The Morris County chronicle., 1910-03-08
THOMAS c. PLATT Dead
Notable as Senator From New
York and President Maker.
Thrice in United States Senate, He
Was a Political Power Twenty
Years--Nominated Roosevelt.

New York City. Thomas Collier
Platt, thrice United States Senator
from New York, and once its easy
boss who nominated Theodore
Roosevelt for Governor of New York,
and later, against his will. for the
Vice-Presideney, opening his subse-
quent path to the Presidency, died in
three-room apartment on the fifth
floor Of the house at 1873 West Elev-
enth street He had known every
President personally since Lincoln.
With Senator Platt when the end
came suddenly were his three sons,
Harry. Edward and Frank, the wives
of the two latter, and a grandson,
Livingston Platt
They were summoned hastily by
telephone after Senator Platt had
been attacked by fainting spells and
arrived only five minutes before he
died.
Though he was for nearly quar-
ter of century the undisputed easy
boss" of the Republican organization
in New York, Thomas Collier Platt
died forsaken by political friends and
foes alike. With not vestige of his
former power left, and with no one
to do him homage, the once powerful
leader at the time of his death had
shared for nine long years, laden with
bitterness and humiliation, the his
toric fate of kings in exile and gener-
ais in defeat.
Platt was thrice elected to the Uni
ted States Senate. He was a member
of the House of Representatives twice.
But Platt will not live long in mem
ory as a legislator. His fame must
depend on what he did as a politician.
No man ever exercised less influence
in the Senate or the House of Repre-
sentatives than he. But no man ever
exercised more power as political
leader.
Throughout almost the whole period
of his leadership his rule was never
seriously endangered. His machine
was one of the easiest running in po-
litical history.
Mr. Platt was born in Owego, N. Y,
on July Is, 1888. He came from
Revolutionary ancestry on both sides
of the house. His father, who was
well known as a lawyer in Tioga
County, was a Presbyterian of the
straightest sect, and the boy was
brought up in the church. He sang
in the choir, and later became
deacon. He held that Office in his
fathers church until, in 1879, he
came to live in New York City. They
called him Deacon Platt" in Tioga
long after the rest of the country was
calling him ''The Easy Boss
Platt made his first appearance in
politics during the Fremont campaign
in 1856. A singer in the choir of his
church, he sang his way into politics
AS leader of a Fremont Glee Club,
which he and some of his youthful
friends organized, he enlivened hun
dreds of political rallies in the counz
ties of Tioga and Tompkins, within
which lay the narrower Plat orbit of
those early days.
In 1859 he was elected County
Clerk of Tioga. This was before the
storm on which he rode to political
eminence had begun brewing within
his party.
In 1870 he went as a delegate to
the Congressional Convention of his
district, then known as the Twenty
sixth. He was pledged to support
Milo Goodrich for the nomination.
The convention was deadlocked, 1000
ballots being cast. Platt was absent
on the thousandth, and the conven-
ton nominated him. He Immediately
declined the nomination.
The convention then nominated
Goodrich, who was elected. At the
next election, in 1872, Platt was elect
ed to succeed Goodrich, and entered
Congress at the age of forty.