMicil tuilie new Cuii*tiiiiiiun, ii 1.111) oihtrs of 'he Kc|iiil>licaii luny,
'.li .iiili |iow>.r toilicfciiiiiiKiovcriiiiicMii,
411' ; . ., ■ i<> llie iiiiliMiliul .Sutcs. Siill lie rc-
tjiiicii liic cHicciii uf hii liicnds wlto were its wami tupiiortcis, .iMJ wlto, notwiilisiniidiitg his O|i|x>si(ion secured iis .iduptiuii. In 17X9, lie Iwciine a menilier of tlie United Slates Scii.itc; which otfiie he held for foiiryc.ir>. Kverj' mouih the line of distinction l»e- twecn the two j-rcat paiiies whii.h divided the nation, the Federal and the Keinililiian, was growing nturc distinct. The tun (iroiiiitient iiieas which now sei>- arated them were, that tiie Ke|iiil>lican party wa.s in sympathy with Kr-ince, and al-o in favor of such a stiict construction of the Constitution as to give the (.'ctitral (rt)vernment as little |>ower, and the State llovernmcntsas much iwwer.as the Constitution would warrant. The |•'edel.lli^ts sympathized with Kngland, and were in favor of a liberal Lonstruttion of the Con- stitution, which would give as much |iower to the Centra! (>overnmcnt as tnat document could |X>ssibly authorize.
Thr li.-adini; Federalists and Republicans were aliV . consecrating all their energies to the gif >n. Two more ho'iest men or more pill ^ m John Adams the Feiletalist, and James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. Ill |)uiMini; i>i> ilii< Ml ijrsiir nation, which is destined to ' " \-.-.yri.iii greatne^s, tliecom-
bi' was neetied to create the
\\^.' , \ . >-• each in his day was de- nounced as almost a demon.
Washington was then President. England had es- poused the raii>.e of the Bourlions .1^'ainst the prinr.i- \Ae^ of the French Revolution. .Ml Riiro|)e was drawn ml" •' ■ •' t. We were feeble and far away. U cd a prorl.ihiation of neutrality be-
twi. 'ending (lowers. France had heli>ed
us in tiie -.u.iggle for our liiierties. All the despotisms of Enrol* Were now comliinedto prevent the French fro ■ • V a thousand-fold worse
til ired <!ol. Monroe, more
mi t. was anxious itiai, at
whatckct li,i/afd, we !iliuuld help our old allies in their cxtrj'mily. It was the impulse of a generous an. I ' ' re. He violently opposed the I'rcs-
idt' ' iiion as ungrateful and wanting in
m.i..
Washmgion, who could apnreciatc such a character, fieve'-'TTd hi'. '--I'm. ^••r<"\r, almost divine greatness, bv lis Monroe, who was dc-
iK> I '.crnmcnt, as 'he minister
of ■ ' 'i>- iif Frame. Mr.
M' 'innal Cjnvcntion
in I ..'ic demonstt/^ions.
I SItonly after hu return to this counlrv, Mr. Mon- I rue was elected Governor of \'irgniia, and held the ' offiic fur three )eaii>. He was again tent to France to co-o|icrate with Chantcllor Livingston in obtaining I the vast tcrriiury then known as the Pruvimc u( Ix>ui>iaiia, whiih F'rance had but shuiily l^rfore ob- tained from Spain. 'I'neir united cfrorts were suc- cessful. For the comparatively small Mim of fifteen milliuns of dollars, the entire territory of Oilcans and district of lyouisiann wcie adiicil to the l'nite<l States. This was probably the large--.! l:ans(er of real estate which was ever made in all the history of the world Fronr Frame .Mr. .Monroe went to luigland to ol>- tain fniin that country some recogmtion of ou: rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against thos- odious impressments of our seamen. hut Eng- land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng- land on the same mission, but could receive no redress. He relumed to his home and was again chosen Oovemor of Virginia. Thi> he soon resigned to accept the jiosition of .Secretary of State unde- Madison. While in this office war with Flngland w.is declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and dnnng these trying times, the duties of the War Departmcn were also put ujion him. He was tnily the armor- bearer of President M.idison, and the most cffiiient business man in his caliinet. C|>oii the return ol |)eace he resigned the Department of War, but con- tinued in llie office of Sei retary of Stale until the ex- piraiion of Mr. Madison's adminstralion. At the elec- tion held the previous autumn Mr Mtmroc himself had lieen chosen President with but li;tle op|iosition, and u|>on March 4, 1R17, was inaugurated. Four year? later he was elected for a second term.
Among the imi«rtant measures of his Presidency were the cession of Florida to the I'niied Stales: the Miss<juri lompromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.' This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe <lo» trine," was cnunci.sti-d by him in iR2_v A' 'h*' time the I'niieil States had recognized the indc|>end- ence of the .'yinth American slates, and did not wish to have Eurojtean |>ow'ers longer attempting to sub due |K»rtions of the American Continent. The doctrine is as follows: "That we should ronsidcr anyaltenipt on the part of F'upopean |X)wers to extend their sys- tem to any (wrtion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our j)cace and safety," and "that we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or controlling .^nicrii an governments or provinces in any olhcr light than as a manifest.ilinn by Euroi»ear Iiowers of an tinfriendly disposition toward the I'niiec Stales." This doctrine immediately .nflTcctcd the course of foreign governments, and has l>ecome the approved sentiment of the United States.
At the end of his fccond tenn Mr Monroe retire<1 10 his home in Virginia, where he lived until i8^o when he went to New ^'nrk to live with his son-in- law. In that city he died. on the 4th of July. 1S31
f
J . 5 , '^ ^ Ayy>vj
S/XTH FRF.SIDRNT.
OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the ^ixth President of the United ^■••f Slates, was liorn in the rural home of his lionored father. John Adams, in Quincy, Mass , (jii the I Uh cf July, 1767. His mother, a woman of exalted worth, watched over his childhood during the almost constant ab- sence of his father. When but eight years of sge, he stood with ' his mother on an eminence, listen- ing to the booming of the great bat- tle on Bunkers Hill, and gazing on upon the smoke and flames billow- ing up from the conflagration of Charlestown.
When but eleven years old he took a tearful adieu of his mother, to sail with his fatfier for Eurojie, through a fleet ol hostile British cruisers. The bright, icumiated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where his f.ither was associated with Franklin and Lee as minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted ihe notice of these distinguished men, and he received from them flattering marks of attention.
Mr. John Adams Iiad scarcely returned to this cou.'.try, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again oi.n Quincy accompanied his father .At Paris he ap|)lied himself with great diligence, for si.\ months, to .■•^ndy; then accotTi|)ained his father to Holland, wnere he entered, first a school in .\msterdani, then the University at I.eyden. About a year from this time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen yea-T of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- ister to the Russian court, as his private secretar\'.
Tn this school of incessant labor and of enobling culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and Bremen. This Icng journey he took alone, in the winter, when in his sixteenth year. Asain he resumed njs studies, under a pr>"ate tutor, at Hague. Thence.
in the spring of 17S2, he accompanied his fnther 't; Paris, travehng leisurely, and forming ac(iuaintanct with the most distinguished men on the Conrinent examining arcniteclural remains, galleries of paintings and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again became associated wiih the most illustrious men of all lands in the contem])lations of the loftiest temporal themes which can engross the human mind. Afte' a short visit to England he returned to Paris, ana consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, when he returned to America. To a brilliant young man of eighteen, v. lio had seen much of the world, and who was familiar wiih the etiquette of courts, a residence with his father in London, under such cir- cumstances, must have been extremely attractive but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- ferred to return to America to complete his education in an American college. He wished then to study law, that with an honorable profession, he might be able to obtain an independent support.
Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty he studied law for thiee years. In June, 1794, be- ing then but tvifenty-seven years of age, he was ap- pointed by Washington, resident minister at the Nelliei lands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reacheo London in October, where he was immediately admit- ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney. assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with Gieat Britian. After thus spending a fortnight i. London, he proceeded to the Hague.
In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portuga' a3 minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with despatches directing him to the court of Beiiin, but requesting him to remain in London until he should receive his instructions. While wr.iting he was married to ar American lady to whom he had been previously en- gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughte' of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- plishment which eminently fitted her to move in ti4 elevated sphere for which she w« t'xs'iced
John quincy adams.
He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797; where he remained until Jul}', 1799, when, having ful- filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his recall.
Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then was elected Senator of the United States for six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his ability and his experience, placed him immediately among the most promment and influential niembers of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- ment in its measires of resistance to the encroach- ments of England, desUoying our commerce and in- sulting our flag. There was no man in America more familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon these points, and no one more resolved to present a firm resistance.
In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefl"erson in the Pres- idential chair, and he immediately nominated John Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersixirg. Resign- ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked at Boston, in August, 1809.
