History of Mount Pleasant, (Jefferson County) Ohio United States of America

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Robert C. Kirk, Collector of Internal Revenue for the Thirteenth Ohio District, was born on the 26th of February, 1821, at Mount Pleasant, Jefferson county, Ohio. Both his parents were natives of Pennsylvania. His father was a Quaker, a hatter by trade, but eventually gave up that occupation for that of a farmer, and died in 1838. His mother is still living, at the age of eighty. Robert, in his early boyhood, attended district school in his native place, and having obtained the full benefit of their resources he became a student in Franklin College, at Athens, Ohio, and shortly after leaving college he commenced the study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. William Hamilton, at Mount Pleasant. After a time spent thus in preliminary study he entered the old University at Philadelphia, where he attended lectures until he was twenty years of age. Then he left the University and at once removed to Fulton county, Illinois, where he began professional practice. He practised there for a short time, when he returned to Ohio in the fall of 1843, when he abandoned the practice of his profession and in the spring of 1844 engaged in mercantile pursuits in Mount Vernon. He formed a partnership with T. W. Rogers in the dry-goods business, but the association ended by the death of Mr. Rogers. When it terminated he formed a partnership in the same business with John Hogg, his father-in-law, and this continued until the year 1853, when the firm sold out and he left that branch of trade permanently. In 1857 he went to Winona, Minnesota, and was associated with his brother as dealers in real estate, business interests and the associations in his native State causing him to return to Ohio in 1858, and has remained there ever since except when holding official positions abroad. He has always been active in politics, and was a member of the Democratic party till 1854, but, disagreeing with his party on the currency and slavery questions, when the Missouri Compromise was repealed he left the Democratic ranks, and has ever since been an earnest opponent of the Democratic party. In 1856 he was elected a member of the Ohio State Senate, being the first Republican elected from that district, and served in that body during one term. In the year 1859, after his return from Minnesota, he was elected Lieutenant-Governor of the State, on the ticket with Governor Dennison. He served for two years. In 1862 he received from President Lincoln the appointment of Minister to the Argentine Republic. During his official residence at Buenos Ayres he was successful in settling all the old claims due American citizens, amounting to over four hundred thousand dollars; these claims originated in 1814 and were abandoned by our former ministers. Over nineteen thousand dollars were sent from Buenos Ayres to Mr. Bellows, President of the United States Sanitary Commission, for the benefit of our soldiers, during Mr. Kirk's residence there. This position he held until 1866, when he resigned and returned to Ohio. In 1869 he was reappointed by President Grant to the same position, but resigned again in 1871, returning home in January, 1872. In February, 1875, he received from President Grant the appointment of Collector of Internal Revenue of the Thirteenth Ohio District, at Mount Vernon, and that position he still holds. He is an earnest stump speaker, and does effective work in political campaigns. He was married on the 11th of December, 1843, to Eleanor Hogg, daughter of John Hogg and niece of old William Hogg, of Brownsville, Pennsylvania.

From: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Columbus, OH, USA: Galaxy Publishing Co., 1876.

History of Mount Pleasant, (Jefferson County) Ohio

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