The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-02-19
DEATH OF HON. A. H. H. STUART.
HONORs TO HIS MEMORY.

Cemetery on MONDAY idSt. ne pasoeu
away at 1 so O'Clock on Friday, the 18th.
The funeral obsequies, attended by a
large concourse of sympathizlilg friends
and relatives, were observed in the Epis-
copal church at 10 o'clock on the 10th,
Rev. w. O. Hullihen reading the beauti-
full service of that denomination. The
honorary pail bearers were: Hon. ).
Ran. Tucker, Judge Mclaughlin, Judge
Stout, Col. Skinner, DIR. Atkinson, Maj.
Elder, Mr.. G.. NJ Harrison, Judge Hen
dren, and Capt. F. B. Berkeley.
Active-Capt. Jas. Bumgardner. Capt
A. Fl. Fultz, Maj. Marshall Hanger, Maj
A. F. Kinney, Col. j C. Shields, Maj Jed.
Hotchkiss, DIR. Wayt, and Mr.. &. Il.
Gooch.
The ceremonies at the grave were con-
Quoted by Mr.. Hullihen. the large at
tendance manifesting theirreverent con-
Germ in the solemn rites. which closed
from view the casket that contained the
remains of the honored dead.
Alexander Hugh Homes Stuart was born IN
stanton, Va. April 2, 1907. His father Archl-
bald Stuart, saw service i'll the war or the fevo-
luton, studied law under Thomas Jefferson,was
a member of the Convention that ratified the
United States Constitution and became presi-
dent of the State Senate and judge of the General
Court of Virginia. Alexander spent one year at
William and Mary College, and then studied law
at the University OF Virginia, where he was
graduated in 1898. The same year he was ad-
mitted to practice in Staunton.
He began his political career member of
the Young Mems Convention held i'll support OF
Henry Clay at Washington in 49, He was
elected to the Virginia House of delegates III
1881 and the two succeeding years. 'Vh dechned
reelection in 1897. He a Mefnief OF ton
gress from 1S41-43 and took an active part i'll the
debate lie was Presidential eioclor on the
Clay ticket in 1871 and on the Taylor ticket in
1S4S and was appointed by President Fillmore
Secretary OF the Interior, serving from. Sci tenn
Der IL, 1850 to March 3. 1853. He was delegate
in the National Convention of 1885, sat in the
Virginia Senate from 1857 to 1861 and was a mem
Der of the Virginia Convention of 1851. As an
Old Line Wing he opposed the secession of the
State to the last, but cast his fortunes with the
Confederacy after the State had seeded.
He served in various positions in the Confed-
eracy and after the surrender of Lee was one of
the leaders of the first movement in the South
to re-establish peaceful relations with the Fed
eral Government, and presided at mass meet
ing in Staunton with that object in view on May
s, 1866 He was elected to Congress i'll the same
year. but excluded by the Iron clad oath. In
December, 1863, he began what was Known as
'the new movement of the .'committee of
nine," which, with the co -operati0tpf President
| Grant, redeemed the State frons military rule
| and secured the removal of ohjeetfenahle pro-
visions in the Underwood constitution. lie was
| rector of the University of Virginia from 1876
till 1882 and from 1884 till 1885, when he resigned
| because OF advanced age. He was member Of
the Peabody educational fund, and had been for
many years president of the Virginia Historical
Society.
This simple recital of the various po-
sitions to which Mr.. Stuart had been
called, and the duties of which he faith
| fully and ably discharged, gives but
an imperfect idea of his useful public
services. His mind was in active EN-
ployment during his public services on
lines leading to the advancement of his
native county and State. When occa-
sion called for it he formulated his views
| in public addresses, and was a liberal
and instructive contributor to the press
of the Commonwealth in the discussion
of all the important questions relating
| to the welfare Of Virginia. He was as
! felicitous and forceful as a writer as he
was as speaker, and swayed the minds
of the people by his arguments and APP
peals ia one form as effectively as in the
other. 1t was due largely to his efforts
that the extension of what is now the
| Chesapeake and Ohio railroad was di-
verified from Browns Gap and Harri-
sonburg to Rockfsh Gap and Staunton.
In 1874 a public meeting was held in
| Harrisonburg, at which John Hampton
| Peasants was one of the speakers and
the late Maj. Geo. Chrisman the engi-
neering spirit, and at which it was for
malIy announced that the route of the
extension was to be in that direction.
Whilst this assurance was being given,
Mr.. Stuart, the late VIM. Kinney, and
others were industriously engaged in
pressing the advantages of the line Iy
Staunton, and finally succeeded. He
was active and influential in locating
the two State institutions at Staunton,
and to his efforts, aided by Others, do
we owe the presence of these two great
charities in our midst.
The resources of Virginia and their
development were familiar and favorite
themes of thought with Mr.. Stuart. He
recognized the great natural wealth
which the State contained, and favored
that national policy whose practical OPP
Grafton would result in it's utilization.
He discussed through the press aud on
the hastings the tariff question from the
protection standpoint, being steadfast
and earnest believer in Henry Clay's
| great American system.
On one occasion, after the discovery of
gold in California, and about the time a
government was being framed for that
| territory, we remember to have heard
the late Col. John b. Baldwin predict
that it would not be five years before a
movement would be made for Pacific
Republic. Mr.. Stuart combatted this
to see in the near future a continental
line of railroad, connecting the Chesa-
peake Bay with the Pacific ocean, and
the teas and silks of China transported
across the bosom Of Virginia on iron
rails. This was long before Col. Thos
H, Benton projected his scheme for the
construction of a railroad from the
Missouri to the Pacific 1t was in
such predictions that Mr.. Stuart gave
exhibition of his vast grasp of public
interests, and penetrated the future to
evolve from it some practical enterprise
commensurate with the growth and des-
tiny of the nation. Indeed, Mr. Stuart
was a statesman as well as an orator in
the broadcast sense of the term. His
liberal views of public improvements
his sound position on Stateand national
obligations, and his sagacious concep-
ton of administrative policies. both
State and national, impressed the public
mind and placed him among the great
men of the country. This was exempli-
fed more perspicuously and forcefully
in the reconstruction of Virginia after
/ the war than in any other effort of his
life. To him we owe, in great meas
ure, the rescue of Virginia from the or
deal through which several of the South
ern States had to pass, and saved the