While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- dent. He devoted his attention to the language and history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to the cUmate and astronomical observations; while he Kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. All through life the Bible constituted an important Ipart ot his studies. It" was his rule to read five [Chapters every day.
On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. Adams Secretaiy of State. Taking leave of his num- erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the i8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the eight yearsof Mr. Mon- roe's administration, Mr, Adams continued Secretary of State.
Some time before '.he close of Mr. Monroe's second term of office, new candidates began to be presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- ceived ninety nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; William H. Crawford, forty -one; Henry Clay, thirty- seven. As there was no choice by the people, the question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and he was elected.
The friends of all the disappointed candidates now ;ombined in a venomous and persistent assault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in »he past history of our country than the abuse which
was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was an administration more pure in principles, more con- scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- lously and outrageously assailed.
Mr Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- stemious and'temperate in his habits; always rising early,, and taking much exercise. W hen at his homein Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his own fire and applying himself to work in his Ubraiy often long before dawn.
On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- dent. The slavery question now began to assume lX)rtentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- main in retirement. In November, 1830, he wa? elected representative to Congress. For seventeen years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- sentarive, towering above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of "the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the House, he announced that he should hold him- self bound to no party. Probably there never was a member more devoted to his duties. He was usually the first in his place in the morning, and the last to leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, agains*: the proslavery party in the Government, was sublim? in Its moral daiing and heroism. For persisting in presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he was threatened with indictment by the grand jury with expulsion from the House, with assassination but no threats could intimidate him, and his final triumph was complete.
It has been said of President Adams, that when liis body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before he slept, the prajer which his mother tauglit him ip. his infant years.
On the 2 ist of February, 1848, he rose on the floor of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by parnly sis, and was caught in the arms of those aiound liim. For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around aid said " T/iis is the endofearih .-"tlien after a moment's pause he added, '' I am contmf" Tliese were the last words of the grand " Old Man Eloquent."
SEVENTH FRESinENT.
*3
XDREW JACKSON, the seventh President of the ■ United States, was born in W'axhaw settlement, N. C, March 15, 1767, a few days after his father's death. His parents were poor emigrants from Ireland, and took up their abode in Waxhaw set- tlement, where they lived in deepest [wverty Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His features were coarse, his form un- gainly, and there was but veiy little in his character, made visible, which was at- tractive.
Wiien only thirteen years old he joined the volun- teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of the dauntless boy.
The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate Dlow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert with the same demand. He also refused, and re- ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite disabled him, and which probably soon after caused his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and were finally stricken with the small-jxix. Their mother was successf'U 'c* obtaining their exchange.
and took her sick boys home. After a long illnjs:. .\adrew recovered, and the death of his mother ?oon left liim entirely friendless.
Andrew supjxsrted himself in various ways,s i:;ha3 working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, gave more attention to the wild amusements of the times than to his studies. In 1788, he was apiiointed solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, 01 which Tennessee was then a part. This involved many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmisbl witn the Sharp Knife.
In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a womaH who sup[X)sed herself divorced from her former husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur, rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson into disfavor.
During these years he worked hard at his profes sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- ially disgraceful.
In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee theii containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- stitution. Five were sent from each of the elevan counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates.' The new State was entitled to but one member ia the National House of Representatives. Andre>v JacTc- son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its
*A
ANDREW' JACKSON.
iesjions, — -a distance of about eight hundred miles.
Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Do;no- cratic pirty. Jefferson was his idol. He admired Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose second term of office was then expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. A committee dre\y up a complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the address, and was one of the twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. Washington's adminslration had been " wise, firm and patriotic"
Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court of his State, which position he held f.^r si.x years.
W-hen the war of 1812 with Great Britian com- menced, Madison occu[)ied the Presidential chair. Aaron Burr sent word to the President t^iat there was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who would do credit to a commission if one were con- ferred uiwn him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops were assembled at Nashville.
As the British were hourly expected to make an at- tack L-.pon New Orleans, where Gen Wilkinson was in command, he was ordered to descend the river ■with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev- eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, the men were ordered hack to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him golden opiniorrs ; and he became the most popular man in the State. It was in this expedition that his toughness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory."
Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- tlers, wer-e committing the most awful ravages. De- cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an army to rendezvous at FayettesviUe, Alabama.
The Creek Indians had established a strong forcon one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River-, near the cen- ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. With an army of two thousand men. Gen. Jackson travei'sed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend
of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow neck the Indians had constructed a formidable brea:.t- work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with an ample suplyof arms were assembled.
Tire fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam the river and escaped. This ended the war. The power of the Creeks was br-oken forever. This bold plunge into the wilderness, with itsterriffic slaughter, so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants of the bands cauie to the camp, begging for peace.
This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- centrate all our militia ujwn the British, who were the allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he was appointed major-general.
Late in August, with an army of two thousand men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, and fi'om both ship and shore commenced a furious assault The battle was long and doubtful. At length one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired.
Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his troops, which numbered about four thousand men, won a signal victory over the British army of about nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was two thousand six hundred.
The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men- tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1S24, he was defeated by Wx. Adams. He was, however, successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins of the government, he met with the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of her death he never recovered.
His administration was one of the most rccmcrabie in the annals of our country; a;jp!aude^. oy one party, condemned by the other. No man had moi-e bitter enemies or warmer friends. hX the expiration of his two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where be died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack- son's life were that of a devoted Christian man.
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EIGHTH PRESIDENT.
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ARTIN VAN BUREN, the eighth President of the United States, was born at Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, 1782. He died at the same place, July 24, 1862. His body rests in the cemetery at Kinderhook. Above it is a plain granite shaft lifteeu feet high, bearing a simple inscription about halt way up on one face. The lot is unfenced, unbordered or unbounded by shrub or flower.
There ■- uut lUtle in the life of Martin Van Bure.i ofroman' c interest. He fought no battles, engaged in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those incidents which give zest to biography. His an- cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, residing iu the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- ligence and exemplary piety.
Ai was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un- usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies In his native village, and commenced the study of )aw. As he had not a collegiate education, seven years of study in a law-office were required of him Jjefore lie coald be adaiitted to the bar. Inspired with .( lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur- sued his studies with indefatigable indistry. After sjicndi.ig si.v years in an office in Hio native village,
he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his studies for the seventh year.
In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years ot age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- lage. The great conflict between the Federal and Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the many discussions which had been carried on in his father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the cause of State Riglits ; though at thai time the Fed- eral party held the supremacy both in his town, and State.
His success and increasing ruputation led him after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, tli. county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years, constantly gaining strfaigth by contending in th(. courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned the bar of his State.
Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for beauty and accomplishments. After twelve slioa years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump. tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep ovei her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record of those years is barren in items of public interest. In iSi 2, wlien thirty years of age, he was chosen to tlie State Senate, and cave his strenuous support to Mr. Madison's adminstracion. In 1815, he was ap- pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved to Albany, the capital of the Slate.
'.Vhile he was acknoVledged as one of the most p. oniinent leaders of the Democratic party, he had
48
MARTIN VAN BUREN.
the moral courage to avow that true democracy did not require that " universal suffrage" which admits the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of governing the State. In true consistency with his democratic principles, he contended that, while the path leading to the privilege of voting should be open to every man without distinction, no one should be invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue and some property interests in the welfare of the ?.tale.
In 182 1 he was elected ;. member of the United States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat in the convention to revise the constitution of his native State. His course in this convention secured the approval of men of all parties. No one could doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the interests of all classes in the community. In the Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a ■:onspicuous position as an active and useful legislator.
In 1827, John Quincy Adams beirg then in the Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to .he Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- ■ermined opposer of the Administration, adopting the ■'State Rights" view in opposition to what was deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams.
Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his ■seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. \dams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- garded througiiout the United States as one of the most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians. It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how to touch the secret spiings of action; how to pull all the wires to put his machinery in motion; and how to organize a political army which would, secreily and ste.-'Uhily accomplish the most gigantic results. By these powers it is said that he outv/itted Mr. Adams, Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which few thought then could be accomplished.
VVhen .\ndrew Jackson was elected President he appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately appoit)ted Minister to England, where he went the same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, refused to ratify the nomination^ and he returned
home, apparently untroubled; was nominated Vice President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election of President Jackson; and with smiles for all and fiowns for none, he took his place at the head of that Senate which had refused to confirm his nomir.ation as ambassador.
His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor- ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause, secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Esecu tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen. Jackson as President of the United States. He was elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen. Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred upon him the power to appoint a successor."
His administration was filled with exciting events. 'l"he insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in- volve this country in war with England, the agitation of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- cial panic which spread over the country, all were trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at- tributed to the management of the Democratic party, and brought the President into such disfavor that he failed of re-election.
Wiih the exception of being nominated for the Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 184S, Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until his death.
