The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-03-04
SOME CURIOUS FACTS ABOUT MEM
BERS OF CONGRESS.

BERS OF CONGRESS-
During the first forty-iive congresses.
all but II ont of the }, 333, members were
born in the United Stalcs-New York
! having .05, Pennsylvania 59H, Virginia
! $50. Massachusetts 100 and Connecticut
| $40. Most Of our foreigu-born statesmen
| have conc from Ireland. England and
Scotland and Germany; have followed in
! about equal proportion. There have
| been two who were born in Bavaria. two
! from Bermuda, five from Canada. seven
teen from England, five from France.
twelve from Germany, fffty-two from
| Ireland, one from Madeira, one from the
| Netherlands. one from New brunswick
one from Nova Scotia, twenty-one from
| Scotland two from Switzerland, four
| from Wales and four from the West
Indies. Out of that long list there have
been ENTHUSIASTICALLY less than half
who received classic. collegiate, or lib
| eral education. 1t has been the custom
more observed in the Eastern States than
i'll the West. to send their representatives
to congress for long continued periods.
Tie occupations of congressman en-
brace nearly every branch Of modern in.
dustry and the professions. Yet there
have been representatives of some occu
pations with whom the newcomers will
b,r 1Iyr ink 70 In ain a
Among them may be mentioned the prize
fighter, one murderer and one barber.
From the colonial days to the present
it has happened that several generations
of the same family have served in one or
both branches of congress. The most
notable among these are the Adamses.
Bayards, breckenridge, lIarrisons.
Chambers. Stocktons, Freinghuysens.
and Holsters.
y complete record of the number of
congressman who have been engaged III
duels has never been kept: but the num-
her who have died in affairs OF honor is |
pretty well known.
Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the
treasury under Washington, leader of |
the Fcderlist party, and a leading spirit |
IN the formation of the Constitution, was
mortally wounded by Aaron Burr, al I
Hoboken, July 3, 1904.
Richard Sptight, of North Carolina. |
was the first to die in duel. He served |
in the Constitutional Congress, and sat |
in the convention which framed the Con-
stitution. lie was killed by his success
or in Congress, John Stanley. The latter |
was tried and sentenced to imprisonment !
but was pardoned by Gov. Williams, OF |
North Carolina, in year. Stanley was
subsequently elected to Congress.
Thomas X. Harris, of Tennessee. died |
in 1916 from wounds received in a duel |
with Colonel Simpson.
Spencer Pettis was killed in duel |
fought with Major Thomas Biddle, at St. |
Louis, August &c, 1881. The duel arose
ont of quarrel over the United States |
Bank, the president of which, Nicholas |
Biddle, was the brother of the challen-
ger.
Ar,lstead T. Mason, ex-senator from
Virginia. fell in duel fought near Wash
inton city with John McCarty, his broth
erin-law, in 1919
Joseph Pierson, of North Carolina. died
from duel fought in 1884, with John
Jackson.
Jonathan Cilley. of Maine, died from
a shot received in a duel fought Feb. IS. |
1888, fired by William J. Graves of Ken
lucky. Graves was subsequently elected
to Congress
George i. Waggaman. United States
Senator from Louisiana. lost his life in a
duel near New Orleans, March %, 1913.
George PondeXter. representative from
Mississippi, fought a duel with mer-
chant and killed him about 1885.
There have been many duels which were
bloodless. Among them the following
are tn most notable:
Those between Henry Clay and Hum
phrey Marshall. and between Clay ard
John Randolph, Of Virginia. Samuel w.
lnge, representative from Alabama fought
at Bladensburg with Edwin Stanley, of
South Carolina, in the Thirt first Con-
gress. neither being seriously injured.
John 5. jackson, of the Thirty seventh
Congress. fought several duels, one with
Thomas f. Marshall, none resulting Sc
riously.
Leonard Jarvis, member from Maine.
challenged colleague F. O. j. Smith,
from the Portland district in about the
Twenty fourth Congress, but the latter
declined to fight.
There have been number of members
who have committed suicide
Haywood Chauncey Riddle shot him
self through the head in Tennessee about
1925. He was undoubtedly insane.
James Blair, a representative from
South Carolina blew out his brains at a
clearinghouse on Capitol Hill, April /,
1884.
Felix Mcconnell, member from Ala
bama, committed suicide it fl of deli
rum. at the St. Charles Hotel, Washing
ton, by stabbimg himself and then cut
ting his throat, September TO- 1916.
Representative James Ashmore. from
South Carolina. blew out his brains at |
Sardis, Miss, December g. 1861.
Elijah Hise, representative in the For
tieth Congress. committed suicide at |
Russellville Ky, May s, 1876.
John White. representative from Ken
lucky. committed suicide at Richmond,
Ky, September -, 1915.
James G..Wilson. United States Sena-
tor from New Jersey, threw himselffrom
his house in fit of delirium in 1899, and |
was killed.
William Ramsey, representative from