The record-union., 1897-04-11

| of New Jersey the original name being
Van Voorhees,. Senator Voorhees, was
proud of his ancestry. and often dwelt
with eloquent admiration upon the gen.
ius and valor of the people of the Dutch
Republic in its historic days. Soon af-
ter the Revolution his grandfather, Pet
er Voorhees,, moved to Kentucky. where
he married Miss Van Arsdale, whose
father fought in the battle of Blue Lick
under Daniel Boone against the In
, dams.
| Senator Voorhees, father, Stephen
] voorhees,, was born in Kentucky, but
removed early in life to Ohio, where he
married Rachel Elliot, of Irish ances-
try, and native of Maryland. She
was woman of fine intellectual en-
dowments and great strength of char
acter In 1897, when their son Daniel
was but two months old, the parents
/ removed to Indiana and purchased
1 land in Fountain County. Daniel grew
to manhood on the farm, engaged there
! in all the arduous work of a farmers
; life and became thoroughly interested
in rural occupations. He always re-
tanned that interest. The Illustrations
given with so much effect in many or
his orations are drawn from the scenes
and incidents of his life on the farm.
In 1915 he entered Indiana Ashbury,
! now De Paw, University, where before
his graduation, in 1910, he gave evil
dence of superior mental abilities and
displayed fine oratorical powers. he
studied law at Charlottesville and in
! 1891 commenced his practice at Gov
ingtOn, the seat of justice of Fountain
! County, Indiana. After hearing young
Voorhees, deliver a Fourth of July ora
ton. United States Senator Hannigan
asked him to become his law partner,
which he did in April. 1852. The next
year, being confronted by Governor
Wright, Prosecuting Attorney for the
J Circuit Court he so far held his own
as to establish for himself a reputation
as an able criminal lawyer.
In 1856 he was an unsuccessful cam
didate for Congress. He removed to
Terre Haute, his present home, in 1857,
and from 1853 to 1861 was United
States District Attorney for Indiana.
In 1859, at the request of Governor
Ashbel p Willard of Indiana he went
to Charlestown, Va, to defend John f.
Cook, brother-in-law of the Governor.
:
Brown in the Harper's Ferry tragedy.
His able defense of his client and re-
| markable speech to court and jury
We're published all over this country
and translated into several languages.
He acquired thereby a national reputa-
ton as a lawyer and orator. In 1860
he was elected to Congress and was
reelected in 1862 and 1864. In 1866 his
seat was successfully contested by
Henry D. Washburn, but he was re-
turned in 1868 and reelected in 1870
and 1872. In 1877 he was appointed to
the United States Senate as a Demo-
crat to fill the vacancy caused by the
death of Oliver p. Morton. He was
subsequently elected by the Legislature
for the full term ensuing and was re-
elected in 1885 to 1891. He served on
many of the leading committees in both
houses of Congress and took a very
prominent part in discussion of leading
questions of legislation. Senator Voor-
hees was a strong partisan by nature,
but he was Obedent to the generous
! impulses Of his nature and uniformly
secured the personal good will of his
! political opponents.