Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-06-08
Death of Hon. J. II. GIddlngs.
From an obituary notice in the Cleve-
Land Herald we extract the following.

From an obituary notice in the Cleve-
land Herald, we extract the following.
The deceased was in Athens, Bradford
county, Pennsylvani ia, October 9th, 1875.
In infancy his parents removed to Canaan
daieua n. Y. where they remained until
he was ten years of age when they re-
moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio.
In 1872, at the age of seventeen he en-
tered in the service, taking the place, as
substitute, of an elder brother. He was
in two OF more Indian battles on our lake
frontier near Sandusky, and after the war
engaged in school teaching. In 1917 he
entered the law Office of the late Elisha
Whittlesey, and was admitted to practice
in 1920. In 1896 he was elected TO the
Legislature, and in 1888 became the sue.
cessor in Congress of Mr.. Whittlesey.
Here he soon became prominent as an an
ii slavery advocate, his first speech on
that subject being delivered February 9th
lS4I, upon the Florida Indian War. he
also, some years subsequent, wrote very
readable book entitled Exiles of Florida,
in which he illustrated the fact that the
Florida Indian war was but shareholders
plan for reclamation of runaway slaves.
In 1912 the House, on motion OF John
NJ Bolts. passed resolution censuring
Mr.. Giddings for introducing certain res
oluutions declaring that the slaves who
upon the Creole, were being transported,
from Virginia to New Orleans, and who
rose upon the master and crew, and. kill
ing one man, took possession of the yes
sci and escaped to d British port, violated
no law, were liable to no punishment.
and that they could not be re-enslayed.
He held that slavery heing an abridge
ment of natural right, it had no force be-
yond the slave State, and that when the
Creole left the waters of that State, the
blacks ceased to be subject to slave laws;
and had right to assert their freedom,
by force if necessary. The resolution OF
censure was passed by vote of one hun
dred and twenty FIVE to sixty nine, Mr..
Giddings, under the operation of the pre-
vious question, not being PERMITTED TO be
heard.
Mr.. Giddiugs resigned his seat. appealed
to his constituents, was Immediately re-
elected. by an increased majority, and re-
sumed his seat after but six weeks gb-
sence. He was opposed to the admission
of Texas, was opposed TO yielding any
lnl1R lp uSldHtl III lhc OiEEOh cOOANis
controversy, and insisted that Mr.. Polk
Administration did yield because it fear
ed a war with Great Britain would endsn-
ger the existance of slavery. Mr.. Gid
dings refused to vote for Robert C. Win
throp, the Whig candidate for Speaker,
in lS47. and in 1913 he went over to Mr..
Van Buren, and the Free Soil party. In
lS49, he, with eight others in the House,
refused to support any man for Speaker
who would not make pledge to so con-
struct the committees as to secure consid'
Grafton for petitions relating to slavery.
and therefore voted, again, against MIR.
Winthrop, and thus threw the office OF
Speaker into the hands of Howell Cobb,
of Georgia.
May s, 1856, Mr.. 6. had the first OF
those attacks TO which we have referred.
He fell while addressing the House, but
soon revived, although much shattered
by the attack. January II, 1858, he fell
again in the House, and remained uncon-
scious so long that he was thought to be
dead By advice of his physician, he re-
mained while from his post, and, in
1859, failing of nomination, his term OF
Congressional service expired. On the
coming in of Mr. Lincolp's .Adnninistra:
ton, Mr.. Giddings was made Consul Gen
eral to Canada, and has since held that
position, although much of his time has
been spent at his home in Jefferson, Ash
tabula county, or at Washington.