Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-23

most interesting Of these at the present day
Is that Of Allen G. Thurman Of Ohio. who
was q leading candidate for the Presidency
| In the Chicago convention Of 1854 and re-
cefved the vote Of the Ohio delegation. Mr..
| Thurman was seventy-one. When he was
nominated for the Vice Presidency at st.
| Louis he was seventy-fve years old He is
living now at Columbus. though he has
vanished from public attention How soon
| we are forgot was well illustrated at the
democratic national convention Of last year.
when the intelligent decorator in charge Of
| the convention hall put Mr.. Thurmans
portrait among those of the distinguished
| dead" Only a few days ago a controversy
| arose in the Washington office Of a Cincin-
| natl newspaper over the question whether
| Mr.. Thurman was alive or not. and. an ap-
peal being made to the Cincinnati office.
the reply came back that Mr.: Thurman
died two years ago. Nevertheless Mr..
Thurman is very much alive, though he
takes no active part in politics today.
| Supreme Court Longevity.
| The Supreme Court furnishes some inter-
esting instances Of active longevity. JUS
| tice Blatchford, who died recently. was
seventy-three years old; but he was in &C
| tive possession of his mental faculties up to
the time Of his death. His father. R. M.
| Blatchford. had a record no less interesting.
| He was in the diplomatic service at sixty
| five and was commissioner of public parks
| Of New York city at seventy-four. Roger
| b. fancy, Chief Justice Of the Supreme
| Court. remained on the bench until he was
| nearly lightweight years old. He was APP
pointed Chief Justice at the age of fifty
eight. He began an autobiography at the
age OF Seventy-seven, but did not finish 1t.
| Chief Justice Marshall, who served from
| 1900 to 1885 on the Supreme Bench. was
| eighty years old when i'll health compelled
| him to leave Washington. He died in that
year QSS5). He was a delegate to the con-
vention for revising the state constitution
| of Virginia when he was seventy-four years
4 though
| speak often in the convention, when he did
speak he showed that his mind was as clear
and his reasoning as solid as in his younger
! days Chief Justice Waite, who died five
years ago. remained on the Supreme Bench
| to the last, though he was seventy-two
years old when he died. Justice Strong,
who is still living in Washington, retired
| from the Supreme Bench in 1880 at the age
| of seventy-two. Noah H. Swayne,. who died
in 1884, retired from the Supreme Bench In
| 1881 at the age of seventy-seven. only one
| of the present members of the supreme
| Court is more than seventy years old. This
| one Is Justice Field, who reached the age OF
| seventy seven years ago.
Several Of ting Presidents have remained
| in active politicA after retirement from the
White House. Buchanan was elected Pres
ident at sixty-six and retired at the age Of
| seventy. Tyler was a member OF the pro-
visional confederate congress at the age of
seventy-one. John Adams, at eighty-five
| years Of age was a delegate to the conven-
| ton for revising the constitution of Massa-
chusetts. John Quincy Adams was elected
| to Congress by the "anti-Mason" party
| when he was sixty-four; and he remained in
| Congress for seventeen years. He died in
| the Hall of the House James Monroe re-
| tired from the Presidency at sixty-seven;
| was a regent Of the University of Virginia,
with Madison and Jefferson, at sixty-eight;
| declined to serve as an elector from Virginia
at seventy on the ground that an ex-Presf-
dent should not be a partisan, but afterward
| acted as local magistrate and was a member
| of the constitutional convention of Virginia.
Andrew jackson was seventy when he left
the White House.
| Some Lively Old Men.
The United States Senate has held some
remarkably lively old men. Thomas H.
Benton. after serving thirty years in House
and Senate and writing book about 1t,
was a candidate for Congress at the age Of
seventy and was elected, too. He was Z
candidate for governor at the age of sew
enty-four. Simon Cameron was elected to
the Senate at sixty-seven and continued to
serve until he was eighty years of age.
when he resigned in favor Of his son, the
present Senator from Pennsylvania. Lewis
Cass was reelected to the Senate at sixty
nine; was a candidate for the Presidency at
seventy, and at seventy-fve accepted the
post Of Secretary of State under Buchanan.
Henry Clay was reelected to the Senate by
a unanimous vote at the age Of seventy-two
and remained there until the time OF his
death three years later. Tom Corwin OF
Ohio was elected to Congress at sixty and
was almost seventy years old when he vert
to Mexico as minister Of the United States.
Daniel Webster. after his term in the Sen
ate. was appointed Secretary of State at the
age Of seventy. Lafayette s. Foster, Sen
ator and intimate friend Of Lincoln, was on
the supreme bench of Connecticut until he
was seventy, when he was retired on account
of age He took up the active practice of
his profession and at the age of seventy
two served on a commission to revise the
procedure of the state courts. Rufus King,
after a long term in the Senate, was APP
pointed minister to England at seventy. His
son, John. was elected governor Of New
| York at sixty-nine years and was member
of the peace congress at seventy-three. WILL
lam Cabell Rives was another old member
of the peace congress. He had been Sen
ator and he was sixty-eight years old when
the congress was held. he served In the
first and second provisional confederate con-
crosses afterward. John Rutherford of New
Jersey, who served two terms In the Senate.
was at seventy-three an active member OF
a commission to settle boundary questions
between New York and Pennsylvania. Me-
lancton Smith, a member of the Continental
Congress, was appointed a circuit Judge at
slxty-eight, and served until he died of vel
low fever at the age Of seventy-four His
was the first fatal case Of yellow fever in
the plague of 1885, John Stevens of New
Jersey, a member of the Continental Con-
gress, was made president of the council of
New Jersey at SiXty-eight and presided over
the meetings Of the two branches Of the leg
islature until he was seventy-four years old.
Roger Sherman was elected to the Senate
when he was seventy years old and died in
the public service two years later. He was
an ancestor Of w. NJ. Evarts and George F.
Hoar, two Of the grand old men" of the
present day. Sherman was member OF the
Continental Congress from Connecticut and
was one of the signers of the Declaration OF
Independence Several of the signers were
long lived. One of them, William Ellery of
Rhode Island. was collector OF Newport
from the time he was sixty-three until he
was ninety-three years old; then he died.
Some old men have been appointed to
cabinet places. Hugh McCulloch was made
Secretary of the Treasury on the resigna-
ton of Mr.. Gresham in 1884, when he was
seventy-six years old. He continued in
office until the expiration Of Arthur's term,
five months later. He was the only man
who held the office of the Secretary of the
, Treasury twice. His first term was in Lin
coins second cabinet. Richard w. Thomp-
son resigned the position of Secretary of
the Navy at seventy-two years of ago.
That was in 1881. He is still actively in.
| terested in the Panama Canal Company.
Judge Taft was appointed Secretary of War
by Grant at sixty-six. Six years later he
| was made minister to Austria; and two
years after that he was appointed minister
, to Russia, where he remained until he was
seventy-five years old. Service in the Dip
/ lomatic corps does not seem to be wearing
: on the constitution. Benjamin Franklin is
, the most notable Illustration Of this fact.
, He was a member of commission to