Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1895-06-01
soLnitR, JrRIsr AND POLITICIAN

SoLDitR, JtRISr And POLITICIAN
he Was G3 Years OH and !. Veteran of
the Civil War.
Washington, May 27.-Waiter Ouin
ton Gresham was a soldier, judge and
politician in the highest sense of the
term, prominent and distinguished in
those three great fields Of human en-
deaVor. He rose to the rank Of major
general of volunteers during the rebel
lion. He was Il years United States
circuit Judge for Illinois, and held
three cabinet pOrtfolios-postm
general and secretary of the treasury
under President Arthur and secretary
Of state under President Cleveland.
Mr.. Gresham came Of English stock.
His ancestors moved to Virginia and
later to Harrison county Indiana where
he was born 81. Patrick's day, 1892 In
1893 Mr. Gresham's father was elected
Sheriff and the next year was murdered
by noted desperate, whom he had
gone TO arrest.
His mother was left q widow with
ave small children. Walter @. Gresham
was then but 2 years Of age. He grew
up with but two or three winters
schooling until he was 16 years of age
BY dint Of hard work and the assistance
of his brother he succeeded in entering
.the seminary at Corydon.
Two years there and one at Bloom
tngton university completed his educa-
rtion SO far as schooling was concerned.
He took up the law practice In 1856
The republican party Was formed, and
with it the first Shrek Of war was SCUM
-ded. Governor Morton appointed him
lieutenant of the F7ifty-third Indiana in
1851 hr. GreSham's regiment was or
dered to jotn Grant at Fort Donaldson
August II, 1862, he was appointed briga-
dier-general and placed in command Of
the Natchez division. In the following
spring he was placed Ia command of
division Of the Seventh corps of the
Tennessee, which took part in the cam
pma2n against Atlanta. AT Leggett's
Hill, before Atlanta, he was struck by a
sharp -st2oOter's bullet, just below the
knee. To the day of his death he never
recovered the full use Of the limb.
The war over General Gresham re-
eurned to his profession at New Albany,
indiana. In 1866 he was dominated for
congress against NJ. G. Kerr, but the
district was democratic and he was de-
feated. When General Grant became
president he appointed Mr.. Gresham
United States district judge for Indi-
ana. When Postmaster-G General Howe
died, In April, 1888, Mr.. Gresham was
rendered the cabinet position and ac-
cepted it. Near the close of President
ArthurG term, on the death of Secretary
Folger, he was appointed secretary of
the treasury, position he held until
October, 1884. President Arthur, who
had taken him from the bench, had the
satisfaction of restoring him to the
bench at the close of his term. BY ap-
pointing him to succeed Judge Drum
mond.
IN 1883 Judge Gresham was made a
prominent candidate for the republican
nomination for the presidency at the
Chicago convention. His liberal views
on the tariff created against him the
antagonism of the extreme protection
lists. Judge Gresham openly dissented
from the Mckinley law. and in 1892,
after the nomination Of Mr.. Cleveland,
he renounced his allegiance to the re-
publican party and advocated Mr..
tCleveland's election. After Mr.. Cleye-
land was elected, in February, 1898, he
summoned Judge Gresham to Lake
wood. n. J., where after a consultation
ne rendered him the position Of pre-
ijileI ouuEt III cSIldIl dCC6pLGu llit
arust.
AS secretary Of state in the present
administration Mr.. Gresham has had
TO deal with perhaps more vesatious,
9ntricate and delicate diplomatic af-
fAlrs than has fallen to the share Of
most secretaries. This brought him
face TO face with the great question Of
the hour at that time, the annexation
of Ia ia = IoI
this matter, even before he came into
the cabinet, and it was upon his recon-
mendation that the president performed
almost his first official action by with
drawing from the senate the annexa-
ton treaty negotiated by Secretary
Foster. Then Mr.. Blount was sent to
the islands to make an original .nves-
tigation, and upon his report the sec
retary made his celebrated recon-
mendation that the queen be restored,