New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-30


No apology is needed because OF the lcngti
OF the following letter. 1t treats Of a topic
which commands the hearty accord Of every
son "f New Hampshire, and in manner al
once interesting and Instructive:
WASHINGTON. ID. C., Dec ~, 1872.
Hya. Ba,.a.,i, +. Prescott, .Ssc,.,Hy ST At
STATE # Voc Hsmg2ii,c:
Ny DEAR SIR: Your letter of Il recent
date relating To the portraits Of the Gov
crnors nt New Hampshire. has been received.
Your z1ai is commcnlalle. | am highly
pleased AT vour success. The gallery has be-
come exceedingly vaialalc. Every son OF
the Old Granite state mas. feel Il just pride
and satisfaction, while viewing the collection
Of So many distinguished mcn who have
oraced the Cubcrnatprial chair ana rendered
the history of New Hampshire iIlustrious.
earnestly desire that the catalogue may be
completed, and rejoice at the present pros
pect OF success. The origin OF this interest
ing feature Of the Council Chamber you will
understand; bat it may not he amiss to give
its history. In the month Of August, 1859,
while Secretary of State. visited in company
with Governor Ichabod Goodwin. our State
bencfciaries at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum,
at Hartford, Conn. During our stay in that
city, we enjoyed the Inequalities Of Rev. DR..
Daniel Goodwin. the President Of Trinity
College. and brother of our excellent Gov
ernor. who kindly conducted us to the many
places Of interest in that city. among which
was the State capitol. On being ri-hcrcd into
the Senate Chamber. we noticed that its
walls were adorned with the portraits Of the
Governors from the iirSt-thc patriot Trum-
hull-to the 40 less patriotic buckingham,
the then Executive OF the State. The collcc-
ton was complete from l7G9. with the cxcep-
ton Of Governors Matthew and Roger Girls
void. There were the fine old portraits Of
three of the cOlOnia! Governors in the pc"Il-
liar costume of the times. John and Fritz
John Winthrop and Gov. Saltonstall, whose
administrations covered a long, but not the
entire period, from 1867 to 1924. Conncc.i-
cut has done honor to its eminent chief mag
istrates by preserving the licensees of the
Trumbulis, the Wolcotts, Huntington, Ed
wards, Ellsworth. Baldwin. buckingham and
other occupants Of the chair Of State. Since
INV visit there the brave and answering
Hawley has added new lustrc to the group,
and lis brlliancy is still further increased by
our own New Hampshire Jewell. shedding
additional radiance on the scene.
This care for the memory Of their dis
t!ngulshcd public servants was suggestive.
and Immediately resolved on inauguratinC
Il movement for a similar object in our own
state. Our intimate acquaintance at that
time caused me to confer with Won on the
subject. You commended the project. and
recommended an artist OF excellent rcnuta-
ton. Adna Tenney, Esq, whose studio was
on Main street, Concord, rs Il suitable person
10 execute. III satisfactory manner. and at
reasonable compensation. any orders in the
line OF his profession. He had already PAINTED
nav portrait, as well as your own, both of
which were regarded as cminently life-like
and correct. Gov. Goodwin was requested
10 sit Tor his portrait, and it was finished to
our satisfaction. Ournoblc Governor, whose
generosity is p-0verbial, when apprised of
purpose, "avc his approval. and proposed
'ciray the cNrcH-" OF his own. bat the Of
was declined. Mvassocia,cs at the State
iiouse-Ailcn Tcnnv, the accomplished De-
putty, and my immediate successor in Office.
;nld now lracticing attorney at Norwich.
Connecticut; Col. Peter Sanborn. State
treasurer, and now an honored citizen of
concord; Joseph {. Abbott, Adiutant Gen
etai, and more recently l.. :. Senator from
North Carolina, and myself donated il to the
state. Gov. Goodwin then ordered the nor
trait Of cX-Goy. Ralph Mctcalf. then de.
ceased, a. his contribution To the collection.
x-Govcrnors Anthony Colby and William
--aI!e promptly responded 10 our application
favored us with their portraits. Through
'eNertlnn OF mysclfand Successors in Office.
/ permanently yourself, there are now
suspended in the Council Chamber portraits
Of Josiah Bartlett, l190-3; Jeremiah smith
iso9; William Plumer, 1872, lslG-l8:
Samuel Bell, lsl9-22; David l.. Morrill,.
lS2I-2G; Benjamin Pierce, lSa7-o9: Mat
thew Harvey, 1890; Samuc. Dinsmoor Sen
lS3l-3; Isaac Hill, 1905; Anthony Colby
ls4G; Jared ". Williams, 1875; Noah
Martin, 1928; Nathaniel b. Baker, 1854 ;
Ralph Metcalf. 1856; William Halle. 1857
5; Ichabod Goodwin, lS59-G0; Nathaniel
:. Berry, lsGl-2; Joseph A. Gilmore, 1863
4; Frederick Smyth, lsG5-G; Walter Harri-
man, lS61-S; OEslaw Stearns, 1sG9-10
James A. Weston, 1871. There is also the
an early day of William Badger, 1915
.41ucl Dinsmoor, Jr., lsi9-5l; Ezekiel A.
-.aw, 1872. There is wanting the portrait
Matthew Thornton, President, while the
D. vince was governed by a convention ;l:tcr
- Royal Governor Withdrew, 1915. Also
is wanting the portrait of Meshach Weare,
President l4.G-si under temporary constitu-
ton. Under constitution of 1854. were Pres
idspts Mcshach Weare, 1854 John Sullivan,
I7sG-7, 1883; John Langdon. l1s5-l7Ss.
Under the constitution Of l19., were Gov
ernors, JOHN Taylor Gilman, ls94-lS04,
Isl3-l5; John Langdon, 1868, ISlO-lI
Levi Woodbury., 1923; John Bell, 1923
John Page, 1871 Henry Hubbard, 1929;
John II. Steele, 1915.
The portraits Of all these eminent men
should be secured, and have no doubt that
the descendants Of the departed Governors
VIII have sufficient family pride to honor the
memory Of their distinguished ancestors by
supplying the deficiency. II orignals cannot
he spared, Mr.. Tenny, who is now at Con.
cord, Viii faithfully furnish copies, or work
up from any existing likeness, a suitable por-
uai! and Of uniform size TO those already con.