He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits, and living within his income, had now fortunately a competence for his declining years. His unblemished character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he had occupied in the government of our country, se- cured to him not only the homage of his party, but the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald. he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics of the country. From this time until his death, on the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of culture and of wealth; enjoyir.g in a healthy old age, probably far more happiness than he had before experienced amid the stormy scenes of h'S active life-
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NINTH PRESIDENT.
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ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- SON, the ninth President of the United States, was born at lieikeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. His father, Benjamin Harri- son, was in comparatively op- ulent circumstances, and was one of the most distinguished men of his day. He was an intimate friend of George Washington, was early elected ^ a member of the Continental Congress, and was conspicuous among the patriots of Virginia in resisting the encroachments of the British crown. In the celebrated Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- rison and John Hancock were both candidates for the office of speaker.
Mr Harrison was subsequently chosen Governor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His son, i William Henry, of course enjoyed
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- ing received a thorough common-school education, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated with honor soon after the death of his father. He t.hen repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianshij) of Jobert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, ligners of the Declaration of Independence.
Jpon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- withstanding the -'emonsttances of his friends, he abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, .laviiig obtained 1 'nmmissipn of Ensign from Presi-
dent Washington. He was then but ig years old. From that time he passed gradually upward in rank until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose death he resigned his commission. He was then aj)- pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This Territory was then entitled to but one member in Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that position.
In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory was divided by Congress into two jx)rtions. The eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory north-west of the Ohio." The western jMrlion, which included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana 'J'erritory." Wil. liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana Territory, and immediately after, also G t of
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almosf as extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now rapidly increasing white population. The ability and fidelity with which he discharged these resijonsible duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four times apjxDinted to this office — first by John Adams, twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- dent Madison.
When he began his adminstration there were but three white settlements in that almost boundless region, now crowded with cities and resounding with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. One of these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French settlement.
The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrisoi, reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. A'> .!•.
52
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.
the year i8o6, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, ot" the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. Or.e ot these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching Panther;" the other, OUiwacheca, or " The Prophet." Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- able perseverance in any enterprise ni wliich he might engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, and had long regarded with dread and with hatred the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was anorator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored Indian as the gale tossed the tree tops beneath which they dwelt.
But the Prophet was not merely an orator: he was, in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit.
Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harri.oii was approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace.
But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- tations Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- camp- *■ he took every precaution against surprise His ; .1, J were jx)sted in a hollow square, and slept upon their arms.
The troops threw themselves upon the ground for rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- ble, and i':st then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all the desperation which superstition and passion most liighly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the little army. The savages had been amply provided with guns and ammunition by the English. Their war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets.
The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- jus yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubtir.ga speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- fore them, and completely routing th*" foe.
Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked to the utmost. The British descending from the Can- adas, were ol themselves a very formidable force ; but with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- ing, i)lu.idering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into a state of consternation which even the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances. Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madison commander-in- chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake Detroit, and to protect the frontiers.
It would be difiicult to place a man in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but General Harrison was found equal to the position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- sponsibilities.
He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket lashed over his saddle Thirty-five British officers, his prisoners of war, sapped with him after the battle. The only fare he could give them was beef roasted before the fire, without bread or salt.
In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of the National House of Representatives, to represent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested the attention of all the members.
In 18 19, Harrison was elected to the Senate of Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the i)residential electors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The same year he was chosen to the United States Senate.
In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him forward as a candidate for the Presidency against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re -nominated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated by the Whigs, with John Tyler forthe Vice Presidency. The contest was very animated. Gen Jackson gave all his influence to prevent Harrison's election; but his triumph was signal.
The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most brilliant with which anv President had ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country more sanguine. In the midst of these briglit and joyous prospects. Gen. Harrison was seized by a pleurisv-fever and after a few days of violent sick- ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after his inauguration as President of the United States,
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TENTH PRESIDENT.
So
^ OHM TYLER, the tenth /o.» Presidentof the United States. He was born in Charles-city Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He was the favored child of af- fluence and high social po- sition. At the early age of twelve, John entered William and Mary College and grad- uated with much honor when but seventeen years old. After graduating, he devoted him- self with great assiduity to the study of law, partly with his father and pirtly with Edmund Randolph, one of the most distin- guished lawyers of Virginia.
At nineteen years of age, ne commenced the practice of law. His success was rapid and aston- ishing. It is said that three months had not elapsed ere there was scarcely a case on the dock- i et of the court in which he was
lot retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he was almost unanimously e'ected to a seat in the State Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the unanimous vote or his county.
^Vhen but twenty-six years of age, he was elected a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and ably wi;h the Deir.ocratic party, opposing a national pank, interr^-ji impruvements by the General <^vem-
ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con- struction of the Constitution, and the most careful vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress were so arduous that before the close of his second term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, however, soon after consented to take his seat in the State Legislature, where his influence was powerful in promoting public works of great utility. With a reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his native State. His administration was signally a suc- cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election.
John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the United States. S. portion of the Democratic party was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, and brought forward John Tyler as his opixanent, considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of Roanoke. Mr. T\ler was the victor.
In accordance with his professions, upon taking his seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen. Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had abandoned the principles of the Democratic party. Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record in perfect accordance with the principles which he had always avowed.
Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of his profession. Ther? was a cplh in the Democratir
JOHN TYLER.
^arty. His, friends still regarded him as a true Jef- feisonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli- ments upon him. He had now attained the age of forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; and it •■nsa not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- tation. Soon after this he remo\ed to Williamsburg, for the better education of his children ; and he again look his seat in the Legislature of Virginia.
By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 7839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment of tlie South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- thy with the Whig party in the No;th: but the Vice President has but very little power in the Govern- ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a Democratic Vice President were chosen.
In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- dent of the United States. In one short month from that time. President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler thus -;und himself, to his own surprise and that of the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential chair. This was a new test of the stability of our institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler was at home in Williamsburg when he received the unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of April was inaugurated to the high and responsible office. He was placed in a position of exceeding delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been opposed to the main principles of the party which had brought him into power. He had ever been a con- sistent, hone:t man, with an unblemished record. Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun- sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or, on the other hand, should he turn against the party whicii had elected him and select a cabinet in har- ir.ony with himself, and which would oppose all those views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in- vited the cabinet which President Haririson had selected to retain their seats. He recconim;nded a day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and bless us.
The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the incn::inration of a fiscal bank of the United States. Tlie P'esident, after ten days' delay, returned it with ni§ .ycU). H? «uegested, however, that he wuld
approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely touched the pride of the President.
The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- dent into their arms. The party which elected him denounced him bitterly. AH the members of his cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a meeting and issued an address to the people of the United States, proclaiming that all political alliance between the Whigs and President Tyler were at an end.
Still the President attempted to conciliate. He appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more, however, he brought himself into sympathy with his old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term, lie gave his whole influence to the support of Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor.
On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the harassments of office, tothe regret of neitherparty, and probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife. Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married, at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of many personal and intellectual accomplishments.
The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- est, Charles city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in his manners, richly furnished with information from books and experience in the world, and possessing brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was the scene of unusual attractions. Witlr sufficient means for the exercise of a generous hosjiitality, he might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few friends who gathered aroinid him, were it not for the storms of civil war which his own principles and policy had helped to introduce.
When the great Rebellion rose, which the State rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Ca\- houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; and while engaged in active measures to desiroy, by force of arms, 'he Government over whir h he had
onee presided, he was taket] sick and soon died,
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59
JAMES 3L PDI,3i,
I AMESK. POLK, the eleventh I sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the fS^President of the United States, counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits.
was born in Mecklenburg Co., N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par- ents were Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk, the former a son 1 Col. Thomas Polk, who located at the above place, as one of the first pioneers, in 1735.
In the year 1S06, with his wife and children, and soon after fol- lowed by most of the members of the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- grated some two or three hundred miles farther west, to the rich valley of the Duck River. Here in the midst of the wilderness, in a region which was subsequently called Mau- ry Co., they reared their log huls, and established their homes. In the hard toil of a new farm in the wil- derness, James K. Polk spent the early years of his childhood and youth. His father, adding the pur- suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth until he became one of the leading men of the region. His mother was a superior woman, of strong common sense and earnest piety.
Ver)- early in life, James- develoi)ed a taste for reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain a liberal education. His mother's training had made him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- uality and industry, and liad inspired him with lofty principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his £ather, fearing that he might not be able to endure a
hoping 10 ni nmi lor commercial pu; This was to James a bitter disai)jx)intment. He had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious service.
He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be- ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this time much impaired by the assiduity with which he had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few miles from Nashville. They had probably been slightly acquainted before.
Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was constantly called upon to address the meetings of his party friends. His skill as a speaker was such thai he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stumj). He was a mail of unblemished morals, genial and
6a
/AMES K. POLK.
courterus in his bearing, and with that sympathetic natui-e in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his strong influence towards the election of his friend, Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States.
