The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-11-20
Amos Kendall.

The Hon. Amos Kendall died At Washing,
ton on Friday Of last week, (November lsth, ]
| in the sist year Of his age. He was born al
Dunstable, Mass, in 1889, reared in poverty,
and educated by his own exertions, which,
however, were SO efectual that he was able I'd
60 through full college course, and he grad
uated first of his class at Dartmouth in 1911.
In 1914 he went to Lexington, KY, where,
some years later, he became noted as the edi-
tor of the Kentucky Commonwealth, particu.
larly for his earnest advocacy of the election
Of Gen. Jackson to the Presidency. On Jack.
sons election, in 1929, he gave Kendall the
position of Fourth Auditor of the TtGisufy ;
and in 1885, appointed him Postmaster Gen.
eral, an office in which he was distinguished
by the energy of his management and by the
skill with which he raised it from state of
debt and chaos to solvent condition. With
the close of Jacksons administration he rev
tired from public life, though high positions
were rendered him both by President Van
Buren, and President Polk.
Mr. Kendall gained his chief renown, how.
ever, far less from his mastery management of
the general Post Office than from the general
idea the world obtained, perhaps truthfally,
that he wss the master spirit-the genius be,
hind the curtain-+that inspired the policy and
invented the measures Of the stormy yet spc-
cessful administration of old Hickory As
touching upon this point, and exhibiting the
general popular idea on the subject, we copy
the following paragraph from Miss Martineau's
" RETROSPECT Of Western Travel" written in
1887, when the reputation of Mr.. Kendall was
at its height: IA
II was fortunate enough once TO catch
glimpse Of the invisible Amos Kendall one OF
the most rsnarkabls men in America. He il
supposed to be the moving spring Of the whole
administration; the thinker, planner and doer
of a. excellence which prevents their being ct.
tributsd to persons who take the responsibility
OF them; correspondence is kept up all over
the country for which no one seems to be an
swerable work is done, of goblin extent and
with goblin speed which makes men look about
them with ssuperstitious wonder; and the in.
visible Amos Kendall has the credit of it all.
President Jackson's letters to his Cabinet are
said to be Kendalps; the report on Sunday mails
is attributed to Kendall; the letters sent from
Washington to appear in remote country news.
papers, whence they are collected and published
in the GtOde ~ demonstrations of public opinion,
are pronounced to be written by Kendall Every
mysterious paragraph in opposition newspapers
relates to Kendall; and it is some relief to the
timid that his having now the Office of Postmas.
ter-Geasral affords opportunity for open attacks
upon this twilight parsonage, who is proved, by
the faults in the Post Office administration, not
to be able to do quite everything we'll But he
is undoubtedly great genius. He unites with
his great talent for silence splendid audssity"
Mr.. Kendall was always a favorite at Wash
ington, where he had resided over forty years,
and where he 10 said to have accumulated !
fortune Of half million : but where his ben.
efactions and distributions to the necessitous
kept nearly even pace with his Accommodations