Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-05-22
Biography of the Late Judge Chase.

Salmon Portland Chase was born in
Cornish, N. H., January 13, 1903. At
the age of IL his father died, and the
boy was sent to Ohio, where his educa-
ton was for time superintended by his
uncle, Bishop Philander Chase. He
graduated at Dartmouth College in
1926. For two or three years he taught
a classical school in Washington, study
ing law meanwhile under William Writ,
and in 1929 was admitted to the bar of
the District. The following year he re-
moved to Cincinnati, and ever since
then has made that city his home.
There he soon acquired lucrative law
practice, and was for some time retained
as solicitor for the Cincinnati branch of
Nick Biddle's bank. His first public
connection with the slavery question
was in 1887, when he ably defended a
fugitive from the patriarchal institution.
In 1916 he was associated with Mr.. Sew
ard in the Van Zandt case, in the Su-
preme Court of the United States, hold
ing then, as before, that there was no
power in Congress to legislate for the
reclamation of fugitives, and that, IN
fact, no fugitive could be reclaimed at
all unless proved to have escaped from
one of the original States. In 1910 Mr..
Chase supported Harrison for the Presl-
dency, and in 1843 was one of the lead
ing members of the Liberty party con-
vention held at Buffalo. Four years
later he presided in the second national
convention of the party, and partici-
pated in the nomination of Martin Van
Buren, as the Free Soil candidate.
In the Ohio Legislature, in the win
ter of 1889, three or four F'ree-Soil-
ers held the balance of power, and,
uniting for that purpose with the Dem
ocratic members, they secured the cleo
tion of Mr.. Chase to the United States
Senate. In that body he earnestly OPP
posed the Clay compromise measures of
1850; and in 1854 was foremost in
arousing the storm of popular indigna-
ton against the Kansas-Nebraska bill
and the repeal of the Missouri COM
promise. Nominated for Governor of
Ohio, upon the issues then presented,
he was elected in 1855, and was promi-
nently named for the Presidential NOM
ination in the first national convention
of the Republican party in 1856. He
was reelected Governor in 1857. In
the Chicago convention of 1860 he re-
ceived 49 votes for the Presidency on
! the first ballot. Mr.. Lincoln called him
to the head of the Treasury Department
in March of the following year, and he
continued in charge of the financial af-
fairs of the Government up to the 30th
| of June, 1864, conducting the operations
of the department with matchless skill
throughout that most trying period. In
October of the same year he was ap-
pointed by President Lincoln to the Of
fee of Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, then just made vacant by the
death of Roger B. Taney. One of the
most notable incidents of his judicial
career was the organization of the Sem
ate as an impeachment court Gin which
he presided) for the trial of President
johnson. In 1868 he narrowly escaped
a nomination for the Presidency from
the New York Democratic Convention,
his sympathies having been quite strong
ly with that party for some time. Two
or three years ago he suffered severely
from paralysis, and his life was at one
time despaired of. He never fully re-
gained his health, and for a long time
took no part in the business of the
court Latterly he had recovered suf-
ficiently to resume the discharge of his
official duties, and was supposed to be
gradually gaining strength. His death
at this time, therefore, was as lnex-
pected as sudden, and will excite feel
ing of profound regret throughout the
land. - ;lf