Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-02-20
MEMS AMBITION.
Some Picturesque Figures in
the State Department.
Men Prominent in History The Hon
est Ambition ofjohn Sherman.
The Roll Of Great Men Who Have Been
Sec retaries d State.

other Office In the government, excepting
the presidency. whose roster OF incnmbents
shows so many names distinguished In the
history of the country. Indeed. Of the 33
men who have been secretary OF state no
fewer than six aftcrward became president.
These were jefferson, Madison, Monroe,
John O. Adams, Van Buren, and Buchan-
an. A majority Of the remaining score.
tarics Of state were conspicuous candidates
for the presidency, and some OF them mar.
rowly missed achieving their ambition.
Among the more prominent OF these great
men who were near to the presidency and
yet never quite reached IL may be- mention
cd Clay. Webster. Calhoun. Lewis Cass,
Blaine. Gresham and now John Sherman.
shermaps Worthy Ambition.
For go years Mr.. Sherman was an aspir
ant for the presidential nomination Of his
party. Time and again has he been de.
feated. He some years ago announced his
ambition, but there Is to this day feeling
among Republican leaders every where that
Mr. Sherman had fairly earned the prcsi
dency-that he had won it by his services
and his leadership
OF all the secretaries Of state only three
or four failed TO impress themselves upon
the history Of their country. Only three or
four are now forgotten men" In the sense
that the masses Of the people cannot recall
their names and do not know anything vi
their history. No one will forget the six
presidents who graduated from the state
department, nor will any one forget such
great names as Clay. Webster, Calhoun,
Marcy, Cass. Fish and Seward. But who
remembers Timothy Pickering or Robert
Smith or Louis Mclane or John Forsyth o,
Hugh :. Lcgarc or Abel p Upshurs Yet
all OF these were great men in their day.
OF all the romanccs Of ambition and
fame connected with the state department
that Of Timothy Pickering is in some re.
srccts the most interesting. He was
Massachusetts man. educated for the law.
but he never rractieed. In the early days
Of the Revolution he was u militiaman.
He published u little book on Discipline
For the Militia Washington made him
adjutant general Of the Revolutionary
army and then quarterInastcr general.
When peace came, he went into business
as n commission merchant in Philadel
pha. but was not successful. The people
of Massachusetts offered TO make him a
judge If he would return TO that state, but
he declined and took his family to the
frontier in the valley Of Wyoming. Pa.
There he became inv !ved in the Connect
lieut. settlers insurrcOv One night his
house was attacked, and he had to fec
through the woods TO Philadelphia. Later
he returned to his home and was taken
ont OF bed Mt midnight by masked men
and held a captive in the forest for three
weeks
An Evcntful Career.
Washington appointed him postmaster
general, and later secretary of war, and
finally secretary of state. He remained in
this post for a time under President Adams,
bur becoming involved in quarrels was dis
missed Colonel Pickering was poor and
in debt Again he went into the valley OF
Wyoming, and with his own hands fclled
trees and started to carve out a farm.
Thus the man who had held more cabinet
appointments than any other American
has ever held went from the second place
in the government to log cabin. The
people of Massachusetts raised fund OF
$25, 00O to relieve him from debt, and he
returned to his native state and became a |
farmer. But the people twice elected him
to the United States senate and afterward |
TO congress for two terms. He was once
censurcd by the senate, was once burned |
in effigy in Philadelphia, but closed his |
days in peace and honor
Robert Smith of Maryland was lawyer,
soldier, secretary of the navy under Jeffer-
son and secretary of state under Madison.
Louis McLane of Delaware began life as
a midshipman in the navy, became a mem.
Der of congress, a senator, was twice MINI
lister to England, was secretary of the treas.
ury and finally secretary of state.
John Forsyth of Georgia was lawyer,
senator, governor of his
state, minister to Spain and secretary of
state
Hugh $. Legare of South Carolina (pro-
nOunced L.eh-gree) was Il French Huguenot.
He was a student and an orator and con-
tributor to the reviews He came to con.
gress, was appointed attorney general by
President Tyler and succeeded Webster as
of state. He died suddenly ut
Boston while attending the ceremonies Of
Bunker Hill monument.
His successor as secretary Of state, Abel
p. Cpshur Of Virginia, also met tragic
fate He was killed with several others by
the bursting of gun on board the warship
Princeton on the Potomac river near this
city. President Tyler would probably have
met the same fate if he had not fingered in
the cabin to gay his attentions to the young
lady whom he afterward married.
Great Names In History.
Some Of our past secretaries Of state are
better known in history for other services.
For instance John Marshall, who was sec.
rotary of state under Adams, is remember.
ed chiefly as chief justice of the supreme
court. What Il career was his! Six wears n