In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- tinueo* in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, only l*iat he might accept the Gubernatorial chair of If'nnessee. In Congress he was a laborious meroSer, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever he spoke it was always to the point, and without any ambitious rhetorical display.
During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of March, 1839.
In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, his term of office expired, and he was again the can- didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated.
On the 4th of March, iS45,Mr. Polk was inaugur- ated President of the United States. The verdict of the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and left the country, declaring the act of the annexation to be an act hostile to Mexico.
In his first message. President Polk urged that Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- ceived into the Union on the same footing with the Other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent
with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected batteries which coipmanded the Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on the western banks.
The anticipated collision soon took place, and was was declared against Me.xico by President Polk. The war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first called one of "observation," then of "occupation," then of " invasion, "was'sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. It v/as by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration that the war was brought on.
'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. We now consented to peace upon the condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen majestic States to be added to the Union. There were some Americans who thought it all right : there were others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico.
On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from office, having served one term. The next day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated as his successor. Mr Polk rode to the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his health was good. With an ample fortune, a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years of tranquility and happiness were before him. Buttlie cholera — that fearful scourge— was then sweeping up the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fiftv-fourth year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen.
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TIVELFTH FRESIDENT.
63
ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth President of the United States, was born on the 24th of Nov., 1784, in Orange Co., Va. His father, Colonel Taylor, was ■ — .-^^z ^ Virginian of note, and a dis- tinguished [latriot and soldier of the Revolution. When Zachary was an infant, his father with liis wife and two children, emigrated to Kentucky, where he settled in the pathless wilderness, a few miles from Louisville. In this front- ier home, away from civilization and all its refinements, yjung Zachary could enjoy but few social and educational advan- tages. When six years of age he attended a common school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, cather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight the Indians wlio were ravaging the frontiers. There is little to l)e recorded of the uneventful years of his childhood 0:1 his father's large but lonely plantation. In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him the commission of lieutenant in the United States army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady from one of the first families of Maryland.
Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng- land, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- ness by Gen. Harrison, on jiis march to Tippecanoe. It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, "led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken
company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of whom were sick.
Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily, and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their api)roach was first indicated by the murder of two soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor made every possible preparation to meet the antici- pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that in the morning their chief would come to have a talk with him. It was evident that their object was merely to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept them at a distance.
The sun went down ; the savages disappeared, the garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips in the forest around, followed by the discharge of musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap- ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor-, ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- ceeded in setting fire to one of the block houses- Until six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict continued. The savages then, baffled at every point, and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the rank of major by brevet.
Until the close of the war, MajorTaylor was placed in such situations that he saw but little more of active service. He was sent far away into the depths of the wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one best could. There were no books, no society, no in-
64
ZACHARY TAYLOR.
tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years rolled ou Gradually he rose to the rank of colonel. In the Black Hawk war, which resulted in the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part.
For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in jemployments so obscure, that his name was unknown 'beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to comiiel the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, liac" promised they should do. The services rendered (iC-C secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated ic ;he rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- nand of the United States troops in Florida.
After two years of sucn wearisome employment imidst the everglades of the peninsula. Gen. Taylor obtained, at his own request, a change of command, iiid was stationed over the Department of the South- Aest. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, .Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters lit Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family ^o a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. ^L.re he remained for five years, buried, as it were, fu.m the world, but faithfully discharging every duty ji'.posed upon him.
In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land be' ween the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river jbeing the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed by the United States. Soon the war with Me,\ico WL.; brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Pa Ima, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the Mi;xicans. The rank of major-general by brevet was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name Was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in tlie Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and "Euena Vista in which he won signal victories over fences much larger than he commanded.
His careless habits of dress and his unafTected si/oplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops. Wit sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.'
Tne tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista •I'read the wildest enthusiasm over the country. 'I'he n, .me of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The H hig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- fu( popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un-
■ "'ed, honest soldier as their candidate for the Piesidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- nc uncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- cbiring that he was not at all qualified for such an ofitice. So little interest had he taken in politics thht, fni forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen v^liO had been long vears in the public service found ^i.ixt claims set aside in behali of one whose name
had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made."
Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- pared such few communications as it was needful should be presented to the public. The popularity of the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; '",alifornia was pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found the political conflicts in Washington to be far more trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or Indians^
In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor, after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850. His last words were, "I am not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the affections of the people; and the Nation bitterly la- mented his death.
Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with Gen. Taylor, gave the following grajihic and truthful description of his character: — " With a good store oi common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- quence. The frontiers and small military posts had been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse), whom he would not, to use his oft repeated jihrase, 'touch with a pair of tongs.'
"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In shorf few men have ever had a more comfortarAe, >''"<-ii. saving contempt for learning of every kind."
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THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT.
1 ^'MILLftRH FILLMDREj^ I
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ILLARD FILLMORE, thi.-- ' teenth President of the United States, was born at Summer f Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on the 7th of January, 1800. His father was a farmer, and ow- mg to misfortune, in humble cir- cumstances. Of his mother, the daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been said that she |X)ssessed an intellect ofverjMiigh order, united with much personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- ixjsit'.on, graceful manners and ex- quisite sensibilities. She died in 1831 ; having lived to see her son a ' young man of distinguished prom- ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high dignity which he finally attained.
In consequence of the secluded liome and limited iTieans of his father, Millard enjoyed but slerder ad- vantages for education in his early years. The com- mon schools, which he occasionally attended were verv imperfect institutions; and books were scarce and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he was about to enter. He was a plain fanner's boy ; intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred influences of home liad taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid liie foundations of an upright character. When fourteen years of age, his father sent him some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. Near the mill there was a small villiage, wherp some
enterprising man had commenced the collection of a village librarj'. This i^roved an inestimable blessing to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate and the selections which he made were continually more elevating and instructive. He read history, biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- kindled in his heart a desire to be something more than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be- coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, educated man.
The young clothier had now attained the age 0/ nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that there was a gentleman m the neighborhood of ample pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap- pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and attainments that he advised him to abandon his trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The young man replied, that he had no means of his own. r.o friends to help him and that his previous educa- tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood liad so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to take him into his own office, and to loan him such money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous offer was accepted.
There is in many minds a strange delusion about) a- collegiate education. A young man is supposed to be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- lege. But many a boy loiters through university hall ; •ind then enters a law office, who is by no means as
06
Millard FiLLMokR.
well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- tense mental culture.
In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he v/as admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, his practice of course was limited, and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers.
His elevation of character, his untiring industry, his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to enter into partnership under highly advantageous circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the State of New York, as a representative from Erie County. Though he had never taken a very active part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, and he found himself in a helpless minority in the Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parlies, that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very unusual degrte the respect of his associates.
In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in the United States Congress He entered that troubled arena in some of the most tunmltuous hours of our national history. The great conflict respecting the national bank and the removal of the deposits, was then raging.
His term of two years closed ; and he returned to his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- utation and success. After a lapse of two years he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- rience as a representative gave him stiength and confidence. The first term of service in Congress to any man can be but little more than an introduction. He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every measure received his impress.
Mr. FilliTiore was now a man of wide repute, and his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, he was elected Comptroller of the State.
Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in Congress andas Comptroller, had given him very con- siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. But it was necessaiy to associate with him on the same ticket some man of reputation as a statesman.
Under the influence of these considerations, the namesofZachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States.
On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but about one year and four months after his inaugura tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contend with, since the opposition had a majority in both Houses. He did everything in his power to cone iliate the South ; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation. The population of the free States was so rapidly in- creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- evitable that the power of the Government should soon pass into the hands of the free States. The famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill- more, having served one term, retired.
In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed lha» his sympathies were rather with those who were en- deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874.
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POURTEENTH PRESIDENT
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fourteenth President of the ■ United States, was born in Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 23, 1804. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, who, with his own strong arm, hewed out a liome in the wilderness. He was a man of inflexible integrity; of strong, though uncultivated mind, and an uncompromis- ing Democrat. The mother of Franklin Pierce was all that a son y could desire, — an intelligent, pru- dent, affectionate. Christian wom- an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children.
Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the love of old and young. The boys on the play ground loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy.
When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was one of the most jxapular young men in the college. The purity of his moral character, the unvarying courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and
genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. There was something very peculiarly winning in his address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- gree studied: it was the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous and loving nature.
Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce commenced the study of law in the office of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of the State, and a man of great private worth. The eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant ]x>litical career into which Judge Woodbury was en- tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- nating yet perilous path of political life. With all the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here he served for four yeais. The last two years he was chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote.
In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected a member of Congress. Without taking an active part in debates, he was Hiithful and laborious in duty and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom he was associatad.
