History of Muskingum County Ohio United States of America

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Thomas Andrews Hendricks, Vice-President of the United States, was born on a farm in Muskingum county, Ohio, Sept. 7, 1819; son of Maj. John and Jane (Thomson) Hendricks, and a nephew of William Hendricks . In the spring of 1822 his parents removed to Shelby county, Ind., and while a resident of that county his father was appointed by President Jackson deputy surveyor of public lands, and in 1832 took up a homestead on the site of Shelbyville, Ind. Thomas was prepared for college at the Shelby County seminary and entered Hanover college with the class of 1841. Absence during the last three months of his senior year prevented his obtaining a diploma with the class, but he was afterward placed on the list of the alumni. He then studied law with Stephen Major in Shelbyville, 1842, and with his uncle, Judge Alexander Thomson, at Gettysburg college, Chambersburg, Pa., 1843; was admitted to the bar at Shelbyville, Ind., in 1843, and practised there, 1843-50. He was married, Sept. 26, 1845, to Eliza C., daughter of the Hon. Isaac Morgan, of North Bend, and their only child, Morgan Hendricks, died in 1851 when three years old. In 1848 he was elected a Democratic representative in the state legislature, and he was a member of the state constitutional conveution of 1850. He represented the Indianapolis district in the 32d and 33d congresses, 1851-55; was U.S. commissioner of the general land office by appointment of President Pierce, 1855-59; was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor of Indiana in 1860 against Henry S. Lane; served as president of the Democratic state convention of 1862; and as U.S. senator 1863-69. He served on the committees on claims, public buildings, the judiciary, public lands and naval affairs. He opposed the reconstruction measure, the test oath, the civil rights bill, tile freedman's bureau bill and the impeachment of President Johnson. He favored large appropriations for vigorously prosecuting the war and proposed the increase of the soldier's pay to meet the depreciation of the currency. He was a candidate for President of the United States before the Democratic national convention of 1868, held in New York city, and on the twenty-first ballot, with Gen. W. S. Hancock leading with 135 1/2 votes, he stood second with 132 votes, when the name of Horatio Seymour was so forcibly presented as to carry the convention. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor of Indiana against Acting-Governor Conrad Baker, losing the election by 961 votes. He by was defeated for re-election to the U.S. senate, the legislature being largely Republican, and he returned to his law practice in Ilidianapolis. He supported the Cincinnati nominations in 1872 and in October of the same year was the successful candidate for governor of Indiana, defeating Thomas M. Brown, Republican, by 1148 votes, the only name elected on the Democratic ticket except M. C. Hopkins, superintendent of public instruction, and in the November election the vote for the Republican electoral ticket was 3000 less than that received the month before by Mr. Hendricks. In 1875 his duty to his party in the state, the lieutenant-governor being a Republican, made him unavailable for U.S. senator and Joseph E. McDonald was elected by the Democratic legislature. In the Denmcratic national convention of 1876 held at St. Louis, Mo., on the first ballot Mr. Hendricks received 133 1/2 votes to 403 1/2 for Mr. Tilden and 75 for General Hancock. On the second ballot Mr. Tilden was nominated, and on the following day Sir. Hendricks received 730 of the 738 votes of the delegates for the second place on the ticket and he was then unanimously nominated as candidate for Vice-President. the electoral commission decided the election in March, 1877, in favor of Hayes and Wheeler, and Mr. Hendricks visited Europe in June, returning to the United States in October. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention at Chicago in 1884, and in behalf of the Indiana delegation nominated Joseph E. McDonald, of that state, as their choice for candidate for President of the United States, and after the nomination of Grover Cleveland the entire 816 votes of the convention were east for Thomas A. Hendricks for the vice-presidential candidate. the Democratic electoral ticket was given 4,911,017 popular votes to 4,848,334 for the electors for Blaine and Logan and the electoral college in 1885 gave Mr. Hendricks 219 votes to 182 for John A. Logan. He assumed his duties as Vice-President of the United States March 4, 1885, presiding over the U.S. senate up to the close of its special session, April 3, 1885. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. After the adjournment of the senate in May, he returned to his home in Indianapolis. He attended the commencement exercises of the class of 1885 at Yale in June, where he delivered an oration before the law school on "The supreme court of the United States and the influences that have contributed to make it the greatest judicial tribunal in the world." He also attended the Harvard commencement of that year, and after visiting Boston and Pittsfield, Mass., he rejoined Mrs. Hendricks at Atlantic City, and they subsequently made the trip of the great lakes, attended the funeral of General Grant in New York city and in September returned to their home in Indianapolis, where he rested, preparatory to his contemplated journey to Washington at the reassembling of congress in December. He attended a reception given in his honor by the citizens of Indianapolis Nov. 24, 1885, and on returning to his home he was taken ill and died on Thursday, Nov. 25, 1885.

