Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-03

'
ming and Attorney General Garland. i
was decided that tho President and the
members Of the cabinet should attend tht
funeral of the Vice President. When the
cabinet adjourned the President issued
the following
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, ID. O.
Nov. 25.-T0 he People of ale United Stdtes.
Thomas A. Hendricks, Vice President of the
United States, died to-day, at 8 o'clock p
m., at indianapolis, and 1t becomes my
mournful duty to announce the distressing
fact to his fellow-countrymen.
In respect TO the memory and the eminent
and varied services Of this high official and
patriotic public servant, whose long career
was so full of usefulness and honor to his
state and to the United States, 1t is ordered
that the national flag be displayed at half
mast upon all the public buildings of the
United States; that the Executive Mansion
and the several executive departments In
the City of Washington be closed on the
day of the funeral aud be draped In mourn
ing for the period OF 30 days; that the usual
and appropriate military and naval honors
be rendered, and that on all the Legations
and consulates Of the United States in
foreign countries the national flag shall be
displayed at half-mast on the reception OF
this order, and the usual emblems of
mourning be adopted for 80 days.
GRovER CLEVELAND.
BY the President:
I. F. BAYARp, Secretary of State.
By direction of the President note
was sent by Colonel Lamont to Secretary
McCook, of the Senate, announcing the
Vice Presidents death, and suggesting
that the secretary take immediate steps,
in conjunction with the clerk of the
House, to secure proper representation
of Congress at the funeral.
SKETCH OF THE DECEASED.
Thomas Andrews Hendricks was de-
scended from Scotch-Irish ancestry, who
settled in the Ligonier Valley, Westmore-
land county, Pennsylvania, more than a
century ago. His paternal grandfather
was Abraham Hendricks, member of
the Pennsylvania legislature for several
years, and his mother was an aunt of
Vice President Frank Thomson of the
Pennsylvania railroad, whose ancestors
were among the earliest settlers i'll the
Cumberland Valley. Soon after John
Hendricks had married Jane Thomson,
they removed further west, settling first
near GAINESVILLE, in Muskingum county,
Ohio, where their first child, Thomas A.,
was born September 7th, 1919. In the
succeeding spring his parents removed to
Indiana, settling near Madison, and two
years afterwards the father located Il farm,
which subsequently became part of the
site of Shelbyyille, in the same state.
He was. tanner as well as
n farmer, but young Hendricks
early years were passed upon the
farm. He attended the village schools, was
partially prepared for college by private
tutor, and finally was sent to Hanover
College, which he left in 184l to study
law with the late Judge Major of Shelby
vile. Subsequently he went to Penn
sylyania to complete his law studies with
his uncle, Judge Thomson, with whom
he also resided. Before his return to
Indiana he visited Philadelphia, and then
going back TO Indiana was promptly ad-
mitted to practice at the bar. His prac-
tice at the bar in these early days was of
very miscellaneous character, but he
became noted for his love of justice, which
led him to volunteer as counsel for the
protection of the poor, or in cases where
for social or political reasons it was diff
cult to obtain counsel. When he had been
at the bar only four years he was elected
q member of the Legislature, and ever since
that time he has been active in Indiana
politics-a leader among men. He never
abandoned his profession, and steadily
gained in reputation for legal knowledge
and ability as q pleader before court or
jury.
Declining reelection to the Legislature
after his term had expired, he became an
active member of the State Constitutional
Convention of 1850, and in 1851 was
elected member of Congress, where he
served two terms. In 1855 he was APP
pointed commissioner of the general land
Office and accepted the place because of
the advantages it offered for the study of
land laws. He resigned in 1853 and the
next year removed his home from Shelby
Vile to Indianapolis, where he has since
resided. In 1860 he was defeated as the
Douglas Democratic candidate for gov
ernor, but in 1868 Democratic legisla-
ture elected him to the United States
Senate, where he served until 1869. His
party was not only in minority, but in
extreme disfavor at this time and Mr..
Hendricks had little opportunity to win
national fame. He was, however, a
prominent candidate for the Presidential
nomination as early as 1868. In that year
| he was candidate for governor of In
1 ulHul, anu Wh5 DCtbCh u fSil
majority in favor of Conrad Baker. Four
years afterwards Mr.. Hendricks succeeded
| Mr.. Baker as governor, the latter taking
| MIR. Hendricks place in his law firm, to
| which the latter afterwards returned. He
| was again the apparent favorite of the
| Democracy for the Presidency in 1872,
but was again defeated, through the
/ fusion which led to the choice of Horace
1 Iaf 4l.a,
of the Electoral College. The Democrats
had 6S electoral votes, but were without
a candidate. In this emergency Mr..
Hendricks was complimented by the votes
of AZ electors, Is voting for b. Grat2
Brown, the candidate for Vice Presi-
dent two for Charles j. Jenkins and one
for David Davis.
At the Democratic national convention
of 1876 Mr.. Hendricks was again prom
inent candidate for the Presidential nomi
nation. He was the only formidable
competitor of Mr.. Tilden, and, when the
latter was nominated, Mr.. Hendricks wat
unanimously accorded second place. The
results of the election are we'll known
fully one-half the voters of the country
believing that Tilden and Hendricks were
elected, though submittingto the decision
of the Electoral Commission in favor o.
HAYES and Wheeler. From that time
forward the Democracy looked upoI
Messrs. Tilden and Hendricks as tht
victims of fraud. An effort was mad,
to nominate the old ticket in 1880, bu
was defeated by Mr.. Tilden's refusal Il
be n candidate. In 1884 the same thing
was attempted, but again Mr.. Tildel
declined, and Mr.. Hendricks advocated
the nomination of his friend, Hon
Joseph Z. Mcdonald of Indiana. Will,
the second ballot was being taken Mr.
Hendricks himself was voted for by
delegate from Illinois, and for tim
! it seemed as though there woul'
be q stampede in which he woult
receive the nomination, hut Clevelan,
weathered the storm and was nominated
Without previous concert of action, Mr.
Hendricks was unanimously nominate,
for Vice President. The election resulte
in the choice of the Democratic electors
and on March 4th of this year Mr.. Hen
J bricks was inaugurated as Vice President
He presided over the sessions of the Ser
ate during the spring, and since that tim
has been more than usually prominent i
, speech-making in various parts of th
l country.
r Mr.. and Mrs. Hendricks visited Europ
1 soon after the electoral dispute of 1877
t and again in lSS3-S4.
In the course of his long and storm
!, political career Mr.. Hendricks was fir
: quently subjected to Misrepresentation {
: to his course during the war. II
t records show that as a member of Il
!, Senate he voted for every ryappropliationb bi
d required to carry on the war; he
It known to have been warm and intima
q | fr;a,,d of presidant Tincoln