The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-09-12
SECRETARY FOLGER.
Expiring Unexpectedly at His
Home in Geneva,
Sudden Close Of a Long Illness---
Sketch of His Life,

Particulars Of the sudden death of Secretary
Foger at his home in Geneva, N. Y, are
given in dispatches from that place as fol
lows: Secretary Folger died at his home here
at 4:55 o'clock P. NJ His death was so sud
den that there was not time to summon his
children, and neither of them was
here. The only persons present were Mrs.
Hart, of Auburn, his dece ased wife's sister;
Drs. Knapp and Law, associates of his family
physician, Dr. A. B. Smith and his colored
servant James. DIR. Smith and Captain ].
S. Lewis had left him only short time be-
fore his death. DR.. Henry Foster, Of the
Clifton Springs sanitarium, who had been here
two or three times as consulting physician,
arrived on the 4: 40 train and was conveyed to
the Folger mansion by Dr. Smith. Mrs. Erne.
of Buffalo, the secretarys sister arrived by
the same train. Just as thes9 three entered
the room the secretary breathed his last
and all was over Secretary Folger's two
daughters were in the Adirondacks,
His son, Captain Charles w Folger,
was at Alexandria, Va. All had been writ
ten to to come to Geneva. The telegraph was
not resorted to earlier as so sudden ~termi-
nation of the fathers malady was not APP
pretended The secretary returned to Geneva
for the last time Wednesday evening, the
Goth ult. He called his family physician next
morning
The doctor gives the following diagnosis of
the case Great feebeness of the hearts ac-
ton; congestion of the middle lobe of the
right lung and capillary congestion of the
bronchial tubes torpor Of the liver; albu-
minous discharge, showing a disease of the
kidneys. The doctor was informed that the
secretary had had hemorrhage of the lungs
three times of late before his return home
fln fret tsyIt1 -a,.l,t
New York, on which occasion he discharged
about pint of blood.
Secretary Folger rode out daily until and
including the 24th ult., since which time he
kept his room, but did not wholly abandon
official work He continued to answer i'm
portant letters and kilograms up to the dav
before his death and seemed reluctant to give
up. Yet he was by no means unconscious of
his critical condition and intrusted to his
personal friend, Captain Lewis, final mes
sageS to his children and other directions of n
confidential nature.
News Of his death went like wildfre
through Geneva, and before q r. NJ hosts of
buildings were draped in mourning and the
flags about the village were at half-mast
HundI eds of kilograms poured in to the be-
leaved relatives from all parts Of the country.
Among the first to telegraph was President
Arthur Every member of the cabinet also
sent words of coincidence.
budTlSS James roger was born April
10, 1878, at Nantucket Mass He had lived
at Geneva since he was fourteen wears old
He was graduated at Hobart college in 1896
| with the highest honors of his class. He
studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1859,
was justice of the peace in Geneva. and
was appointed in 1874 Judge Of the court
of common pleas in Ontario county. He
was elected county judge of Ontario county
in ISL.
He began his political life as a Silas Wright
Democrat. In 1851 he was elected to the
State Senate as a Republican, and served
eight years. being one of the recognized
leaders of the party. In the constitutional
convention of 1861 he served on the judiciary
committee. He was pronounced antago-
mist of Glvernor Fenton. In the bitter fight
IN the legislature of 1865 between Vanderbilt
and Gould he opposed the efforts Of the New
York Cent al road to get control of the Erie
railroad.
He denounced Tweed vigorously and did
his test to defeat the Tweed measure in the
legislature. He was warm friend of Sena-
tor Conkling, through whose influence he was
appointed by President Grant in 1869 to the
office of United States treasurer in the city of
New York. At the end of the year lie was
elected an associate judge of the New York
court of appeals, and, upon the death of Chief
Judge Church, in 1880, was designated by
Governor Cornell to act as chief Judge He
was reelected for the term of fourteen years
by a majority of A, 36S, resgning in October,
1881, to take the post of secretary of the treas
ury.
Mr.. Folger's signal defeat as a candidate
for governor of New York is fresh in the
minds of the people, but it was accompanied
by many assurances to him that the failure
of his party to vote fer him was not in
tended as condemnation of his personal
character or Of his action a public man.
Physically he was large, robust man, and
few men have accomplished more work than
has been the result of his busy life He had
a substantial but unpretcntious house in
Geneva, overlooking the lake, over which one
of his daughters presided. He was wild
over, his wife having died several years ago
lie leaves three children, one son and two
daughters, all of whom are grown up Mr.
Fol gers eyes began to fail several years ago,
and at times he has suffered much with then.