The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-27

of character, and governing unruly boys
who had nearly reached their majority.
He entered Bowdoin college in 1888, and
was graduated with high honors in 1887,
ranking among the drst three of an un-
usually able class. Then he entered the
law office of the Hon. Rufus McIntire of
Parsonsfeld, and took up the.profession
to which he had determined to devote his
life. Thence he went to Portland, to the
office of Howard and Osgood. He com
pleted his legal studies at the Harvard
Law School and was admitted to the
Cumberland bar in the fall of 1910. ~
The next year he went to New Orleans
ndentered the office Of the famous Pierre
Soule, where he thoroughly mastered the
civil code, was admitted to the Louisiana
bar, and opened an office for himself in
1841. He was summoned home by the
serious illness of his mother, and at the
desire of his parents relinquished his in
tention of remaining in the South. He
then entered upon the practice Of the
legal profession in Portland, where he
made his home to the day of his death.
In 1849 he married Margaret j., the
daughter of John Mussey, lady who as
author is widely known, and who has for
many years been the Maine Vice Regent
OF the Mount Vernon Association and its
Secretary OF Councils. In 1856 he travelled
with her in Europe, making an extended
sojourn. This trip to the old world he
frequently repeated. Indeed it was only
four years ago that he visited Asia and
made the voyage to Ceylon. After his re-
turn from his first journey abroad he was
made City Solicitor of Portland, a
position he again held in 1860. In 1861
and 1862 he was elected State Senator as
War Democrat. The latter year, run
ming against John Noble Goodwin OF
South Berwick subsequently governor
of Arizona) he was chosen as Democrat
to the 8sth Congress from the strong Re-
publican First District. greatly on &C.
count of his well known sympathy with
the prosecution of the war for the restora-
| ton of the UDion.
In that Congress he distinguished him
self by his advocacy Of or opposition to
the great measures debated in that
stirring time. He served on the commit
fee on private land claims and on the
special committee on Pacific railroads
To him, perhaps more than to any other
man. we are indebted for the building of
the Northern Pacific. He made the first
speech in it's favor delivered in the halls
of Congess. The project at that time was
deemed chimerical, but his convincing
| logic set the tide turning the other way.
| In sense he may be called the father of
| that great trans.continental line. He also
distinguished himself in debate with
Henry Winter Davis and Thaddeus
| Stevens, when their proposed scheme for
the confiscation of Southern property
came to be argued.
In 1868 the most famous joint discus-
sion. perhaps, ever held in Maine took
Mace between Mr.. Sweat and James q.
Blaine (then serving his first term as
Representative from the Third DISTRICT Of
Maine) in Portland City hall-a debate in
which the former fully held his own.
Mr.. Sweat was re-nominated for Con.
eress in 1854 and 1866, but was defeatea,i
both times by Mr.. Lynch. He attended
the National Democratic convention held
at Baltimore in 1872, when he was chosen
member of the national committee
serving four years. He was also present
at the National Democratic convention Of
1876, in St. Louis, where he did what Law
in his power to secure the nomination Of