Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-12-03

Thomas Andrew Hendricks was born Sep
tember T., 1919, at UniontoHn, Muskingum
county, Ohio. The postoffice of this village is
called Fultonham, and it has recently been
given acces to the outside world BY the build
ing of the Columbus and Eastern railroad. The
town is situated on large hill about mile
from the station on the new road. The place
was one of the stopping points in early times
for western statesmen on their way to Wash
ington. Henry Clay, Tom Corwin and all of
the old western congressman and senators
stopping over night here, as the town is on the
National road. The hotel still stands in which
they spent their evenings telling anecdots after
tiresome days of travelling by stage, or on horse
back. Mr.. Hendricks was between that gener-
alton and the present one. He was nOe able to
play as a boy on Ohio soil, and knew of none
of the coteries of travelling statesmen at his
birthplace. He was only three years old when
his father moved further west and settled in
Shelby county, Indiana.
Mr.. Hendricks graduated at South Hanover
college in IS4l, studied law at Chambersburg,
Pa, was admitted to the bar there in lS43, and
returned to Indiana TO practice. In 184S he
was a member of the legislature, and in 1850
delegate to the state constitutional convention.
From 1851 to 1855 he represented the Indian
apolis district in congress- From 1855 to 1859
he was commissioner of the general land Office,
and from 1863 to 1869 was a member of the
United States senate, in which he was regard
ed as Democratic leader, and became notorious
for his opposition to all the war measures at
the most critical epoch in the history of the
Union. He did much prior to that time to Gre
ate an anti-wsr sentiment in his own state, but
was not able to cope with Oliver P. Morton,
the patriotic war governor of that state. Still
Mr.. Hendricks was in sympathy and co-Opera-
tion with secret organizations to resist the
draft. His opposition in the senate to the ap-
for the war were not more iniuri-
Gus thsn his cOunsels in his own state. He was
in position during the war, by his pre- eminent
standing in his party, to have done much good,
but he never took advantate of it, and after the
war be continued his policy; meeting at times
with the most bitter denunciations from Sum
ner, Wade and other leaders of that time in
the cause for the Union. He opposed the Re-
publicsns in their efforts at rsconstructiors
with both vehemence and strategy and became
known by his colleagues as the "foxy spy of
the senate. The ambition Of his life was to be-
come president. In the Democratic national
of 1865, at New York, be was
strongly supported for the nomination to the
presidency. He was defeated in 1860 BY Gov.
Morton and again in 1868 by Conrad Baker for
governor of Indiana, but was elected in 1872
for the term ending Jan. l, 1871. He was
candidate for vice-president in 1876 on the
ticket with Tilden, but was defeated, and was
nominated for the same position in 1884, at
Chiaago, with Cleveland and elected.
The death of Mr.. Hendricks will tend to
,haHg the factions of his party in Indian. Mr..
Hendficds was to some extent tyrant in deal
ng with rivals. For years there existed social
ealousy between Mrs. J. E. Mcdonald and
Mrs. Hendricks, and it is said that this caused
H0 'ASS PASstuSH' " OPPOSe tue SSleSteu Ol Joe
Mcdonald for cabinet or any other position.
There have been many sensational publications
egarding the relations between these two
antilles. 1t has ceme to pass after all, that
drs. Hendricks will not be able to enjoy at all
he high standing in Washington society on
which she was about to enter.
Mr.. Hendricks succeeded Hon. Jesse D.
Sright in the senate in 1868, the latter having
'een expelled from that body upon the charge
# disloyalty, in which respect Mr.. Hendricks
5as to some extent the equal of his predecessor
lie was but 81 years of age when chosen
member of congress in the lower house in 1851,
md was in the full maturity of his powers
Then he took his seat in the senate and pro-
eeded with his violent attacks upon the ad-