The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-07

CONTINUED From First Page,

! ganization of the Republican party
and his county was the first to create
Republican County Committee He
| was chosen chairman OF the commit
tee, and as such, represented Tioga in
the State convention, which formed
the Republican party. He was a MEM
Der OF the committee that issued the
| first Republican address to the peo-
! pie of the State
| In 1856 he ran for District ATTORNEY
| as Republican and was elected de-
Treating Gilbert c. Walker. his Demo-
cratic opponent. who subsequently, be-
| came Governor of Virginia. Soon
after the election the Young political
| opponents formed partnership Under
the name OF Tracy and Walker, and
| At the age of twenty-six years young
! tracy had more jury cases than any
other lawyer in the county In 1883
| he was taken i'll while sessions of the
! court were being held in the sixth
| judicial District and court was com
peeled TO adjourn for the reason that
| tracy was engaged in every single
! case on the calendar.
/ General Tracy was elected mem
Der OF the Assembly in 1852. and
soon became the acknowledged leader
Bof ms party in the Assembly
| His War Record
/ when General McCleilan's army
/ was checked upon the peninsula in
the summer of 1852 and President
Lincoln issued call for 500, 900 more
men, Governor Morgan divided the
state into thirty-two regimental dis
TIcts 10 correspond with the thirty
TWO senatorial districts General Tracy
was appointed as chairman of his
district. He volunteered to raise a
regiment On August ~, 1862 he re-
ported that two (the l09th and l37thl
were ready, and he asked perm ission
| to raise a third. He was made q
colonel of the 109th. and left for the
front five days later
he saw active service under Gem
! erai Burnside, fighting his first fight at
the Battle of the Wilderness For his
conduct on the battlefield he received
medal OF honor, and was afterwards
made bfigadier- general.
Becomes District Attorney.
He was appointed United States
District Attorney for the Eastern Dis
trict of New York in 1865, and held
this position until 1873 AS soon as
he took office he declared war upon
distihers who were defrauding the
government He seized and forfeit
ed the product OF many distilleries and
brought about the indictment of MANY
men engaged in the frauds
AT his time II was not a crime for
two or more persons To conspire to-
gether TO defra I'D the government, and
to meet this difficulty General Tracy
drew up the act now known as the
| conspiracy act" which was passed by
Congress. making 1t crime for two
or more men to conspire to defraud
the United States. The enforcement
of this act speedily worked a reyolu-
tin, in "a 1tf aF
liquors
General Tracy resigned as Federal
District Attorney in 1873. and gave
up all his time to the practice OF law.
General Tracy maintained an active
connection with Republican politics In
Kings County. and with General James
Jourdan and Silas b. butcher. prac-
tiaalty controlled the organization. The
trio OF leaders were known as THE
three Graces."
Member OF Harrison.s Cabinet.
General Tracy was selected as a
member OF President Harrison's cab
met In 1889, at time when the State
Republicans were divided into two
factions. General Harrison called
upon the leaders of both factions to
suggest cabinet possibilities that
would be acceptable to them and Gem
eral Tracey's name appeared on both
Isis. ne WAS, therefore, appointed
Secretary Of the Navy
General Tracy again returned to
private life after building up fight
ing navy and continued the practice
of law until the end. He was defeated
as the Republican candidate for mayor
of the greater city in 1897.
Probably the most, conspicuous trial
In which General Tracy took part was
that of the celebrated Tilton- Beecher
case In 1873. He was one of the
counsel In the defense OF the Rev
Henry Ward Beecher. His opening
speech for Mr.. Beecher was one Of his
ablest efforts and his scrosa-examina-
tion of witnesses attracted mpch AZ.