Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-28
PRIME AGENT, HEART DISEASE
The End Came as Yesterdays Sun Passed
 the Meridian.
HAD BEEN AN INVALID FOR SOME TIME
Brief Sketch of the Man Who Had Done Honor to His State on the Field and in the Halls of
 Legislation.

Col. G. w. Hewitt died at his residence,
 Fifth avenue and Twenty-frst street,
 yesterday at 12:30. He had been in bad
 health since last November. but death
 was unexpected. The immediate cause
 of his death was heart disease.
 Yesterday morning he appeared as
 well as at any time in several months,
 and until within a short time before his
 death was sitting on the front verandah
 with the family During the morning
 he began to feel worse, but supposed it
 was indigestion.
 Growing worse he telephoned for his
 physician, Dr. Wheelan, who came at
 once to see him. Dr. Wheelan remained
 with him a little while and left He had
 hardly gotten home when Mrs. Hewitt
 telephoned him that Colonel Hewitt was worse, but when he returned nothing could be done. The spirit of the dis
 tinguished citizen had departed. Early last winter Colonel Hewitt was troubled with a nervous disorder which finally compelled him to remain in his
 room. Since that time he has been un- able to be at his office
 Last week a surgical operation was performed on him. but it was not a dan gerous one, and had no connection with the disease that caused his death. The announcement of Colonef Hewitts death was a great shock to his friends in this city, and shortly after it became known large numbers of them went to the residence to offer their condolenee to the bereaVed family.
 In his death Jefferson county loses a good citizen, a statesman and a patriot whose life was spent on her soil. Goldsmith w. Hewitt was born near the present city of Birmingham Febru- ary 14 1894. His father was James H. Hewitt, who removed to this section from Tennessee before Alabama was ad- mitted to the union. His mother was a Tarrant. Colonel Hewitt was one of seven children reared by James H. and | Eleanor Hewitt His mother died in | 1853 and his father five years later. | He was educated in this county and l studied law in the office of the late Judge w. s. Mudd at Elyton. Later he took | the course in the law department of l Cumberland university. Lebanon, Tenn, and returning home in 1856 was licensed ! to practice law. He associated himself with Ernest & Earle and later formed a partnership with John C. Morrow. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in Com pany B. Tenth Alabama infantry, and in August. 1862, was promoted to the cap taincy of Company c, Twenty eighth Alabama infantry. While private he twas in the battle of Seven Pines and also the other seven days battles around Richmond. He was in the battle of Mur- | freesboro. as a captain in the Twenty eighth Alabama, and on September 20 was wounded in the battle of Chicl<a- mauga.
 After the war he returned home and
 resumed the practice of law and in 1870 formed partnership With William X. Walker.
 | In the same year he was elected as q i representative in the. general assembly To 1,a nd tUo Inc to the senate.
 In November 1874, he was elected to congress and took his seat at the begin ming of the Forty-fourth congress and
 was returned to the Forty-fifth, Forty sixth and Forty-seventh, voluntarily re- tirng at the eXpira ton of his fourth term.
 As a member of the Alabama legisla- ture and as member of congress Col onel Hewitt was ever active in further ing any cause he felt would benefit his people He was an indefatigable worker ready debater and an incor- ruptible representative. One of his first acts in. congress was to Introduce "a bill to secure an impartial administra- tion of justice in Alabama.
 Another bill of his sought to prevent the assessment of government employees by political leaders. and another to pen
 sion survivors of the Indian and Mex lean wars and to repeal the act forbid ulnB peDSlOHS tO all eACtPL iiOSc WhO took the union side In the civil war. | Among others was one to remonetize
 silver, to prohibit the retirement of greenbacks, and to prohibit banks of is- sue. to suppress polygamy in Utah, to
 improve, by federal aid. the rivers and
 harbors of Alabama, to secure for bona
 fde settlers the public domain of the government.
 One of his acts was fight against thel
 senate amendment to the Mexican con
 tingent fund.- by which he saved the
 United States government a billion dol
 lars. He opposed the government sell
 ing the mineral lands in Alabama. Retiring from the Forty-seventh con
 gress he resumed the practice of law, and
 in 1884 the firm of Hewitt, Walker &
 Porter was formed by Messrs Hewitt
 and Walker associating with them MT.
 M A. Porter.
 In 1886, after much persuasion, he con-
 sented to to accept the nomination for
 representative from Jefferson county in the lower house of the Alabama legisla-
 ture. He was elected, and made one of
 the most active as well as one of the
 most influential members.
 In December, 1S5S Colonel Hewitt was
 married to Miss Sarah Morrow, daugh-
 ter of Hugh Morrow of Alabama's pio-
 neer settlers. She died in 1863 leaving
 small child, John J. Hewitt, who Is still