The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-10-22
NO. 81.
The Length Of Service Of our Leading
Statesmen.

None Of our great nen have held SO
many Offices, nor enjoyed such a long
and uninterrupted official career, rs John
Quincy Adams He was Minister to tie
Netherlands, under Washington, 1794.G,
Minister to Portugal, 796 /; Minister
to Prussia during the administration Of
his father, 1868 803 : Senator, 1868 s \;
Minister to Russia, under Madison, 1909
l3 Commissioner TO Ghent, 181314;
Minister to Eng land. lsl5-l7; Secretary
of State, under Monroe, 1874; Pres
ident, 1824-29; and Member Of Congress
from 1881 to 1847, the date Of his death.
Thus, in period Of fifty. three years, the
intervals between the laying down of o, o
office and the assumption of another,
amount, when added together, to less
than two .-Phlodelphia Press.
The official career of General Lewis
Cass has been even longer than that of
Mr.. Adams. Commencing as a member
of the first State Legislature of Ohio, in
1909, he has been in high public posi-
ton ever since, period Of ttty eight
gears. Within that time he has been
Governor of Territory, Indian Super
intendent. Secretary of War, Minister 10
France, United States Senator for twelve
years, candidate for President, and Sec
retary of State. When he leaves Il
Secretary of States Department, in 1861.
he will complete service of about sixty
years in the high Offices of the govern
ment. He is, indeed. the patriarch of
our statesmen, 80 far as length of foiiicial
service is concerned.
Martin Van Buren,, while he has not
been in Office as long as some of our
statesmen, is the only one who has filed
the four highest and most dignifed and
powerful positions under the American
constitution. He has been Minister TO
/ Eng land, Secretary of State, Vice Pre-
ident, and President. His public life
commenced in 1908, as Surrogate OF CO.
iumbia County, \. Y, which he left for
the State Senate, and then as Attorney
General of the State, United States Sena-
tor, Governor, Minister TO England, Sec
retarv Of State, Vice President and Pres
ident. He was constantly before tn peo-
pie as al important parsonage down TO
his retirement from the Presidency of
1871, period of thirty three years.
Perhaps we ought not to say that lis
public career then close |. for he was a
prominent candidate for President before
the Baltimore Convention in l844, and
he run as a Free soil candidate for Pres
dent in l848.
Henry Clay's public career commenc-
ed in 1907, MS a member of the Senate Of
the United States, and concluded as a
member of the same body in 1852, an
interval of forty five years. He was
United States Senator, member of the
House, Speaker of that body for twelve
years. longer period than any other
man ever served in that capacity-Mnis-
. ter to Client as one Of the Comm ission-
ers TO conclude the peace with CIR at
. Britain in 1914, and Secretary Of State
from 1925 TO 1929,
Thomas Ii Benton served longer Pc
riod in Congress than any other Of our
public men. He entered the United
: States Senate when Missouri VAS admit
: ted in 1897, and continued there until
+, 1851. period Of thirty years. lie ne'
er held any other Office.
John c. Calhoun entered the House OF
Representative, in 1911, served there un
/ iii 1917, when lie became Secretary o.
/ War under Mr.. Monroe. In 1924, he
|, was elected Vice President, and re-elect'
ed in 1898 In 1881, lie resigned the
station of Vice President TO become 4
!. United Safes Senator from Sou.h Caro-
lima. The reason of this extraordinary
step was that he might champion 'h'
T cause Of nullitcation in the Senate, and
/, reply TO the arguments Of Mr., Webster
:. on that subject, which We're producing
an extraordinary effect upon H." country
He continued in the Senate until 1914
when he became Secretary Of Safe un
/ der John Tyler. In lG45 lie re enteie,
the Senate. and was a member Of il i,
= 1850. when lie died
q Daniel Webster came TO the House o
= Representatives in 1914, from New Hamp
!. shire In 1920 he was elected from Bos
. ton, Mass. to which city he had removed
le In 1898 he WAS elected to the Unite
II States Senate. In l34l he was Secretar
Of State. In l8i5 he was again Sens