Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-04-14
TWO OLD-TIME STATESMEN
Hamilton Fish and John Bixelov :. o..
I'm Their Retfrer,.,.%

In Their Retirement
There are two retired stataeman :,
the old school yet living n th;s ait,
who are rarely before the public nowa-
days, but who are occasionally to be
met with In the society of fortune and
fashion. Irefer to Hamilton Fish. vhc
isa Republican, and John Bigelow. who
is Democrat. You may see Mr.. Fish
on Sunday at ST Marks Episcopa]
Church, of which he is one of the Dill.
lars, and you may happen to see Mr..
Bigelow at Rev. Mr.. Stewards Sweden.
borgian Church, in the doctrines o.
which he is believer. Both of these
ancient statesmen are wealthy, but
both have heirs with political procliyi.
ties and both are enriched with two
generations of posterity. Both of them,
in addition to their city establishments,
have estates on the Hudson-Mr. Bige-
lows being adjacent to West Point and
Mr.. Fish's just opposite to it on the
other side of the river.
Hamilton Fish. who is now an octo-
genarian. was Governor OF the State Of
New York forty years ago, and was 9
member of Congress eight years before
that time. His last public service was
as member of President Grants Cab.
met, in which he held the Office Of
Secretary of State for both of Grants
terms, and as such negotiated the
treaty of Washington. In looking al
the venerable Mr.. Fish, who appears
hale as he takes an airing on Second
avenue, near his residence in Seven.
teenth street, ones memories are car.
ried back to the early time of our Re
public, in the establishment of which
his father rendered distinguished ser.
vice as q Colonel in the Revolutionary
army under George Washington. Mr..
Fish is yet full of the "reminiscences OF
those days which clustered around his
fathers fireside, and they seem as fresh
to him as when he heard them in the
little city of New York in the early
years of the century. The aged states
man suffered a heavy shock a few
months ago in the death of his wife, an
event which occurred soon after the
celebration of their golden wedding, in
the company of twenty-three of their
children and grandchildren. He is a
mellow old gentleman, full of dignity,
and not destitute of geniality.
John Bigelow is septuagenarian,
having passed the three-score-and-ten
milestone few days ago. But he is
yet very fresh in spirit, and it is not
hard to induce him to take his alpen-
stock and join you in climbing the
mountain ridges that rise over his estate
on the Hudson. It is between forty
and fifty years since he first held Office
under the State government; his most
important public service was rendered
as Minister to France about the close
of the war, though, after that time,
when his friend, Samuel ]. Tilden, was
Governor of New York, he held the
place of Secretary of State at Albany.
Mr.. Bigelow is man of great literary
ability; he passed many years of his
life in New York journalism, and his
name is on the title-page of half a
dozen books, not the least valuable OF
which is the Life of Benjamin Frank.
lin," in three volumes. His four daugh.
tiers are as famous for their beauty and
accomplishments as his wife was in
other days.
It is pleasant in the hurly-burly Of
the city to meet two such dignified
statesmen of the olden times as John
Bigelow and Hamilton Fish.-Joh7a
Saciaatona's Neao York letter.