The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-03-11
THOMAS #. BAYARD.
SECRETARY OF STATE.


Perhaps no one family not excepting the
Lamsrs of Mississippi or the Hamptons of
South Carolina can boast Of longer line of
distinguished members of the United States
Senate ana of the Lower House of Congress
than the Bayerds of Delaware. Their in
duence IN their own colony and State may
be said to have been the controlling one
through all the political changes and vicis-
situdes OF more than two centuries. From
the time that old Nicholas B3yard, brother
in-law OF Governor Peter Stuyvesant, and a
rigid Huguenot, came to America
and settled in what is now
the State of Delaware. there has never
been political faction or party in the COM
monwealth strong enough to overthrow the
power of the Bayard family. James Baysrd
was one of the first delegates in the Federal
Congress elected as q Federalist in 1876 was
one of the founders of the Democratic party,
and was sent TO the Senate in 1901. He held
the place until appointed one of the Commits
sioners for the negotiation of the treaty OF
Client. He had son Richard who was In
the Senate from 1886 to 1889 and from 1871
TO 1915 James Bayard, brother of Rich
ard and father of the subject OF this sketch,
was in the Senate continuously from
1851 to 1869 and finally resigned on &C.
rount of i'll health. Thomas +. Bsyard,
the present Sena or, was born on the
10Th of October, 1928. As q boy he always
excelled in his studies, although ne was anx-
ious in early youth to became one Of Amer
ica's merchant princes. and was inclined to
throw overheard all the possibilities of polit-
ical greatness which were incident to his
position as a member of the ruling House of
Delaware. His early education was obtained
prin cipally at the FLUSHING" School at
Wilmington. he was persuaded to give up
his mercantile ambition and to study for the
legal profession. He was admitted to the
bsr in 1851. and soon had built up an ex
cellent practice extending all over the
State. In 1853 be was appointed by
the President as United States District
Attorney but soon afterwards abandoned
the office. 1t was in March, 1869 that he
was chosen to succeed his father as United
States Senator. He was sterling edherent
to the doctrines of the Democratic party
and came in a short time to be regarded as
one of their aSlest opponents in the U pper
House. Through the framing of all the large
reconstruction legislation he stood as the
representative of the large part of the North
eTn people that believed in dealing equits-
bly, by the Southern States, and although in
the minority he made himself felt in the ad-
voceoy OF their cause. He was reelected in
1875, and became member OF Electoral
Commission, voting with his Democratic
colleagues against the seating of Rutherford
B. Hayes in the Presidential Chair. Through.
out the soft money" craze, Mr.. Bayard
always was recognized as the strongest
advocate Of national integrity and the firm
est opponent of the Democrats as well as Re.
publicans who were willing to carry
through such legislation as repudiated or
appeared to repudiate any part of the ma
tional debt. Ii il had not been for this po-
sition he would very possibly have received
the Democratic nomination for the Presi-
dency in 1880; but as it was, the soft
money" men banded together against him
and he was beaten, although he got 153 votes
on the first ballot in the convention. He
was reelected to the Senate in 1881, and is
perhaps the most influential member of that
body to-day on the Democratic side. Prob.
ably there is no prominent member OF his
party at the present time who has brighter
political prospects before him than those of
Thomas +. BayaId.