The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-01-28
Former Distinguished States
man Dies in Washington
Following Weeks illness. 1
BRIEF sKETeH ga Hls LIFE
Shows Great Prominence Of
His Public Activities in Long
and Useful Career.


illness Of more than a week during
which he lowered between life ana
death. His last words were wish
that he might have lived to see the
completion OF the national memorial
to Abraham Lincoln, who was his
personal friend.
Shelby Moore CuI1om's death end
ed hfty years of continuous puoilc
service that had made him a figure IN
American national life and brought
him into ofieial relations with every
President from Abraham Lincoln 70
woodrow Wilson. Presideht TAFT
once said of him:
tiYvhY: here's my old friend BIlcle
Shelby; he comes nearer connecting
the present with the days of Wash
ingtpn than any one else whom 4
know,
As ploughboy driving his faith
jerts oxen over the fresh prairie of IL
lfnois he had known and talked with
survivors, OF the Revolution aad on
the rugged feuhdatloRs o. q IRE pc pc
gun IN pioneer haFdsllips OF a family
OF twelve children had built career
that took him@to the Illinois leglsla-
tIIre as members; speaker OF the
Assem- bly,, two terms in the governors
chair, service in the national house
OF representatives, and thirty consec-
utive years in the United States SEN
ate.
His nearest living contemporary
probably is Uncle Joe" Cannon,
whose senior he was some seven years
by birth and some three years in ma
tional service.
Andrew jackson was president of
the United States when Mr.. Cullo ION
was born In 1899 down In the Elk
Spring Valley of Kentucky, near the
Cumberland where the CulIoms of
Maryland and the Coffeys of North
Carolina, drifting westward with the
tides OF immigration that set in at
the close Of the Revolution, founded
their early home.
''During the year 1929" Mr.. Gull
Ion recently wrote to illustrate the
epoch in which he began life. The
Crown Of Great Britain descended
from king George the Fourth to
King William the Fourth; that reign
passed away and 7 have lived to see
the hong reign of Victoria come and
go: the reign of King Edward come
and go and the accession of King
George the FIFTH Charles the Fifth
ruled In France, Francis the First in
Austria, Frederick William the Third
IN Ptdssias Nicholas the First In
RIssia, while Leo the Twelfth gov
efIisd the papal states, the Kingdom
OF Italy not yet having come into e1-
1stence. The United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland had not
yet a population of 24,00O,Q00 all
told. No man who had not served.
his country in some capacity in the.
Reyolutionary war had been elevated
to the presidehcy Of the United States
and this was the case until 184S,"
Times and events in his own coun-
try were no less stirring and his part
in them was a marked ono. Ken
lucky was a slave state at his birth,
the controversy which was TO hatch
rsS,4Sv fST4 hn
progress of incubation, in fact the
CuHoms moved to Illinois TO be. in q
free state and Chicago then was a
small village, The elder Cullom was
then a friend of Llncoln's s., recon-
mendtng the Struggling backwoods
Lawyer TO prospective clients. Young
Cullotn's first recollection of the fu-
ture war president was under such
circums stances Scraping together the
Eudiments of an education gained by
toiIing over rough primeval roads he
became successiveIy student at
Mount Morris Academy. q country
school teacher and lawyer, being adj
nitted to the bar at Springfield in
1855.
When he became city attorney OF
Springfield he launched upon a po-
Iitical career, which for a record of
unbroken service, is unchallenged as
exceeding that of any other Ameri-
can. Among MS lFSL pOIlI1ct44 SApS44-
ences was the novelty of being elected
and defeated at the same election.
He was elected to the legislature and
defeated as an elector on the FIJI
more ticket. Then came the historic
Lincoln and Douglas debates and
Cullom's intimate association with
Lincoln, whom he followed into the
ranks OF the Republican party. He
presided over the session of the Illt-
nois House at which after Fort Sum
ter had been fred upon, Stephen A..
Douglas appeared and made his dra-
matte plea for the preservation of the
Union During tho hrst of President
Lincoln's second term Mr.. Cullom
came to the National House OF Rep
IesentatIVes and began work which
was practically Interrupted only when
he served two terms as governor of
Illinois. Lincoln was assassinated
soon after Cullom entered Washing
ton life and the young Legislator
was q member OF the committee that
demanded the return of the president 8
body to Springfield Then when the
country began to recover from what
seemed final blow and the recon-
struction set in with the Thirty-ninth
Congress. Cuilom began his service
with the Illinois delegation, and with
such colleagues IN Congress as Logan;
Wentworth. Blaine, Conkling and
Hayes and Garfield, both Of whom at
fai1ied the presidency
After SIX years in the House during
which re ha seen the ifap eachmeut
~ AidreY johnson and taken part 81
Continued on page fiye0