In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, he was elected to the Senate of the United States; taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced his administration. He was the youngest member in the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn even' station with which her husband was honoied. Of the
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hkANKLtN Pl&kcn.
three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with their parents in the grave.
In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous professional engagements at home, and the precariuos state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the same time declined the nomination for governor by the Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. He took an important part in this war, proving him- self a brave and true soldier.
When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, very frequently taking an active part in political ques- tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. The compromise measures met cordially with his approval ; and he strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious sensibilities of tlie North. He thus became distin- guished as a " Northern man with Southern principles.' The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- quently regarded him as a man whom they could safely trust in office to carry out their plans.
On the i2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the Presidency. For four days they continued in session, r.nd in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation brought forward his name. There were fourteen more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce was therefore inaugurated President of the United States on the 4th of March, 1853.
His administration proved one of the most stormy our country had ever experienced. The controversy be tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its culminating point. It became evident that there was an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that tliis Nation could not long exist " half slave and half free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution of the Union were borne to the North on every South- ern breeze.
Such was the condition of affairs when President Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term of office. The North had become thoroughly alien- ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- cated those measures of Government which they ap- proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him.
On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two had died, and his only surviving child had been killed before his eyes by a railroad accident , and his wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left alone in the world, without wife or child.
When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until the time of his death, which occurred in October, 1869. He was one of the most genial and social ol men, an honored communicant of the Episcopni Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- leviation of sufferingand want, and manyof his towns people were often gladened by his material bounty.
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I'IFTEENTH PRESIDENT
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AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- teenth President of the United States, was born in a small Irontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge of the AUegha- nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on c 23d of April, 1791. The place A Here the humble cabin of his t ither st'od was called Stony ' Batter. It was a wild and ro- mantic spot in a gorge of the moun- tains, with towering summits rising f grandly all around. His father was a native of the north of Ireland; a ixx)r man, who had emigrated in f 1783, with little property save his own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- cluded home, where James was born, he remained for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual advantagi s. VVlien James was eight years of age, his father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where Lis son was placed at school, and commenced a course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he entered Dickmson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among the fir'it sciiolars in the institution. His application \0 stud\ was intense, and j-et his native powers en-
abled him to master the most abstruse subjects wf "- facility.
In the year rSog, he graduated with the highest honors of his clas:.. He was then eighteen years ot age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the bar in t8i2, when he was but twenty-one years of age. Verv rapidly lie rose in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but twenty-si.x years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- cessfully defended before the State Senate 01 e of the judges of the State, who was tried upon articles 01 impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; anc there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu- crative practice.
In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as s candidate for Congress. He was elected, and fo: ten years he remained a member of the Lower House During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally tried some important case. In 1831, he retired altogether from the toils of his profession, having ac- quired an ample fortune.
Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency, apjxjinted Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The duties of his mission he performed with ability, which gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, ir; 1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States Senate. He there met, as his associates, WeLsier, Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated tl'.e meas- mes proposed by President Jackson, of making rejjn-
70
JAMES BUCHANAN.
sals against France, to enforce the payment of our claims against that country ; and defended the course of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale removal from office of those who were not the sup- porters of his administration. Upon this question he was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. He also,_ with voice and vote, advocated expunging from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United States mails.
As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- cated that they should be respectfully received; and that the reply should be returned, that Congress had _ no [X)wer to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with slavery under a foreign government as in any of the States where it now exists."
Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the account of the course our Government pursued in that movement.
Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with the party devoted to the pi":rpetuation and extension of slavery, and brouglit all the energies of his mind to bear agdinst the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50, which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with the mission to England.
In' the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The political conflict was one of the most severe in which our country has ever engaged. All the friends of slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- reived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 1,340,618, for Fremont, r, 224, 750 for Buchanan. On March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated.
Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been allied in political principles and action for years, were seeking the destruction of the Government, that tliey might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- wildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin^
ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in their assumptions. As President of the United States, bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws, he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub- lic. He therefore did nothing.
The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slaverv party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- trol of the Government were thus taken from their hands, they would secede from the Union, taking with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of the United States.
Mr. Buchanan's sympatjiy with the pro-slaver^' party was such, that he had been willing to ofiferthem far more than they liad ventured to claim. All the South had professed to ask of the North was non- intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- operation of the Government to defend and extend the institution.
As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im- becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He declared that Congress had no power to enforce its laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand upon his sword hilt, he exclaimed, " The Union must and sliall be preserved!"
South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly three months before the inauguration of President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in Charleston: Fort Sumpter was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals were seized ; our depots of military stores were plun- dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were appropriated by the rebels.
The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the scepter.
The administration of President Buchanan was certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion He died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, i868.
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SIXTEENTH PRES/DENT.
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BRAHAM LINCOLN, the ,, sixteenth President of the lii^L' lilted States, was born in Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 1 809. About the year 1 7 80, a man by the name of Abraham Lincoln left Virginia with his I'aniily and moved into the tlien wilds of Kentucky. Only two years after this emigration, still a yonng man, while working one day in a field, was stealthily appro::ched by an Indian and shot dead. His widow was left in extreme ix)verty with five little children, three boys and two girls. Thomas, the youngest of the loys, was four years of age at his father's death. This Thomas was the father of .\braham Lincoln, the President of the United States whose name must henceforth foi-ever be enrolled with the most prominent in the annals of our world. Of course no record has been kept of the life of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among the poorest of the [X)or. His home was a wretched log -cabin ; his food the coarsest and the meanest. Education he had none; he could never either read or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- .ess, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- self out, and thussijent the whole of his youth as a ?il)orer in the fields of others.
V\'hen twenty-eight years of age he buili a log- labin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi- grants, who had also come from Virginia. Their second cb.ild was Aliraham Lincoln, the subject of this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. " .All <hat I am, or hope to be," e.Nclaims the grate- ful son ' I owe to my angel-mother. "
When he was eight years of age, his father sold his
cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana Whei^ two years later his mother died.
Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated community around him. He could not have had j better school than this to teach him to put thoughts into words. He also became an eager reader. The books he could obtain were few; but these he ead and re-read until they were almost committt' < tc memory.
As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly fair.ily was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sisto .Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mai ried when a child of Init fourteen years of age, and soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830 and emigrated to Macon Co., 111.
Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing another log-cabin, .\brahani worked diligently at this until he saw the family comfortably settled, and theii small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when he announced to his father his intention to leave home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value ol education and was intensely earnest to improve liis mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin which ardent spirits were causing, and I e< ame strictly temperate; refising to allow a drop of intoxi- eating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in God's word, "Thou shalt not take the name of tha Lord thy God in -' .1..;" and a profane expression ha was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. Hii morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a single vice.
Voung Abraham worked for a time as a hired labore) among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield where he was employed in building a large flat-boat In this he took a herd of swine, floated them dowi ihe Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin coin undertook, he performed so faithfully as to givv great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven
io
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon his return tliey placed a store and mill under his care.
In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he enlisted and was cliosen captain of a company. He returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew Jackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salem, His only post-oftice was his hat. All the letters he received he carried there ready to deliver to those he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon made this his business. In 1834 he again became a candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. His success with the jury was so great that he was soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit.
In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most notable part of his history. The issue was on the slavery question, and he took the broad ground of ;he Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- test, but won a far higher prize.
The great Republican Convention met at Chicago on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and strangers who crowded tlie city amounted to twenty- five thousand. An immense building called "The Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven- tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes were thrown. William H Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most orominent. It was generally supposed he would be the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he tiien dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: andaslittledid hedream that he was to render services to his. country, which would fix upon him the eyes of the whole civilized world, and which would give him a place in the affections of his countrymen, second tnly, if second, to that of Washington.
Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, constitutionally elected President of the United States. The tirad? of fibus§ that was poured upon this gcx)4
and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was greater than upon any other man ever elected to this high position. In February, i86i, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stopi>ing in all the large cities on his way making speeches. The whole journey was frought with much danger. Many of the Southern States had already seceded, and several attempts at assassination were afterwards brought to liglrt. A gang in Balti- more had arranged, upon his arrival to" get up a row,' and in the confusion to make sure of his death with revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled the plot, k secret and special train was provided to take him from HarrisL'urg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected hour of the night. The train started at half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- cation on the part oi the Secessionists with their Con- federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people
In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave to Mr Seward the Department of State, and to other prominent opponents before the convention he gave important positions.
During no otlier administration have the duties devolving upon the President been so manifold, and the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his trials, bo'h personal and national Contrary to his own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most courageous of men. He went directly into the rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans liad been made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It was announced that they would Le present. Gen. Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- ing, witli his characteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth entered the box where the President and family were seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the next morning at seven o'clock.
Never before, in the history of the world was a nation plunged into such deep gnefby the death of its ruler. Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless anguish. It is not too much to say tliat a nation was in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a model. His name as the savior of his country '"'iil live with that of Washington's, its father; hisc^'intry- mer. being unable to (jecide whii K is ti'e ereate;.
