The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-14
NELSON D|NGLEY DEAD
The Republican Floor Leader
Passes Away.
THE END CAME QUIETLY
His Death Resulted From Heart Failure
Due to Extreme Weakness-His
Long and Honorable Career
in Public Life.

lican side on the floor of the house OF
representatives, died here tonight al
| 1890 o'clock of heart failure, resulting
| from extreme weakness. due to pneu-
monia. He was unconscious during
most of the day and death came quiet
| ~, without consciousness being regain
| ed All the members Of his family were
at his bedside. To within a few hours
before his death the family firmly be-
lieved, as it has throughout his illness
| that Mr.. Dingley would recover. While
the past few days have given great
hope of recovery, the progress of the
disease had made the patient danger
ously weak and had seriously affected
| his heart. Late last night and again
this morning Mr.. Dingey had a bad
sinking SPELL from which he slightly
| rallied. There were further evidences
| of heart failure as the day progressed
and the strongest stimulants were adj
ministered, but without effect. He fall
| ed perceptibly during the afternoon and
| as night came hope was abandoned.
| Mrs. Dingley is very much Frustrated
by her husbands death and is now I'M
der the care of physicians
Mr. Dingley had spent all of the past
16 years of his life, when his congress
sional duties called him to Washington,
at the Hamilton house. He occupied
rooms on the second floor, and had with
him his wife and daughter, the two
sons being here but little.
Representative Dingley's illness dated
back to Dec. 30. The physicians dag
nosed his case as one of la grippe, SO
commonly prevailing here, and caution
ed the patient to keep his room. The
following Saturday pneumonia develop
ed IN the left lung, complicated with
great lrregularity of the heart. The
funeral will be conducted in the house
of representatives on Monday next The
body will be taken to the house at 10
O'Clock and there lie in state until noon,
when services will be conducted in the
presence of the house and senate At
4:20 O'Clock in the afternoon the funeral
party will leave for Lewiston. Me-, ar
irving there at o'clock Tuesday after
noon.
Nelson Dingley, jr.. governor of
Maine 1SI4-75 and member of congress
from the Second congressional district
of Maine since 1881, was born in Dur
ham, Ne, in his grandfather Lambert's
farm house on the banks of the Andro-
scoggin river Feb Is, 1882, son of Mel
son and Jane Cranberry Dingley. The
year following his birth his parents re-
moved to Par5man, Piscataquas cOun-
ty, where they lived on q farm for a
short time, and then took charge of the
village tavern, with which store was
connected. In 1884 the family removed
TO Unity, Waldo county, and thence, in
1854, to Auburn, Androscoggin county.
AT II he taught q winter school in the
town of China, IA miles from home, and
he continued to teach winters while
httlng for college In 1850, at the age
OF IL, he entered Waterville (Me.) acad-
envy, OF which the Well-knoWn Professor
j. ii. Hanson was principal, and there
completed his preparation for college.
Entering WaterVlle college now Colby
university, in 1851, he remained there a
year and a half and then became a stu
dent at Dartmouth college, from which
institute he was graduated in 1855, with
nigh rank as a scholar, debater and
writer. After leaving college MI Ding
ley studied law in 1S55-6 with Morrill, g.
F'essenden, in Auburn, to which city
his parents had removed while he was
in college. and in the latter year he was
admitted to the bar. Instead of enter
ing upon the practice of law, he decided
TO become journalist, for which pro-
fession he always manifested decided
taste. In September, 1885, he purchased
the Lewiston Journal, of which he had
been practically the editor while study
ing law, and to which. in 1881, he added
a daily edition. The paper rapidly in
creased in circulation under his man
agement His first vote was cast in 1854
for Hon Arson P. Morrill, the anti
slavery and temperance candidate for
governor, a political combination from
which rose the republican party Of
Maine during the following winter, He
threw himself into the Fremont cam
palgn in 1856 with all the ardor of
youth and ability of age. In 1861, at the
age OF ~, he was elected representative
from Auburn to the state legislature in
which body he at once took high rank
was reelected in 1862 and chosen speak
er OF the house a the session of 1859.
In 1868 he removed to Lewiston, where,
few months after, he was elected ia
the legislature and with the opening of
the legislative session of 1864 was unani
mously reelected speaker.
Al the state election of 1864 he was
elected to the house fourth time, and
with the session of 1865 was again ten
dered the speakership which he declined
pfeterrlng to take his place on the floor,
ne was also representative to the
legislature from Lewiston in 1872 and
1873. In 1878 Mr. Dingley was nomj-
mated as the republican candidate for
governor of Maine by a vote of two to
one against two popular opponents and
was elected by about 10000 majority
In 1874 he was reelected with more
than ilo0o majority. declining a third
nomination in 1875. He was one of the
delegates at large from Maine to the
republican national convention of 1876
and served on the committee on reso-
lutions and was one of the sub-com-
mittee of five who drafted the plat
form. He actively participated in the
presidential campaign of 1876 and in
the state conventions Of 1877-7S-79, In
1880, he was chairman of the repub-
lican executive committee. In 1881 Mr..
Dingley was nominated by the repub-
licans of the Second congressional dis.
trict of Maine to fill the vacancy in
congress caused by the resignation of
Hon William p Frye. He was elected
by majority of over 5000, nearly
twice as large as ever before given TO
any candidate in that district. He
served on the committee on banking
and currency and as a member of the
| select committee on alcoholic liouDr
traffic, and during the session he pre-
sided several times over the house in
| committee of the whole. Mr. Dingley's
| hrst speech in congress was made April
25, 1882, on Protection to American
| shipping" the house beir~ in commit
! Xtytn h 20