Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-04-26
GEOGRAPHICAL
A Sketch of the Life of the Deceased States
man.

man.
The following biographical sketch of
the great man whom all admired will be
read with interest:
Roscoe Conkling was born in Albany.
\. Y. Oct, so, 1929. His father, Albert
Conkling, was y representative in the
Seventeenth Congress, and afterwards
filed the position OF United States Judge
for the Northern District Of New York
and Minister to Mexico. Roscoe received
2 common school and academic educa-
zion. Removing TO Auburn and Geneva
with mis- father, he studied law for three
/ years under his tuition In 1916 he enter
/ ed the Law Office OF pencer & Herman in
Utica, and In 1919 was appointed by
/ Hamilton Fish District Attorney of
Oneida County, several months before he
| attained his majority. On the day he
was q he was admitted to the bar. Dur
| ing the next decade he disclosed rare
| qualities Of management and became a
! leader In local politics. In law he ranked
| with the first of the profession as an ad-
vo3ate. The trium phs ne achieved at
| the bar, and which were his pass ports to
! pubic preference, were gained before he
| reached the age of %. After that
! he accepted bat few cases, but in
! these his success was marked. He
| married Julia Seymour, sister of ex-Gov-
/ ernlr Roratio Seymour. In 1858 he was
elected mayor of Utica, and in November
of the same year he was elected a Repre-
| sentative in the Thirty-sixth Congress,
took his seat in that body at the begin
ming of its first session, in December.
1859, a session noted for its long and bit
! ter contest over the Speakership. He was
re- elected in 1850, his brother Frederick
A. Conkling, being elected at the same
| time for New York City district. The
| two brothers entered the Thirty
| Congress st the opening of the special
T session convened by President Lincoln,
! July 4, 1861. In this Congress Roscoe
| Conkling was chairman of the Committee
on the District of Columbia, and also of a
special committee appointed to frame a
bankrupt law. A candidate for re-eIec-
ton TO the Thirty-eight Congress, he was
| defeated by his old law partner, Francis
Herman. In 1864 COnkling defeated him,
| serving on the Committees on Ways and
Means and on Reconstruction. He star
| tied the Nation by an attack on the tao
| tics of General Mcclellan, and gave the
| keynote for eaTnestness in all future war
| legislation al time when hesitancy and
vacillation prevailed. III February, 1862,
he opposed Mr.. SpauldiDg's legal-tender
act by speech and vote, sust aiming, Goa
trary to tbs prevailing party policy, Mr..
! Horizons amendment providing for the
issue of all interest bearing notes,
and against the final passage of
the bill as amended by Thaddeus
| Stevens. IL the same session ne
voted Tor the payment of interest
on the debt in coin. Mr.. Conkling
was a firm but up holder to all leg
islation tending to uphold the hands the
administration in prosecuting the war
! for the suppression of the rebellion In
the fall of 1866 he was elected to the
Fortieth Congress, but before that Con-
gress met he was elected to succeed
Judge Ira Harris as United States SEN
ator from the State of New York. BE
| took his seat in the Senate March 4, 1867,
and was eelected twice, his second term
! beginning March 4, 1873, and his third
| term March 4, 1879. He was a Jealous
supporter of General Grants admsnistra-
ton. The general policy OF that admins
tration toward the South was largely
directed by Senator ConkIing, who adj
vocated it with all the powers of his eI0-
quence and all the potency OF his per-
sOnal and political influence. He was
also largely instrumental in the incep-
ton aud passage of the civil rights bill.
In 1876 he took prominent part in
forming the act for Che Electoral Com
mission, and in carry ing it through. IN
1880 Senator Conkling led the Grant
forces at the Republican nominating
convention in Chicago, and made the
speech putting him in nomination. Soon
! af tbn ala Of n ell he
differed from him on questions of public
"olicy, and in 1881 he resigned his seat
in the Senate and applied to the Legisla-
ture of Now York for Endorsement and re-
election. He failed in this, and retired
from politics, resUming the active prac-
tee of the law to redeem his fortunes,
which were sadly shattered. He speedily
assumed the foremost position at the
New York bar, and was engaged in a
number of prominent and renumerative
cases. His last visit to Chicago vas in
July, 1887, when he argued patent case
in the United States Court, aud received
much attention, being rendered recep-
by the Grant Club. OF late years he had
been repeatedly solicited to re-enter poll
tics, and his recent replies had indicated
that he might reconsider the resolution
he made in 1881. Mr.. ConkIine had
narrow escape from death in the recent
blizzard in New York, being almost over
come one night in the drifts and the
binding snow, and only his magnificent
physique carried him through. Although
his hair and beard had whiteped of late
years, Mr.. Conkling still retained his fine
physical proportions, which would have
made him marked man in any assemb-