Matthew Quay Matthew Stanley Quay ( September 30 , 1833May 28 , 1904 ) was an immensely powerful Pennsylvania political boss once dubbed a " kingmaker " by President Benjamin Harrison . " Boss " Quay ' s political principles and actions stood in contrast to an unusually attractive personality . He was a resident of Beaver , northwest of Pittsburgh , where his house has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . The Roberts - Quay House at Philadelphia was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 . Biography . Early life . Quay was born in Dillsburg , York County , Pennsylvania , the son of a preacher , Anderson Quay , and his wife . He graduated at Jefferson College ( now Washington and Jefferson College ) in 1850 and was admitted to the bar in 1854 . He served in various capacities in the American Civil War and Congress awarded him the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the battle of Fredericksburg . Politics . Quay became active in politics after the war , and served in both elected and appointed positions , allying with numerous governors and presidents . In 1864 , he was first elected to the Pennsylvania legislature , serving from 1865 – 1867 . From 1869 , when he served as secretary of the Republican State Committee , until his death , he was considered the most influential Republican politician in Pennsylvania . He was appointed by the governor as Secretary of the Commonwealth from 1873 – 1878 , and again from 1879 – 1882 . He was appointed as the County Recorder of Philadelphia from 1878 – 1879 , and state treasurer from 1886 – 1887 . He was elected by the legislature in 1886 to the United States Senate , serving from March 4 , 1887 until March 3 , 1899 , with repeated re - elections . He was elected as chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1888 . Senate seating controversy . He was not re - elected to the Senate by the $ 3 in 1899 ( the seventeenth amendment which allowed for popular election of senatorswas still years away from ratification ) . The legislature was unable to build consensus for anyone to be elected to the seat . Governor William Stone appointed Quay to fill the ensuing vacancy , and he presented his credentials to the Senate in December 1899 . The Senate refused to seat him , declaring that he was not entitled to the seat . Pennsylvania held a special election to fill the persistent vacancy , and Quay was ultimately re - elected to the seat . Scandal . For nearly twenty years , Quay dominated the government of Pennsylvania , and also played a very prominent role in national affairs . In 1898 he was brought to trial on a charge of misappropriating state funds . Although he was acquitted the following year , the feeling among the reform element in his own party was so opposed to him that the legislature became deadlocked over filling the Senate vacancy . Quay was not re - elected for two years . Timeline . Quay County , New Mexico and the small community of Quay , New Mexico are both named in his honor . Matthew Quay appears on a 45p ( £0 . 45 ) commemorative stamp from the Isle of Man Post Office , as part of a series honoring Manx - Americans . Quotes . After his narrow victory over Grover Cleveland in 1888 , Benjamin Harrison told Quay that " Providence has given us the victory . " A few weeks later , Quay said to reporters about Harrison : " Think of the man ! He ought to know that Providence hadn ' t a damn thing to do with it . " Harrison , Quay added , would " never know how close a number of men were compelled to approach the gates of the penitentiary to make him president . " 3 Quay was not enthusiastic to work for Harrison ' s re - election campaign in 1892 , and referred to the president as the " White House iceberg " for his cool , unfriendly demeanor . When Harrison told Quay that God had made him president , Quay snapped back , " Then let God re - elect you , " and stomped out . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and Organization : Citation : Notes . 3 A . K . McClure , " Old Time Notes of Pennsylvania " , John C . Winston Company , 1905 , cited in " The Politicos 1865 - 1896 " by Matthew Josephson , Harcourt , Brace & World , Inc . , 1938 .