The Monticellonian., 1894-10-12
ANDREW G. CURTIN,

Q clock His death was not only pain less but calm, the last vital spark going | out after sleep of twelve hours Il l peaceful ending to the long. useful and eventful career of this great and dis man. There was no harrow ing scene to break the mystic shadow of sorrow and gloom overhanging the 
 His friends knew yesterday that it was only question of hours, and neryed themselves to be resigned to the inevitable. His wonderful vital ity, however, prolonged to final disso- lation until o'clock this morning, when he brcathed his last, surrounded only by the immediate members of his family. consisting of his aged wife, Mrs. Katherine Wilson Curtin: his daughters, Mary E, wife of Dr. George r. Harris; Marcy l., widow of Capt. k R. Breeze and Kate W. wife of NJ. D. Burnet, of Syracuse, N. Y.. and his son, W. " Curtin, of Philadelphia.
 The direct cause of the governors death was general breaking down of his nervous system. The funeral has been set for Wednesday afternoon at o'clock, the interment to be made i'll the Union cemetery in this place. The final arrangements for the obsequies have not yet been completed and prob- ably will not be until late tomorrow.
 Andrew Gregg Curtin was born at Bcllefonte, on April p. lsf7. His ia ther, Roland Curtin, who came from I,..,I ,,f Et.Gt iron foundries in Pennsy lvania, mar ried the daughter of Andrew Gregg, who had been d United States senator, congressman and secretary of state.
 Young Curtin began his school life in private institutions in Bcllefonte and after a term of school at Harris burg he ended his academic education at Milton. Curtin began the study of law in Bellefonte with William W Potter, who was afterwards con gressman, and finished with Judge Reed, then one of the great attorneys of the state.
 After graduating from the law de- partment of Dickinson college at Car lyle. he was admitted to the bar in his native place and began praeticing in 1s37. He at once took q leading psi ton in his profession. At the age of a3 years he made state reputation as an orator in the campaign of .'Tippe- canoe and Tyler too" He was an ar dent whig, and in 1sA4 made canvass of the state for Henry Clay.
 Tn 1s4s he was presidential eleetor and his efforts in behalf of Gen. Taylor were everywhere recognized as con tributing to his election. In fS59 he was again upon the electoral ticket and in the forefront of the battle for the whig party. In 1854 his party desired him to become its candidate for gov ernor. He declined.
 From 1854 to 1860, when the repub- liean party was springing into life as d result of the agitation of the slavery question, Mr. Curtin took q leading po- sition in the stirring events which at tended the birth of the new party, and in lsGO was made its candidate for gov ernor.
 The election of Lincoln depended upon the two doubtful states, Penn sylvania and Indiana Both of them held their state elections in the 0eto- Der preceding the November election, and it was essential nationally that these states should declare for the re- publican candidates to insure his elec- tien.
 simon Cameron, David Wilmot, An drew G. Curtin, Col. A. K. Mcclure and Thaddeus Stevens were in the Pennsyl- vania delegation, and Curtins efforts helped largely in the nomination of Lincoln. The friendship between the martyred president and the great war governor of the Keystone state was of the warmest character from that time. Curtin was elected governor by good ma aiority, and was reelected for sec ond term, serving during the entire war.
 It followed close upon his first ln- auguration as chief executive of the state. that the first gun of the civil war was fired, and he sprang to the duty of raising troops for the general government, with an energy and spirit unequaled by any other state eXecu- tive He encouraged enlistments in every possible way, and in an eloquent
 xar speech just after the fall of Sum ter he kindlcd camp fires upon almost every hearth in Pennsylvania and called more men into service than was asked for by the general government.
 1t was the aspiration of Gov. Curtins friends that he should be made United States senator at the end of his second term, but influences which had been hostile to him prevented.
 In 1868 he was prominent candidate for nomination for vice-president with Gen. Grant, but was defeated. Soon after the latter's election Gov. Curtin was nominated and confirmed as min ister to Russia and spent nearly four years at St. Petersburg. He returned l home in 1872 and took part in the liberal republican movement which nominated | Horace Greedy. He was prominently i spoken of for the second place on that | ticket and was the choice of the Penn l sylvania delegation in the Greedy con. vention for president. Through his connection with the liberal republican movement he was carried into the democratic party.
 He was chosen by the democrats te represent the Twentieth Pennsylvania | district in the forty forty
 eighth and forty-ninth of national con greSses. serving from 1881 to 1887 fol
 many years Ge was chairman of the