Middletown transcript., 1880-03-20
From the Philadelphia Times.
WHITE HOUSE GALLERY.
THOMAS F. BAYARD, OF DELAWARE.
The Brief But Brilliant Career of Great
Democratic Statpsman-A Pen Picture
of the Man and His Ways-His Early
Manhood-His Life ut Home
and at the Capital

IdGllCi bC lSlb IIdu UC L IGSluCLl,
the sentiment was applauded and be
came historic (albeit it was not original
with him), but there was some scepti
cism among his contemporaries az to
his sincerity. There is a statesman OF
to-day, however, who might say ii
with perfect truth, and everybody who
knows him would believe it. Indeed
he has said it through every act in his
capacity as public man, and he is
believed. That man is Thomas Fran
els Bayard, of Delaware
Mr.. Bayard is commonly esteemed
Southerner, and he is, if Delaware
is fairly called Southern State, but
the fact is that he was born to the
north of the most northern point on
Mason and Dixon's line, and only
eight miles from the Pennsylvania
border. Wilmington was his birth
place. The date of his birth was Oc-
tober 20, 1928. believe, with old
John Randolph, that there is some
thing in the blood Of men as well as
in the blood of horses, and that blood
will tell 1t has told in the Bayard
family. The Bayards, Of Delaware,
are collateral descendants of the Chev-
alier Bayard, the last, as he was the
best, example of the institution of
knight errantry, and to whom were
first applied the words, without fear
and without reproach." The direct
ancestor of the Delaware Bayards was
Nicholas, a French Huguenot, who
took refuge in America in 1917, along
with the famous Peter Stuyvesant
the last Dutch Governor of New York.
One hundred and twenty years after
this emigration there arose in the new
world Bayard who made some mark
in the world. This was James A. Bay
ard, first, (Asheton is the middle name
Of the James A's) who was the leader
Of the policy under which the election
Of Thomas Jefferson instead of Aaron
Burr as President was assured. He
was also one of the commissioners who
negotiated the treaty of Ghent, and it
was he who set to fut re Bayards the
example of becoming United States
Senator, having caught the idea from
his father-in-law, Governor Basset,
who was his immediate predecessor in
the Delaware Senatorship. The ex-
ample was followed by two of the sons
of James A. Bayard, first, namely,
Richard Basset Bayard, who was Sen
ator from 1886 to 1889 and from 1841 |
to l845, and James A. Bayard, second, |
who was elected to the Senate in 1851, |
1857, 1863 and 1869, and twice re-
signed the Office So that, including
the present Senator, son ofJames A.
Bayard, second, and counting in father
in-law Bassett, the Bayard family has
produced five United States Senators
and Thomas F. Bayard, to use a con-
venient figure, now wears the Sena-
torial robes which have rested success
sively on the shoulders Of his great
grandfather, grandfather, uncle and
father.
THE EMBRYO SENATOR AS A PHILA-
DELPHIAN.
"Tom," as he was affectionately call
ed by all Delawareans and a good
many other people, is not a selfmade
man in the common acceptation of the
term. He is, however, not college
bred, but in the main self-educated.
He got his schooling in a desultory
way, in Wilmington. and studied for
a while under the birch of the Rev.
DR.. Hawks, who had private school
on Long Island that was quite famous
in its day. 1t was expected that he
would be merchant, his elder brother,
James a Bayard, third, being set
apart as the inheritor of the legal tai
ent Of his father and grandfather. So
Tom went to Philadeldhia, and,
in the store of S. Morris Vain, at the
corner Of Second and Walnut streets,
was put in training for mercantile life. ,
He stuck close to his desk -four years,
and there are people now walking
Chestnut street who remember him as ;
a somewhat gawky but pleasant-man-
nered nd glib-tongued clerk. The {
death Of his brother in 184S. however, ,
changed the course Of his life. He {
was called home to his fathers office, /
began to study law, and in due time {
was admitted to the bar. Then de- 5
scended upon him the restless spirit \
which comes to all yonng men as GER {
Lainly as a moustache Wilmington |
was slow town, for a young fellow /
who had tasted the excitement of city |
life. Beside, when he did a good t
hing he didn't get credit for it. His {
ather was the leading lawyer Of the /
State, and when the firm won a suit Q
people always said, "that's the old i
nan. Tom concluded to strike out t
or himself and pack | up his traps L
md came back to Philadelphia, where r
ne hung out his shingle ard practiced '
aw, as he had opportunity, under the t
'ye of William Shipper. But this r
asted only year or two. His fathers v
election to the Senate and growing l
absorption in public affairs made it "
for him to call the young "
nan back again. He returned reluct- h
.ntly, but work soon told and it was Il
lot long before he was appointed "
United States District Attorney. Then J.
lis professional life became thing of 81
ONE importance. His ability was W
and commanded in p
curse of time both money and repu- o.
alton Politically he was a Demo- o.
rat from tn. start and took an active f
interest in politics, but he held no Ii
flee except that of District Attorney,
'hich he received at the hands of
resident Pierce.
HERE HE STOOD DURING THE WAR. - y
When the Rebellion broke out his m
ather was one of the corporaPs guard ri
Tho held the Democratic fort in Con- IA
ress, and he might, in fact, bave been D;
allied the corporal of the guard. Tom, SC
owever, stayed at home and attended hi
cry closely to his growing practice. Of