Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-27
Biographical Sketch.

Roscoe COnkling was born in Albany, n. ".
Representative in the Seventst nth Congress
and atterward filled the positions Of United
States Judge for the Northern District of New
common school ana academic education. Re-
moving to Auburn and Geneva with his
tatne, he studied law three years un;
the 1aw oes o, Spencer * kera snaefi IN
Utica, and in 1919 was appointed by Hamilton
Fish FISH District Attorney of Oneida County sew
On the day he was 81 he was admitted to the
bar. During the next decade he disclosed
rare rare. Qualities t.u OF management, and be
he ranked with the first of the profes.
sion as an advocate. The triumphs he achieved
at the bar. and which were his passports to pub.
the age of %. After that he accepted but few
cases, but in these his success was marked
He married julia Seymour, sister of ex-Gov.
Mayor of Utica, and in November of the same
year he was elected q Representative in the
Thirty sixth Congress and took his seat in that
II December, 1853 4 aossion noted for
its long and bitter contest over the Speaker
ship; He was reelected in 1850, his. brother.
the sumo time for a New York City district
The two brothers entered the Thirty.seventh
Congress- at the opening Of the special session
In this Congress Roscoe Conkling was Chair
mnn of the Committee on the District OF Co
luinbia. and ulso OF special committee APP
candidate for reelection to the Thirty
eighth Congress, he was defeated by his
cd law partner, Francis Herman. In 1854
mittees on WAYS and Means and on Reconstruc-
ton. He startled the nation by IN attack OH
the tactics of General Mcclellan and gave
the KEYNOTE for earnestness in all future
war LEGISLATION ct a time when hestancy and
vacillation prevailed In February. 1862, he
opposed MIR. spaulding's legal-tender act by
nd ,ofo ;,,sV,~
prevailing party policy, MIR. Horizons amend
ment providing for the issue of an interest
bearing note and against the final passage
Of the bill as amended by Thaddeus Stevens.
In the same session lie voted for the payment
OF Interest," on the debt in coin. Mr.. Conkling
was firm upholder of oil legislation tending
to uphold the hands of the administration in
prosecuting the war for the suppression of the
rebellion. In the fall Of. 1SjG he was elected
to the Fortieth Congress, but before that Con
gress met he was elected to succeed Judge
Ira Harris as United States Senator from
the State of New York. He took his seat
in the Senate March 4. 1867, and was re-
March 4, 1873. and his third term March j. 1879.
He was Jealous supporter of General Grant,
The general policy Of that
it with ell the powers Of his s. Sequence Sequence
and POI enS Of He his was asd
largely Instrumental in the inception
ard ard passage Of tho civil rights bill IN
1916 he took prominent part in framing the
ing it through. In 1880 Senator Conkling led
the Grant forces at the Republican nom
inuting convention in Chicago, aud made
the speech p .tting him in nomination. Soon
after the election OF President Garfield he
Offered from him on questions of public policy,
and in 1851 he resigned his seat in the Senate
ana applied to the Legislature Of New York for
Endorsement and reelection. He failed in
this, and retired from politics, resuming the
active practice OF law. to redeem his
ri hiatt III
, speedily assumed the foremost position at the
New York bar, and was engaged in a number
OF prominent and renunerative cases.
OF late years he had been repeatedly solicited
to re-enter politics, and his recent replies mad
indicated that he might reconsider the resolu-
ton he made in 1881. Mr. Conkling had mar
row escape from death in the late New York
blizzard, being almost overcome one night in the
drifts and the binding snow. and only his mag!
nificent physique carried him through. Al.
though his hair and beard had whitened of late
years. Mr. Conkling still retained his fine phys.
lcal proportions. which would have made him q
marked man in any assembiase.