The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-05
John HENRY KETCRAM DEAD.
FATHER OF. THE H0USE-FERST
SENT TO CONGRESS IN 1864.
p.d Been Nominated Again, Although His
Constituents Knew That He Could Noe
Liye-Beaten But Once. IN 1879
Served with Distinction I'm the war.

~Liye-Beaten But Once. IN s57
Served with Distinction In the war.
Gen. John Henry Ketcham. who had
heen nominated nineteen times for Con
xrees by the Republicans of the Twenty
srst New York district and who was in Con-
grsse almost continuously from 1855, died
Yesterday morning in ST. Elizabeth's Hos
pital in this city after a long illness follow
ing q third attack of paralysis. Congress-
nan Ketchsm received a unanimous vote
every time he was nominated. He de-
eined to run for election TO the Fifty-third
and Fifty-fourth Congresses because of i'll
health. Early in October last, although he
vas then in the hospital in a very weak
condition, the Republicans in cow ntion at
Poughkeepsie placed him in nomination once
more.
Gen. ketcham was 70 years old and was
bonn at Dover Plains, Duchess county,
where he made his home. In point of SER
vice be was the dean of both branches Of
Congress. He had been active in politics
ever since he was % years old. At that
time he was elected supervisor Of his native
town. Immediately thereafter, in 1850 and
1857, he was chosen n member of the State
Assembly. He served in the State Senate
IN New York in 1850 and 1851. When the
civil war started he organized the l5Oth
New York Volunteers and was chosen the
first Colonel Of that regiment.
He served actively in the entire wal
and with his regiment was engaged at
Gettysburg and also in Sherman's march
TO the sea. For valiant service he re-
ceived the ran of Brigadier-G General,
with which he retired from the war. While
stu at the front he was nominated and
elected 10 the ~Thirty-eighth Congress.
He was unable to serve actively, as that
election came while the war was still In
progress. For four terms thereafter he
had no difficulty. and suffered defeat for
the onlv time in 1872. when John o. White
house. a Democrat. beat him.
President Grant made him Commissioner
OF the District of Columbia, which off &c
he held from 1874 TO 1877. He resigned TO
take his seat in the Forty-seventh Con-
gress. From then on. with the exception
of the two OCCASIONS upon which he declined
to run after being nominated. he served
continuously as a Congressman. In the
last election he got a greater number of
votes in his district, which includes CO.
lumbia, Duchess, Greene and Putnam
counties, than Roosevelt n Fairbanks.
He polled 2i,79l votes, his two opponents,
a Socialist Democrat and a Prohibltionist,
got 37l and 55s respectively.
Next TO Gen. Ketcham in the point of
service in the House were Speaker Cannon
and Gen. Bingham Of Pennsylvania. The
latter. whlle not having served as many
terms as Gen. ketCham, had a longer con-
tinuous service.
Wne1 the m liter Of nominating a Con-
gresham from the Tv enty-fiTst district
came up this fell and the party men under
stood that Gen. ketCham was very sick
indeed thew agreed that it would be best
AZ anv ey ent TO name him. With him fiat
on his back. probably in his last illness"
sid the Republicans Of the district at the
time. we wanted to show our affection
and esteem by giving him his nineteenth
nomination. Thev realized at the time
that he would not be able to run.
Gen. ketcham m"de n great hit early
in life " lth his constituency by his remark
able industry. Up in his district the saying
was in times Of trouble, Go to Ketcham.S
In his Younger days the General, who WIS a
great walker, spent a lot of time travelling
IN foot through his district. meeting the
h-me-s n making hundreds Of friends.
he never made use OF a ste~nogTapher,
attending TO all his correspondence, which
vas not slight, personally, He wrote all
the answers In longhan1.
Guests at his home In Dover Plains have
said that after leaving him at midnight
they woul1 arise early in the day TO find
that the Congressman hal in the interval
att nded TO answering thirty l.ttors or so.
Il was seldom that he delayed answering
the lett@r of any CONSTITUENT
He was si rhtl, deaf, but it was asserted
by some of his fri nds that he could hear
veil enough when he wanted to. There ara
two stori ) related Of him that are famous
in the Hudson VaU-y. One OF them GOES;
A mar in hard luck appealed to the Gen.
eral for s..
whats that" asked the General. putting
his ear clos to the mans mouth.
win you lind me slo2, asked the man;
gr"ssman's raplv.
Il was sail also that he could hear when
a Constituent appalled, 10 him for a lob
but could not hear when the head of a De-
partment Sid that there were no vacancl ).
At the time of the Bristow report. which
uamed him a. one of the Congressman who
had been ov7rzralous in getting favors
from the Post flee d 'partnent, the Zen
eral s,ii; Il have not heard a prot st IRON
nv constituency in twenty years. which
Is the other famous hetcham story.
His sn. Henri b. Ketcha N, who il a
lawyer in this itv, was AZ the hospital at
the tine Of his death. An1ther son, Charles
B. Ketcham. is a member of the New YORK
Stock Exchange. The only other child
is a daughter, Ethel. Mrs. ketcham il
at the fsmilv home. in DoN err Plains. Gen.
ketchan was one Of sew en- children; he
Is CIR. iyed Nv William s., George W. James
G. and Morris Ketcham: Mrs; Maria j..
Butts " LD- Angeles and Elizabeth q.
KetchaT Of ProoRl II.
Speaker Cannon was notified yesterda y
Of Gen. Ketcha ms dea'h b. a wire to Dams
NhAA' NE ~ -
sproint a Congress OF al committee TO be
present at the fur Al al, whi h will take
place on Wedntsday a iterr Don in theValley
View Cemetery. az Dover Plains. The body
will be taken 10 Power Plains on Wednes-
day on a train which lea,es at
sO5 A. NJ. The Rev. Thomas f.. Vassar,
minister Of the BaVtist Church and former
chaplain OF the IjCth New York Volunteers.
Of which the dead man was Colorel. will
conduct the services. The pallhearers
will be che sen from the civil war comrades
of Gen. KetCham. Two from New York
city will be Justice Fenry 4. Gilderslee,e
Of the Supreme Ourt and DIR. ;. q. Cook,
presideT OF thew est Side Pank.
NAsHLNG1oH, ov, i.-1he death ol Gen.
ketcham removes an interesting CharaCt ter
from the halls OF Congress-. lie had the
distint .ion Of serving longer in the House
Of Representatives than any other man
Who was ever elected 20 that body. Gen.
Keicham was serving his seventeenth term
and had been renominated for the eighteenth
term.
With seventeen terms TO his credit Gen.
Ketrhsm e,lipsed the record Of the late
illiam n. Holman Of Indiana, the " atch-
dog Of the Treasury who served sixteen
terms, and also that OF Charles ON ell and