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SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT.
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MDREW JOHNSON, seven- teenth President of the United States. The early life of Vndrew Johnson contains but the record of poverty, destitu- tion and friendlessness. He / was born December 29, 180S, m Raleigh, N. C. His parents, belonging to the class of the " poor whites " of the South, -were in such circumstances, that they could not c-5nf:r ::.'ei\ the slight- est advantages of education upon their child. When Andrew was five years of age, his father accidentally lost iiis life while herorically endeavoring to save a friend from drowning, ''niil teri years of age, .*^idrew was a ragged boy about the streets, supjxjrted by the labor of his mother, who obtained her living with her own hands.
He then, having never attended a school one day, and being unable either to read or write, was ap- prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often read from the speeches of distinguished British states- men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary native ability, became much interested in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read.
He accordingly applied himself to tlie alphabet, and with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- man to borrow the book of speeches, The owner,
pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book but assisted him in learning to combine the letters into words. Under such difficulties he pressed 01. ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest and recreation to devote such time as he could to reading.
He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos sessed some education. Under her instructions he learned to write and cipher. He became prominent in the village debating society, and a favorite with the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- ganized a working man's party, which elected him alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which position he held three years.
He now began to take a lively interest in political affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, to which be belonged. In 1835, he was elected a member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. He became a very active member of the legislature gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to thoSv of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased his reputation.
In 1841, he was elected Stale Senator; in 1843, he was elected a member of Congress, and by successive elections, held that important post for ten years. In 1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and was re-elected in 1855. In all these resi)onsible ix)si- tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abi'.
84
ANDRE W JOHNSON.
ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected United States Senator.
Years before, in 1S45, ^^ ^'^^ warmly advocated the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, and become merged in a population congenial to themselves. " In 1S50, he also supported the com- promise measures, the two essential features of which were, that the white people of the Territories should be permitted to decide for themselves whether they would enslave the colored people or not, and that the *'ree States of the North should return to the South persons who attempted to escape from slavery.
Mr. Johnson was neverashamedof his lowly origin: on the contrary, he often took piide in avowing that he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- ior was the son of a carpenter."
In the Charleston- Baltimore convention of iSuo, ae {Was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the Soutli- irn Democracy became apparent, he took a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he established the most stringent military rule. His numerous proclamations attracted *ide attention. In
1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15,
1865, became President. In a speech two days later he said, " The American people must be taught, if they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and must be punished ; that the Government will not always beai with its enemies ; that it is strong not only to protect, but to punish. * * The people must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole administration, the history of which is so well known, was in utter icKonsistency with, and the most violent
opposition to. the principles laid down in that speech.
In his loose policy of reconstruction and general amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char- acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In the beginnirig of 1868, on account of " high crimes and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- ferred against him, and the trial began March 23.
It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three months. A test article of the impeachment was at length submitted to the court for its action. It was certain that as the court voted upon that article so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced tiie President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against him. The change of one vote from the not guilty side would have sustained the impeachment.
The President, for the remainder of his term, was but little regarded. He continued, though impotent!;-, his conflict with Congress. His own party did not think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- alleled since the days of Washington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the e.x-President made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach- ing the residence of his child the following day, was stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, with every demonstration of respect
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EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT.
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LYSSES S. GR.\NT, the eighteenth President of the "■ '' United States, was bom on 'i the 29th of April, 1822, of s Christian parents, in a humble _;Jy home, at Point Pleasant, on the banks of the Ohio. Shortly after his father moved to George- town, Brown Co., O. In this re- mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses received a common-school edu- cation. At the age of seven- teen, in the year 1839, he entered the Military Academy at West Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating Indians.
The war with Mexico came, Lieut. Grant was sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at Resacade la Palma, his second battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that ne performed a signal service of daring and skillful horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one side of the anin\al, ran the gauntlet in entire safety.
From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he was apfxjinted quartermaster of his regiment. At the battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- pultepec.
At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- turned with his regiment to New York, and was again sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The discover)' of gold in California causing an immense tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. Grant resigned his commission and returned to the States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- tion of a small farm near St. I^uis, Mo. He had but little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- lena, 111. This was in the year i860. .\s the tidings of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — "Uncle Sam has educated me for the army, though I have served him through one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my tword and see Uncle Sam through this war too."
He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, the capital of the State, where their services were offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the volunteer organization that was being formed in the State in behalf of the Government. On the if'' of
ULYSSES S. GRANT.
)une, t86i, Capt. Grant received a commission as Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- General and was placed in command at Cairo. The rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and stripes were unfurled in its stead.
He entered the service with great determination and immediately began active duty. This was the be- ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately made a Major-General, and the military iistrict of Tennessee was assigned to him.
Like all great captains. Gen. Grant knew well how to secure the results of victory. He immediately Dushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the terrible,battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf.
Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas- ures put the Union Army infighting condition. Then followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels were routed with great loss. This won for him un- bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials ind enter upon \hi' duties of his new ofifice
Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as- sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains were burdened ^\lh. closely packed thousands. His plans were comprehensive and involved a series of campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en- ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur- render of Lee, April 9, 1865.
The war was ended. The Union was saved. The almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal- vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered the country brought him conspicuously forward as the Republican candidate for the Presidential chair.
At the Republican Convention held at Chicago. May 21, r868, he was unanimously nominated for the Presidency, and at the autumn election received a majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294 electoral votes.
The National Convention of the Republican party which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second tenii by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 electoral votes being cast for him.
Soon after the close of his second term. Gen. Grant started upon his famous trip around the world. He visited almost every country of the civilized world, and was everywhere received with such ovations and demonstrations of respect and honor, private as well as public and official, as were never before bestowed upon any citizen of the United States.
He was the most prominent candidate before the Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re- nomination for President. He went to New York and embarked in the brokerage business under the firm nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. The General was attacked with cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as General of the Army and retired by Congress. The cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 1885, the nation went in mourning over the death oif the illustrious General.
s
NINETEENTH PRESIDENT.
91
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m MIJTHElMFORD Be Mm'TSS.
UTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth President of *the United States, was born in Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- most three months after the ''"^^ death of his father, Rutherford Hayes. His ancestry on both the paternal and maternal sides, was of the most honorable char- acter. It can be traced, it is said, as far back as 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two Scottish chief- tains, fighting side by side with Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both families belonged to the nobility, owned extensive estates, and had a large following. Misfor- rane cvtrtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- land in i6iSo, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son George wat born in Windsor, and remained there during his liJe. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- turerof scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel aiid grandfather of President Hayes, was born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an utiknown date, settling in Erattleboro, where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was
born. He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- grated thither from Connecticut, they having been among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
The father of President Hayes was an industrious frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock, ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to undertake. He was a member of the Church, active in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- ducted his business on Christian principles. After the close of the war of 181 2, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio.
The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day when there were no canals, steamers, not railways, was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter mined to move to Delaware, where the fainily arrived in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three months before the birth of the son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- reavement, found the support she so much needed in her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the household from the day of its departure from Ver- mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted some time before as an act of charity.
Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the
92
RUTHERFORD B. HA YES.
subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he was not expected to live beyond a month or two at most. As the months went by he grew weaker and weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on fimiliar terms with the family, after alluding to the •boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of nim, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't wonder if he would really come to something yet."
" You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You vait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him President of the United States yet." The boy lived, in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his mother.
The boy was seven years old before he went to school. His education, however, was not neglected. He probably learned as much from his mother and iister as he would have done at school. His sports were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being his sister and her associates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings of others, which are marked traits of his character. His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest in his education ; and as the boy's health had im- 'proved, and he was making good progress in his studies, he proposed to send hirii to college. His pre- paration commenced with a tutor at home; bit he was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. Immediately after his graduation he began the study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- mained two years.
In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he was admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- Cession.
\n 1849 he moved to Cincmnari, where his ambi- tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at this period, had a powerful influence upon his sul)se- quent 'ife. One of these was his marrage with Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webl), of Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its members suck men as'^hief Justice Salmon P. Chase,
Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many others hardly less distinguished in afterlife. The marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did more than she to reflect honor upon American woman hood. The Literary Cluu brought Mr. Hayes into constant association with young men of high char- acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the qualities so long hidden by his bashfulneis and modesty.
In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judgs of the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to ac. cept the nomination. Two years later, the office ol city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Counci'k elected him for the unexpired term.
In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion iiroke out, he was al tne zenith of his professional I'f,. His rank at the bar was among the the first. But the news of the attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take -id arms for the defense of his country.
His military record was bright and illustrious. In October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, h^ was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle of South Mountain he received a wound, and while faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude that won admiration from all.
Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and i)laced in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, and for gallant and meritorious setvices in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted Major-General, "forgallant and distirguished services during the campaigns of 1864, in ^V'est Virginia." In the course of his arduous services, four horses were shot from under him, and he was wounded four times In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from the Second Ohio District, wliich had long been Dem- ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, and after his election was inqMrtuned to resign his commission in the army ; but be finally declared, " 1 shall never come to Washington until I can come by the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866.
Ir. 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a populai Democrat. In 1869 was re-eiected over George H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. in 1876 he was the standard beaier of the Repub- lican P.irty in the Presidential contest, and after a hard long contest was chosen President, and was in aunurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his full term, not, h. wever, with satisfaction to his party, but his administration was an average or>.?
L Cy^'^;f-^^-<<7{
TiVENTIETH PRESIDENT.
95
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AMES A. GARt'IELD, twen- tieth President of the United States, was born Nov. 19, 1S31, ill the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga Co., O His par- ents were Abram and Eliza (Ballou) Garfield, both of New England ancestry and from fami- lies well known in the early his- tory of that section of our coun- try, but had moved to the Western Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- ment.
The house in which James A. was born was not unlike the houses of poor Ohio farmers of that day. It .,ic about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- .W2en the logs filled witji clay. His father was a .lard working farmer, and he soon had his fields jleared, an orcliard planted, and a log barn built. The liousehold comprised the father and mother and •heir four cliildren — iMehetabel, Thomas, Mary and 'ames. In May, i823j the father, from a cold con- .racted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At ihis time James was about eighteen months old, and riiomas about ten years old. No one, ])erhaps, can fell how much James was indebted to his biother's ceil and self sacrifice during the twenty years suc- ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace.
The early educational advantages young Garfield enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed mother in he' 'tmggles to keep the little family to-
gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest fiicnd of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sureof the sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the sweat of tlie brow. He was ever the simple, plain, modest gentleman.
The highest ambition of young Garfield until hi was about si.xteen years old was to be a captain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the understanding, however, tliat he should try to obtair some other kind of employment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city After making many applications for work, and trying to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- mained at this work but a short time when he wen"; home, and attended the seminary at Chester for about three years, when he entered Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in tlie meantime, and doing other work. This school was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of which church he was then a member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon " exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest h(V.- ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram College as its President. As above stated, he early united with the Christian or Diciples Church at Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where he haiipened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion;
90
JAMES A. GARFIELD.
"President Garfield was more than a^man of strong moral and religious convictions. His whole history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In my judgmeuL there is no more interesting feature of his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to the less stately and cultured Christian comnmnions in which they have been reared. Too often it is true that as they step upward in social and political sig- nificance they step upward from one degree to another in some of the many types of fashionable Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the :hurch of his mother, the church in which he was trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- ',arian charity for all ' wlio loveour Lord in sincerity.'"
Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. ir, rSsS, who proved herself worthyasthewifeof one whom allthe world loved and mourned. To them were born seven children, five of whom are still living, four boys and one girl.
Mr.Garfieldmade his first politicalspeechesin 1856, Jn Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, and in i86r was admitted to the bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he liad talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 14, t86i. He was immediately put into active ser- vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, was placed in command of four regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the work of driving out of his native State the officer '.Humphrey Mirshall) reputed to be the ablest of those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him Brigadier-General, Jan. ro, 1862; and as "he had been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now he was the youngest General in the arniy." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, in itsoperations around Corinth and its march through Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- crans, and was assigned to the " Chief of Staff."
The military history of Gen. Garfield closed with
his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won the stars of the Major-General.
Without an effort on his part Ges Garfield was elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio had been represented in Congiess for sixty year» mainly by two men — Elisha Whittlesey and Joshui, R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- tered Congress he was the youngest member in that body. Thert; he remained by successive re- elections until he was elected President in 1880. Of his la.bors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which has been debated in Congress, or discussed before & tribunel of the American people, in regard to whict you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu» ment on one side stated, in almost every instance better than by anybody else, in some speech made in the House of Representatives or on the hustings by Mr. Garfield."
Upon Jan. r4, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the same year, was nominated as the candidate of his party for President at the great Chicago Convention. He was elected in the following November, and on March 4, r88r, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- ministration ever opened its existence under brighter auspices than that of President Garfield, and every day it grew in favo." with the people, and by the first of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- liminary work of his administration and was prepar- ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams College. While on his way and at the depot, in com- pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stejiped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. The President tottered and fell, and as lie did so the assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his victim, but in.licting no farther injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was " the shot that was heard round the world " Never before in the history of the Nation had anything oc- curred which so nearly froze the blood of the peop"'; for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and was at the summit of his ]iower and hope. For eighty days, all during the hot months of July and August, he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent bearing was teaching the country and the world the noblest of human lessons— how to live grandly in the very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. rg, 1883, at Elberon, N. J , on the very bank of the ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The world wept at his death, as it never had done on the death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- cuted, in one year after he committ«d the fou? deed.
TWENTY-FIRST PRESIDENT.
99
HESTER A. ARTHUR,
twenty-first Presi^'.^iu of the
^7' United States, was born in
f ranklin Cour ty, Vermont, on
9 the fifthofOc'ober, 1830, andis
the oldest of a family of two
sons and five daughters. His
father was the Rev. Dr. William
Arthur, a Baptist d'.fgyman, who
emigrated to tb'.s country from
the county Ant.-im, Ireland, in
his i8th year, and died in 1875, in
Newtonville, neai Albany, after a
long and successful ministry.
Young Arthur was educated at Union College, S( henectady, where he excelled in all his studies. Af- ter his graduation he taught school in Vermont for two years, and at the expiration cf that time came to New York, with $500 in his jwcket, and entered the ofifice of ex-Judge E. D. Culver as student, .^fter being admitted to the bar he formed a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing in the West, and for three months they roamed about in the Western States in search of an eligible site, but in the end returned to New York, where they hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success^ ful career almost from the start. General Arthur soon afterward majprd the daughter of Lieutenant
Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's nommation to the Vice Presidency, leaving two children.
Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon, athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided that they could not be held by the owner under the Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from tlie South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed to represent the People, and they won their case, which then went to the Supreme Court of the United States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward the emancipation of the black race.
Another great service was rendered by General Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride on their cars, and the other car companies quickly
CHESTER A. AitTfftJR.
followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- sons and the other lines refused to let them ride" at all.
General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed hmi Engineer- in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered great service to the Government during the war. At the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New York, was added to the firm. The legal prac- tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if not indeed one of national extent.
He always took a leading part in State and city politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt.
Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous National Republican Convention held at Chicago in June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political convention that ever assembled on the continent. It was composed of the )2ading politicians of the Re- publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their respective candidates that were before the conven- tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur for Vice-President. The campaign which followed was one of the most animated known in the history of our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his party made a valiant fight for his election.
Finally the election came and the country's choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. A. few months only had passed ere the newly chosen President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of anjcious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na-
tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- able patience that he manifested during those hours and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- fering man has often been called upon to endure, was seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr, Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his^ credit that his every action displayed only an earnest desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in deed or look of this man, even though the most honored position in the world was at any moment likely to fall to him.
At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- field from further suffering, and the world, as nevei before in its history over the death of any othei man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of the high office, and he took the oath in New York, Sept. 20, 1 88 1. The position was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been greatly neglected during the President's long illness,' and many important measures were to be immediately decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he did not fail to realize under what circumstances he became President, and knew the feelings of many on this point. Under these trying circumstances President Arthur took the reins of the Government in his owr. hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so wisely that but few criticisea \iis administration. He served the nation well and faithfully, until the close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate before his party for a second term. His name was ably presented before the con- vention at Chicago, and was received with great favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity of one of the opposing candidates, he would have been selected as the standard-bearer of his party for another campaign. He retired to private life car- rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory to them and with credit to himself.
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TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT.
103
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TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- LAND,the twenty second Pres- I ident of the United States, was \ born in 1837, in the obscure town of Caldwell, Essex Co., N. J., and in a little two-and-a- h ilf story white house which is still St mding, characteristically to mark the liu:nble birth-place of one of \nn.nca's great men in striking con- trast with the Old World, where all men high in office must be high in origin and born in the cradle of wealth. Wiien the subjei;t of this sketch was three years of age, his father, who was a Presbyterian min- ister, with a large family and a. small salary, moved, by way c. the Ha Isou River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, in search of an inceased income and a larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most straggling of country villages, about five miles from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born.