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

Calvin C., Gibson, Mayor of Zanesville, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, May 6th, 1830. His parents were natives of the same State. His early education was often interrupted, and limited in its scope to such rudiments as were usually taught in the early country schools. His labor was required during the greater portion of the year on his father's farm. When sixteen he left school entirely and entered upon farming as his future occupation, working in the fields in the daytime and in his father's blacksmith shop at night. This double labor in a dual capacity he carried on until he was twenty-two years of age, and then entered upon a clerkship in a country store at Putnam, now the Ninth Ward of Zanesville, at a salary of $250 a year and board. By strict economy he managed to lay by annually from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars as capital for future business enterprises, which were eventually happily realized. After remaining in this store for some years Mr. Gibson went to Cincinnati and there took charge of a large stove warehouse, which he retained for a twelvemonth, and then returned to Zanesville. In 1863 he was appointed Deputy Sheriff under Sheriff Wolf, and upon the expiration of his term in this office he was selected as clerk of the Zane House, and after serving a year in this capacity remained in charge of the house for the same length of time. Upon leaving this position he opened a general merchandise store upon his own account, which he continued with prosperity until April 1st, 1875, when he was elected to the office of Mayor of Zanesville. Mr. Gibson had all the qualities necessary for a successful mercantile career. He was enterprising and honorable in all his transactions, and gained the confidence of his fellowcitizens. He has taken every proper measure, since his elevation to the mayoralty, to increase the material welfare of the city of which he is chief magistrate, and has proposed and carried into effect many improvements. His entire career is an illustration of what a poor boy, with ambition and integrity of character, may accomplish by energy. In October, 1862, he was married to Alice Green.

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

John C. Fisher, editor, was born on the 15th of December, 1840, in Muskingum county, Ohio. His father, William Fisher, was a farmer, and he was the oldest son. It may readily be supposed, therefore, that, in his case, hard work took precedence of hard study, and that, so far as school experiences constitute education, his early education was but limited. Notwithstanding the lack of early opportunities, however, he had, by the time he reached the age of eighteen, qualified himself to teach district school, and from that time until he was twenty-five years old, he devoted his winters to teaching. By this means he was enabled to meet the expense involved in a course of study at Dennison University, Granville, and another course at the Columbus Commercial College. Dividing his time thus between studying, teaching and working on the farm, he went on until the spring of 1866, when, with the surplus which he had saved by strictest economy, out of his earnings, he purchased the Coshocton Democrat, and entered upon the arduous and varied labors of journalism. He still continues to conduct the Democrat, and has made it what it is--one of the most carefully edited and influential papers in the State, outside of Cincinnati. As an editorial writer he has acquired a high reputation, and as an enterprising and skillful journalist he has few superiors. Politically he is a Democrat, and has acted with the Democratic party ever since he became a voter, and now he is recognized as one of the ablest leaders of his party in the State, or at least in his section of it. In 1873 he was elected, on the Democratic ticket, to the State Senate, from the Eighteenth District, embracing Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties. He was made Chairman of the Senate Committees on Public Printing and Enrolment, and also a member of the Committees on Revision, Common Schools, Mines and Mining and Public Works. He took a high rank as a parliamentarian and as an active and able committeeman. He was especially noted for his close attention to all the business that came before the Senate, and for his excellent judgment on all legislative questions, while he earned the confidence and esteem of his constituents by the earnestness with which he advocated measures of reform, and the skill with which he managed local legislation which he considered worthy of his support. In March, 1875, he was appointed by Governor Allen one of the three Fish Commissioners for Ohio, to the duties of which position he is now devoting much of his time and energy. He is also a Director of the Massillon & Coshocton Railway Company. He was married on the 15th of December, 1869, to Sarah A. Hawthorne, a descendant of the family to which Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author, belonged.

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

History of Muskingum County Ohio

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