The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1905-04-28

LITCHFlELD COUNTY
WASHINGTON.

WASElNGIONo
DEATH OF SENATOR o. H. PLATT.-
CONNECTICUT'S GREAT LOSS.-END
CAME AT HIS COUNTRY HOME IN
WASHINGTON, WHERE HE WAS BORN.
A PEN PICTURE OF THE MAN.
The death of Senator Orville Fl.
Platt Of Connecticut at his country
home in Washington, the beautiful
little hill town in which he was born
nearly 70 years ago, takes from public
life and the Senate chamber COM
handing figure that can i'll be spared.
The chief fact which his passing brings
into strong relief is that never in his
public service, despite it's length and
the age to which he lived, was he held
in such regard nor were his opinions of
so great influence as at the day of his
death. The fact is significant because
it suggests the character OF the man
and indicates the predominant feature
of his career-the steady growth and
broadening se]f-development which
made of this hard-headed "Yankee"
lawyer. who retained his ancestral
traits to the last, one of the few lead
ing figures of the Senate. He has died
man might wish to die, spared the
calibered colleague and nameSake,
Senator Platt Of New York, of seeing
his hold and influence decay. But the
public loss is great. There seems no
one in the Senate to quite ill the place
he had made for himself, no one to
exercise the restraining and deliber-
alive influence, almost authority,
which he had come unofficially to exer-
else. Much less does there appear any
one in Connecticut who can even
measurably take his place in the
national councils. He was partisan,
the republican stamp and seal were as
much to him as to any man, but his
principles were high, and he held them
caution and Shrewdness of the native
Yankee, and he grew in breadth with
the years.
Senator Platt's death was not unex-
pected by his friends. The strain of
the winter in Washington had told
upon him. During>all of the Swayne
trial he conscientiously insisted on
presiding, although much Of the time
he was not we'll and should have spared
himself. The visitors in the galleries
who we're critical because they could
had little idea of what at times it cost
him physically to perform his office.
And finally the exposure and fatigue
he suffered at the funeral of his friend
and colleague, the late Gen Hawley,
whose eulogy he delivered, was more
than his age and weakened health
could withstand. From the first of
his attack of pneumonia his friends
have feared that it would end as il
now has.
Orville Hitchcock Platt was born ir
| +u T,,1x
10, 1927, SO that he would have been Is
on his next birthday. He was the son
of a farmer, Daniel &c. Platt: and
worked upon his fathers farm until
he was 20 years old. His educa tion
was gained in the common schools OF
Washington and in the academy there
of Frederick W. Gum, the still famous
"Gunnery," from which we're gradu-
ated SO many men who afterward made
their mark in the world. 1t is "The
Gunnery" which appears in J. g. Hol
lands novel. "Arthur BOnnicaStle, az
"The Birds Nest" Mr. and Mrs Gum
appearing as "Mr and Mrs Bird" MI
l.Platt studied law at nearby Litchtield
in the office of Gideon H. HOLSTER
the Connecticut historian, and was ad
mitted to the bar in 1849. Aftel
spending six months in law practice ir
Pennsylvania he returned to Connect
cut in 1851 and located in Meriden
where he retained his city residence
to the time of his death. In 1855 he
was clerk Of the Connecticut Senate
and was elected secretary of state il
1857. In 1862 he was a member OF
the state Senate, and in 1864 and 1856!
l was elected to the HouSe-the latte
year serving as speaker. In 1877 he
was chosen state attorney for New
Haven county, and held that plac
until elected in 1879 to the Unitet
States Senate to succeed William II
Barnum, democrat. Mr. Platt was frs
a candidate for the Senate in 1865
when sharp contest occurred in tn
\ Connecticut Legislature between tn
supporters of Ex-Governor William A
Buckingham and the late Genera
Joseph R. Hawley. He had conducte
no canvass, but steadily received tn
: who finally ended the contest by vot
ing for Buckingham. In the contes
of 1879 the chief candidates at tn
start were General Hawley again an
Governor Jewell, Mr. Platt coming i
once more with STRONG balance Q
power, but with larger prestige an
: greater influence than before. At on
time General Hawley came within tw
votes OF the necessary majority, Will
Mr. Platt on the same ballot had onl
three votes, and on three other ballot
only five votes. But Mr. Platt
strength grew from that low -ebb an
he was finally made the party nominee
!. equivalent to election, after a memo
, able contest. He was reelected i
1885, 1890, 1897 and 1908. and his teri
) of service would have expired March
1909. He had thus actually served 2
years in the Senate, and had bee