At the last mentioned place young Grover com- menced going to school in the "good, old fashioned way," and presum ibly distinguished himself after the manner of all village boys, in doing the things he ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of all geniuses and indepe:ident thinkers. When he arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgro^vn the capacity of the village school and expressed a most
emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To thia his father decidedly objected. Academies in those days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to become self-supporting by the quickest possible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed to be a position in a country store, where nis father and the large family on his hands had considerable inflaence. Grover was to be paid $jo for his services tlie first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to receive ;|ioo the second year. Here the lad com- menced his career as salesman, and in two years he had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness that his employers desired to letain him for an in- definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- ville, he went with the family in their removal to Cliiito:i, whire he had an opportunity of attending a high school. Here he industriously pursued his studies until the fami'y removed with him to a point on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, .M. Y. .\t this [)lace his father died, after preaching bat three Sundays. This event broke up the family, and Grover set out for Mew York Ciiy to accept, at a small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two years, and although he obtained a good reputation in this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his
S. GROVE R CLEVELAND.
calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, fte left the city to seek his fortune. !n=t=^'' •)*' crnlnw to a city. He liisc xnougnt ot Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some charm in that name for him; but before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to isk the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not speak enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to stady lavf," was the reply. "Good gracious!" remarked ih« old gentleman ; " do you, indeed 1 What ever put that into your head? How much money have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got any."
After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a year, wriile iic cuuld " look around." One day soon ifterward he boldly walked in»o the office of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told lliem what he wanted. A number of young men were already en- gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, a:id ne was finally permitted to come as an office boy and Have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his board and washing. The walk to and from his uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although the first winter was a memorably severe one, his shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. On the first day of his service here, his senior em- ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "Thai's where they all begin." A titter ran around the little circle of clerks and students, as they thought that was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; Dut indue time he mastered that cumbersome volume. Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for chasing principles through all their metaphysical possibil'ties. " Let us quit talking and go and do It," was practically his motto.
The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was eiected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital pi'.ishment upon two caiminals. Li iSSi he was elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms
in the administration of the municipal affairs of that c-'t" Tn thir office, a? w»l.) as that of Sheriff, his pertormance oi duty iias generally been considered fair, with possibly a few exce])tions which were fer- reted out and magnified during the last Presidential campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an inioui tons street-cleaning contract: "This is a time foi plain speech, and my objection to your action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme to betray the interests of the people and to worsj than squander tiie people's money." The New York Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and his administration of the affairs of State was generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if any, were made very public throughout tlie nation after he was nominated for President of the United States. For this high office he was nominated July ir, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Beniamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.: and he was elected by the people, by a majority of aI>out a thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- l.md resigned his office as Governor of New York in January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as the Ciiief Executive of the United States. ,in which capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th ol March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected tlie following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of Arka.isas.
The silver question precipitated a controversy be- tween those who were in favor of the continuance of silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his inauguration.
(^uY O^^
TWENTY-THIRD PRESIDENT.
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:ENJAMIN HARRISON, the
twenty-third President, is the descendant of one of the liistorieal families of this 1 'Uintry. The head of the tuinily was a l^Iajor General Harrison, one of Oliver Cromwell's triioted follow- ers and fighters. lu the zenith of Crom- well's power it became th.:. duty of this Harrison to participate xu ttie trial of Charles I, and afterward tc sign the deyih warrant of the king. He subse- quent!} paid for this with his life, being hung Oct. 13, 16C0. His descendants came to America, and the next of the family that appears in history is Benja- ."zin 'larrison, of Virginia, great-grand- father of the subject of this sketch, and after wbom he was named. Benjamin Harrison •s-as a member of the Continental Congress during the years 1 774-5-6, and was one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. Be wa thi-ee times elected Governor of Virginia, Gen William Henry Harrison, the son of the
distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a suc- cessful career as a soldier during the War of 1812, and with -a clean record as Governor of the North- western Territory, was elected President of the United States in 1840. His saroer was cut short by dc.ith within one month .fter Ids in-uguration. President Harrison vi" bcrn at ^oi"-. ijr^ud, Hamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. "0, 18a3 His life up to the time of his graduation by the Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a coun- try' lad of a family of small means. His father was able to give him a good education, and nothing more. He became engaged while at college to thi daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female schoo at Oxford. After graduating he determined to en- ter upon the study of the law. He went to Cin cinnati and then read law for two years. At the expiration of that time young Harrison receiv-d tbi only inheritance of his life ; his aunt dying left LiiE a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to get married at once, «aks this money and go to some Eastern town an '. be- gin the practice of law. He sold his lot, and with the money in his pocket, he started out wita his young wife to fight for a place in the world- E«
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BENJAMIN HARRISON.
decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at lliat time a town of promise. He met with slig'.it encouragement at first, making scarcely anything the first year. He worked diligently, applj'ing him- self closely to his calling, built up an extensive practice and took a leading rank in the legal pro- ression. He is the father of two children.
In 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- gan his experience as a stump speaker He can- vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a handsome majority. In 1862 be raised the 17th Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its Colonel. His regiment w.is composed of ■^he rawest of material, out Col. Harrison employed all his time at first mastering military tactics and drilling his men, when he therefore came to move toward the East with Sherman his I'egiment was one of the best '.Jrilled and organized in the army. At Resaca he ■jspecially distinguished himself, and for his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier Gen- eral, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most complimentary terms.
During tiie absence of Gen. Harrison in the field
lie Supreme Court declared the olHee of the Su- preme Court Reporter vacant, and another person was elected to the position. From the time of leav- irg Indiana with his regiment until the fall oi 1864 he had taken no leave of absence, but having been nominated that year for the same office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time made a brilliant canvass ot the State, and was elected for another terra. He then started to rejoin Sher- man, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet ;ever, and after a most trying siege made his way to the front in time to participate in the closing incidents of the war
In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined ^ re-election as .-eporter, and resumed the practice of law In 1876 ne was a candidate for Governor. Although de-
ieated, the brilliant campaign ht^ iLade won iorhim a National reputation, and he was aiuch sought, es- pecial.y in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, as usual, he took an active par*' in iae campaign, unH WW elected to the United States Senate. Here uc sei-ved six years, and ras known as one ox the ibiest men, best i&wyer"^ «.ud strongest debaters in
that body. With the expiration of his Senatorial term he returned to the practice of his profession, becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in the State.
The political campaign of 1888 was one of the most memorable in the history of our country. The convention which assembled in Chicago in .June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer of the Republican party, was great in every partic- ular, and on this account, and the attitude it as- sumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief among which w.as the tariff, awoke a deep interest in the campaign throughout the Nation. Shortly after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This move- ment became popul.ar, and from all sections of the country societies, clubs and deleg.ations journeyed thither to pay their respects to the distinguished statesman. The popularity of these was greatly increased on account of the remarkable speeches made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all through the summer and autumn to these visiting delega- tions, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were his speeches that they at once placed him in the foremost rank of American orators and statesmen.
On account of his eloquence as a speaker and hit power as a debater, he was called upon at an un- cornmonly early age to take part in the discussion of the great questions that then began to agitate the eountrj'. He was an uncompromising anti slavery man, and was matched against some of t'.:e most eminent Democratic speakers of his Statvj No man who felt the touch of his blade ds 'red tc be pitted with him again. With all his e'oq-^ence as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect, but his words always went like bullets to the mark He is purely American in his ideas and k a splec did type of the American statesman. Gifted witli quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the most distinguished impromptu speakers in the Nation. Many of these speeches sparlded with the rarest of eloquence and contained arguments of greatest weight. IMany of his terse statements have alreadj" become aphorisms. Origi- nal in thought precise ia logic, terse m statement, yet withal faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the sound statesman and bri.ilan orator c ta^ day
'^t
St. Clair County,
ILLINOIS.
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INTRODUCTORY.
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_r^' ^ 1 IK time has arrived when it becomes the duty of the people of this county to per- petuate the names of their pioneers, lo furnish a record of their early settlement, and relate the story of their progress. The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age and the duty that men of the pres- ent time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In bio- graphical history is found a power to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a' safe vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this country from its primitive state may be preserved. Surely and raiiidly the great and aged men, who in their prime entered the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing to tlieir graves. The number re- maining who can relate the incidents of the first days of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and |)reser- vation of events without delay, before all the earlv settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time.
To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, in spite of their best works and the most e.irnest efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- tion .jto the amount of intelligence they possessed. Th- pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- mations made by the archeologists of Egyiit from buried Memphis jndiwte a desire of vhose people
to perpetuate the memory of their achievements The erection of tlie great obelisks were for the same pur[X)se. Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their great achievements and carry them down the ages. It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea— to leave something to show that they had lived. All these works, though many of them costly in the ex- treme, give L)ut a faint idea of the lives and charac- ters of those whose memory they were intended to perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of the people that then lived, the great pyramids and some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- bling into dust.
It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli- gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating a full history— immutable in that it is almost un- hmited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and this is through the art of printing.
To the present generation, however, we are in- debted for the introduction of the adinirable systeiD of local biogriphy. By this system every man, though he has not achieved what the wodd calls greatness, his the means to perpetuate his life, his history! through the coming ages.
The scythe of Time cuts down all