Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-29
CONGRESSIONAL AUTOBIoG PIXIES
CURIOUS FACTS FROM THE DIRECTORY
What Senators and Representatives
Say of Themselvcs-VhereT They were
Born and what They have Done.


Born and what They have Done.
The first directory of new Congress is always
looked for in Washington with peculiar interest,
because its biographical sketches serve as a sort Of
Introduction TO the new members, whose official
station at once renders them an element OF Wash
tngton society. The Congressional directory is a
valuable book Of reference in Washington No
library, no boarding house is complete without It.
FACTS ABOUT SENATORS
or the twenty-S1X Senators who were sworn in at
the beginning OF the present session only twelve
are new to that body. The other fourteen were
simply continued in the Senatorial harness by re-
election. Mr. Morrill, remains the patriarch OF the
Senate, though his colleague, Mr. Edlnunds, LOOKS
older and is invariably taken for the Oldest
member OF the body Mr. kenna, Of West
Virginia, is the Junior member, and is. per
hapS the youngest man Who ever attained
the dignited and exalted position OF senator.
Nhen elected he was not So years of age. The
longest senatorial biography in the directory Is
That of Mr. Brown, OF Georgia, who admits tnat
because OF his acqueScence in reconstruction mc3-
sures ne "peGalne very unpopular, but salvcs his
vanity by following it with the declaration that
IN every Instance when he has been candid lte
before the people he has been successful" The
btiefeSt sketch IS that OF Senator Gail OF Florida
who occupies less than five lines. The richest Sem
ator Is Mr.. Fair, OF Nevada, though Mr. Bowen of
Coloraeo, it is said, possesses almost as many
millions. AS rule the southern Senators are
@ poor, Brown, OF Georgia, and Malone, OF Viz
are wealthy There are others who make large
incomes 10y the practice OF law, but there are 50
many demands upon them, owing TO tie irnpoy-
er1shed condition OF the south for years past that
Ihey do not save anything. Senator Butler OF
soGth Carolina, is pronounced the hands0meot
man Ia the Senate, though Mr. Riddleberger can
dispute the palm in this respect. Senator
ingalls, Is considered the best debater. SEN
ator Morgan is the best l0gtcian MessrS.
Ednunds and Garland are the ablest lavyers.whie
senator Vance IS the finest rhetoritcian and best
story-teLer But TO return to the directory: Both
leuertte records conspicuous portion OF their per-
Sonal sketches Senator Anthony ranks all Others
Hltn term. Senator Edmunds has been reelected
three times, and MesSrs. B8yard, SALISBURY RAN
sol, ana MorFlli have each been twice reelected.
WHERE THE SENATOR'S WERE BORN.
Kentucky furnishes more sons to the present
Senate than any other state. Eight native Ken
tuchians are now members OF that body; Ohio
comes next with seven; while New York has six;
Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania,
each four; Maine. Maryland, New Hampshire, New
York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Tennessee. Vermont and
Virginia have native sons In the Senate. Three
natives Of Ireland, (MeSsrS. Jones' OF Florida, Fair
ana oeWeil, one OF Scotland (Beck), and one OF
thgiand, tJones, CT Nevadal, are Senators. Ohio
furnishes two senators for Indiana and two for
iowa the four gentlemen representing those states
having been born IN the Buckeye state.
TIE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
contains twenty adopted citizens Messrs Finerty,
Culloln, Lowry, Collins, McAdoo, Barr Davis OF
Massachusetts, and Robinson OF New York, were
born III Ireland. MeSsrS Morse, BreItung Muller,
Deuster and Guenther are German. Crisp and
Sprggs are English born. Hardy, Buchanan and
Henderson first saw the light In Scotland. Mr.
Nelson Is a Norwegian, and Stephenson was born
House Is MI. Wait, OF Connecticut, the youngest
member Is Mr.. Post. OF Pennsylvania. Gen. Rose
cram mas the longest sketch in the directory, TAX
ing UP the pest part of page, while Messrs. Skim
ner, OF North Carolina, and Houseman, or Mich
igan, put theirs in the most compact form, each
place OF residence. Hon. II. B. Holton, late repub-
lean candidate for governor of Maryland, occupies
but two lines. After Gen. Rosecranz, ex-Speaker
keifer and c. A. Boutelle, of Maine Mr. Lowry and
Mr. Ro6lnson, OF New York, indulge In the largest
GRANDSON OF HENRY CLAY.
Who now sits in the House. employs less than three
lines in his sketch, while another Kentucktan the
genial'"Tom" Robertson, modestly contents him.
self With less than two lines great diversity OF
taste manifested I'm what members regard as worth
telling OF themselves. Mr.. John s. Wise of Vir- |
Ena, I'M makes prominent the fact that he was ''cap-
tam OF the Richmond Light Infantry Bluesn fancy
military company, for several years. L. H. Weller |
OF Iowa, known throughout his region Of country as
CALAMITY" wEILER,
INFORMS the country that though born and reared |
democrat OF the Jefferson ana Jackson school, he !
voted for Fremont, Lincoln (twice), Grant Greeley
then he sandwched Tilden In, and next voted for |
Weaver. After moving to Iowa he sstflled the soil
N the daytime and studied law, politics, and the
Diogy at night" He was admitted to politics at /
once, subsequently to the courts. and "fnally to
the church" His 'admsSon' to politics he seems |
70 regard as the first great step of his career Mr |
eer next details series OF defeats in running for
office, wherein he differs from most Congressman
ne rule Is TO conceal the defeats and make the sue
cesSeS prominent.
COL "ToM" oCHILTREE
proclaimS through the directory that he IS the |
first native Texan ever elected to the Congress OF
States G 10 &c
ne refrains, probably for prudential reasons. from
giving the date OF his birth, but In the pleasant
ask OF writing a personal history of himself he
0rgot to keep this point concealed. He states that
1t the early age OF sixteen he volunteered in cam
1aign against the Indians in 1851 So so that the
aides have but to figure little to ascertain ey-
ictly how old the colonel Is.
A NEW JERSEY REPRESENTATIVE
axes occasion in his biography TO mention the
act, probably for the benefit OF his colleagues that
he Is "a practcalhatter and is in the retail hat
lusiness,' at Newark. Mr.. Mackey. of South Caro-
ina, consumes the better part of page In present
ng his political history showing, step by STEP how
he assembled the scale OF greatness to Congress.
WHERE STATESMEN ARE BORN.
The only native OF Washington in Congress IS Mr.
Gilbert Nj. Woodward of Wisconsin, who was born
n this city in 1885. The states OF Connecticut,
Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island. South
Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont send solid dele
cations, Senators and Representatives OF native |
porn citizens: In the House there are 35 native
oiiS Va NEW 1oik, Do VI EeullSylN.lla 81 OF Ohlo
md next comes Kentucky and Virginia with IL
Zach; Massachusetts and Tennessee next with I3
Zach; North Carolina next with I2. So it would
appear that the Empire state is Superceding Ohio
n the business OF furnishing statesmen for the
country at large. Hitherto the "Ohio man" has
been In the lead when the number of offices was
counted. OF the entire Arkansas delegation In
both houses but single member was born In the
state Only two OF the entire Mississippi delega-
ion are natives OF that state but she gets by
having sons In the Arkansas, Missouri and Califor-
liza delegations
or the 4O1 members of Congress 267 are lawyers.
hough several OF this number have practically
abandoned the law for other pursuits