Imperial Valley press., 1912-10-31

an old Vermont family.
Mr.. Sherman attended the public
schools in Utica and whitestown sem
mary. Afterward he entered Hamilton
college, from which he graduated in
1878. Then he took up the study Of
law and was admitted to the bar Of
New York state in 1880. He had ex-
celled as an orator during his college
days and was often called upon to
deliver addresses on public occasions.
1t was as orator that he finally drifted
into politics. He entered the law firm
of Cookinham & Gibson. which after
few months became Cookinham &
Sherman.
The first political office Mr.. Sherman
ever held was that of mayor of Utica.
He was elected to that office in 1881.
when he was but 20 years old, having
defeated Lewis H. Shattuck by ma
jority of 1885 votes, the largest ever
given a mayoralty candidate in Utica
up to that time. Mr.. Sherman was the
youngest mayor in the history of the
city. After the expiration Of his term
of office as mayor Mr.. Sherman was
elected to congress and, with the ex-
ception of one term, 1890 to 1892, when
he was one of the many victims of the
Democratic landslide, he served in the
house continuously from 1887 to the
time when he assumed the office of
vice president. He had been reelected
to the Sixtieth congress from the
Twenty-seventh New York district and
resigned his position only a short time
before the 4th of March.
During his time in congress Mr.. Sher-
man served on many important COM
mittees. He was delegate to the Re-
publican national convention in 1892,
and chairman Of the New York state
Republican convention in 1895 and
again in 1900. He had an excellent
training in parliamentary practice and
was often called upon temporarily to
fill the speakers chair. He was an
important factor in all legislative mat
ters in the lower branch of congress
and, during his last term, was chair
man of the committee on Indian affairs
and member of the committee on
rules and of the committee on inter-
state and foreign commerce. He was
one of the big five" in the house and
was considered one of the most influ
entail m members. He was ever a staunch
supporter of Speaker Cannon.
When Mr.. Sherman was bo omed for
the vice-presidency in the summer If
1908, it was not the first time that he
had been mentioned for that office.
In 1900, when he was permanent chair
all ,tota tiar,
he was for a number of days a close
rival of Theodore Roosevelt. The late
Mark Hanna at one time regarded fa
vorably the suggestion that Mr.. Sher-
man be the presidential candi-
date
Mr.. Sherman showed extraordinary
ability as a leader of political cam
paigns. During the many years while
he was chairman of the Republican
congressional committee he led with
success some Of the hardest fights for
a Republican majority. When Speaker
Reed resigned, Mr.. Sherman became
one of the candidates for the office, bur
his friends did not have time to OBJ
tain sufficient number of pledges and
David B. Henderson of Iowa was
elected.
President Mckinley named Mr.. She
man one of the appraisers of the
port of New York, but Mr.. Sherman
declined the office in obedience to a
mass meeting of his constituents. In
1902 he was mentioned in connection
with newly created judgeship on
the federal bench of the second New
York district. During April of that
year ii was announced that Mr.. Sher-
| man would resign from congress TO
| take the place on the bench. HIS
| friends, however, finally persuaded him
not to take the appointment, but to
| remain in congress.
The abolition of hazing at the naval
| academy was largely due to Mr.. Sher-
| man, who introduced in congress a
resolution providing for a congressional
| investigation into the affairs of the
| academy, particularly into the reports
| of brutal hazing by the midshipm en-.
Mr.. Sherman went into the investiga-
| ton himself with great energy and
| brought about the necessary reforms.
He was also father of the anti-scalpers'
| bill, an act to provide against the prac-
| tice of ticket scalping.
| In 1881 Mr.. Sherman married Miss
| Carrie Babcock, daughter of Gen Ella
| kim Babcock, of Oneida county, New
| York, with whom he had three sons,
two of whom followed a business ca
reer while the third became a profess
sor of mathematics at Hamilton coll
| lege.