History of Terre Haute, (Vigo County) Indiana United States of America

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Biographies:

Joseph Verdi Graff, representative, was born at Terre Haute, Ind., July 1, 1854; son of Jacob and Mary J. (Miller) Graff. He was graduated from Terre Haute high school in 1870, and entered Wabash college, Crawfordsville, Ind., leaving at the close of his freshman year. He was admitted to the bar in 1879 and settled at Pekin, Tazewell county, Ill. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention in 1892, and a Republican representative in the 54th-58th congresses, 1895-1905, serving as chairman of the committee on claims in the 56th congress.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Eugene Victor Debs, reformer, was born in Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 5, 1855; son of Jean Daniel and Marguerite (Betterich) and grandson of Jean Daniel and Marguerite (Schillinger) Debs. He attended the public schools of Terre Haute, 1860-70, and completed a commercial course in the Terre Haute business college. He was employed by Hulman & Co., wholesale grocers, 1875-79: was city clerk of Terre Haute, 1879-83; a representative in the Indiana legislature, 1885-86; grand secretary and treasurer of the Brotherhood of locomotive firemen, 1880-93, and president of the American railway union, 1893-97. In 1897 he originated the Social Democracy of America, a socialist party, embracing a scheme for colonizing the unemployed in sparsely settled western states, with a view to establishing co-operative industries and gradually developing the co-operative commonwealth. The organization was established in thirty-one states and one territory. In the first annual convention of the national council held in Chicago in June, 1898, the Social Democratic party, an independent political organization, grew out of the Social Democracy. While Mr. Debs was president of American railway union the strike of June, 1894, occurred, in which the business on thirty-two railways converging at Chicago was practically stopped, and the strikers sought, by withdrawing from the service in a body, to prevent its resumption till their demands were met. On July 2 an injunction was granted by the U.S. circuit court against the union and its officers, commanding them to refrain from hindering the business of the roads. When the injunction was disregarded, Mr. Debs and some of his associates were arrested and imprisoned and the justice of the sentence was practically affirmed by the U.S. supreme court, that body declining to review the case upon the ground that in a contempt proceeding the lower court had final jurisdiction. Mr. Debs, in explaining his position, said that he "disliked strikes as much as he did war, but that at times both were justifiable. When the people were ready to abolish war, the laboring men would find another method than strikes to right their wrongs. Arbitration, if compulsory, is vicious in principle, and if voluntary it cannot be enforced, yet boards of arbitration are the best instruments now at hand to adjust labor difficulties." His imprisonment he claimed to have been "a flagrant disregard of the constitution, as trial by jury had been denied and yet he had been imprisoned for a fixed term." He said: "Our only crime was to seek to rescue 14,000 famishing men, women and children after arbitration had been denied." Mr. Debs was married, June 9, 1885, to Katherine Baur.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Arthur Newton Brown, librarian, was born in Terre Haute, Ind., in 1857. He removed to Springfield, Mass., with his parents in 1861; was educated in the public schools and was a student at the Massachusetts institute of technology, 1876-'78. He became assistant librarian in the Springfield city library in 1878; clerk in the auditors' office of the Mexican central railroad, city of Mexico, in 1883, and was elected a life member of the American library association in 1885. He returned to the United States in August, 1884, and in February, 1885, became executive assistant to the chief librarian of Columbia college library, New York. In October, 1885, he was elected assistant manager of the library bureau at Boston. He was appointed librarian of the U.S. naval academy in August, 1886, and in September, 1895, he was made professor of English in the same institution.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Hillary Asbury Gobin, educator, was born in Terre Haute, Ind., March 25, 1842. He served in the Union army, 1862-65, and was graduated from Indiana Asbury university in 1870. He entered the Northwest Indiana conference of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1869 and preached in various places in Indiana until 1880, when he became the Robert Stockwell professor of Greek language and literature in DePauw university. He was made secretary of the faculty in 1881 and held that position until 1886, when he resigned his chair to accept the presidency of Baker university, Baldwinville, Kan. In 1890 he returned to De Pauw university as professor of theology and dean of the theological school. He was elected vice-president of the institution in 1894 and president in 1896. He was married twice: first, Nov. 8, 1871, to Florence A. Orrill, who died Dec. 16, 1891; and secondly, July 11, 1895, to Clara L. Beals, De Pauw university conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D. in 1880.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor