Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832 - May 28, 1895) was an American statesman and lawyer. He served as a federal judge and in the Cabinet of two presidential governments. He was affiliated with the Republicans for most of his career but joined the Democratic Party at the end of his life.
Gresham began his legal career at Corydon, Indiana after attending Indiana University Bloomington. He campaigned for the Republican Party in the election of 1856 and won the election to Indiana's Representative Council in 1860. He served as General of the Union during the American Civil War, taking part in the Vicksburg siege and other major battles. After the war, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Gresham to a position in the United States District Court for the District of Indiana. Gresham remained in the palace until 1883, when he resigned his position to become a Postmaster General under President Chester A. Arthur. After briefly serving as Secretary to Finance Minister Arthur, Gresham accepted the appointment to the US circuit court for the Seventh Circuit.
Gresham was a candidate for presidential candidacy at the Republican National Convention of 1884 and the National Convention of the Republic of 1888. Most of his support for the nomination came from agrarian unions such as the Farmers Alliance. In the presidential election of 1892, Gresham broke with the Republican Party and advocated for Democratic elections Grover Cleveland. After Cleveland won the election, Gresham resigned from the federal seat to serve as the Cleveland State Secretary. Gresham held that position until his death in 1895.
Video Walter Q. Gresham
Family
He was born near Lanesville, Indiana, to William Gresham (1802-1834) and his wife Sarah Davis. William was elected a Colonel in the Indiana militia. He was a Whig Party member and was elected Sheriff Harrison County, Indiana. On January 26, 1834, William was stabbed fatal while assisting in the capture of Levi Sipes, called "despair".
His paternal grandparents were George Gresham (born 1776) and Mary Pennington. George was born in Virginia but later settled in Kentucky. He moved to Indiana in 1809. Mary is the only sister of Dennis Pennington, the first Indiana Senate speaker.
George is the son of Lawrence Gresham. Lawrence was born in England but moved to the Virginia Colony in 1759. Initially he served as an obligatory uncle's aide. He was released from service after reaching adulthood. He then served in the Continental Army. She married Sarah O'Neal. Lawrence followed his son to Kentucky and Indiana into his old age.
Maps Walter Q. Gresham
Initial years
Walter Gresham spent two years at an academy in Corydon, Indiana, a year at Indiana University Bloomington, then studied law under Judge William A. Porter at Corydon before he was accepted at the bar in 1854 and started training at Corydon. He was active as a campaign speaker for Republican tickets in 1856, married Matilda McGrain in 1858, and in 1860 was elected to the Indiana House as a Republican of the powerful Democratic district. In the House of Representatives, as chairman of the military affairs committee, he made many preparations for the Indiana army for federal military service.
Civil War
Gresham was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the 38th Infantry Infantry Infantry on September 18, 1861. In December of that year, he was promoted to colonel and stationed at the command of the 53rd Infantry Infantry Infantry. The 53rd Indiana Infantry then took part in Grant's Tennessee campaign in 1862, including the Corinthian siege and the Battle of Vicksburg. During the Vicksburg siege, Colonel Gresham led a brigade. In August 1863 he was appointed brigadier general of the volunteer, and stationed at the command of the Federal forces in Natchez, Mississippi. In 1864 he ordered the distribution of the XVII Corps in the Atlanta Sherman Campaign, and before the Battle of Atlanta, on July 20, he received a gunshot wound on his knee which forced him to retire from active service, and made him paralyzed for life. In 1865 he was appointed as a major volunteer volunteer.
Political career
After the war he practiced law in New Albany, Indiana, and on 1 September 1869 received the recess appointment of President Ulysses S. Grant to the bench of US district court for Indiana left by David McDonald. Formally nominated on December 6, 1869, Gresham was confirmed by the United States Senate on 21 December 1869, and received his commission on the same day. On April 9, 1883 he resigned from the bench to succeed Timothy O. Howe (1816-1883) as Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Chester A. Arthur, taking an active part in the Louisiana Lottery's oppression, overseeing the September success of 1883, the introduction of Post Records. During his service as Postmaster General, Gresham, Oregon, named after him.
In September 1884, Gresham succeeded Charles J. Folger as US Treasury Secretary, but the following month he resigned to accept the recess appointment, which took place on October 28, 1884, to a seat on the circuit of the United States for the Seventh Circuit. , emptied by Thomas Drummond. Gresham was formally nominated on 3 December 1884, and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 9, 1884, received his commission on the same day. On June 16, 1891, Gresham was transferred by legal operation to the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Gresham was a candidate for Republican presidential nomination in 1884 and 1888, in the last year leading for some time in the vote. His nomination in 1888 was supported by several agrarian trade unions, including The Agricultural Wheel, the Grange and Farmer's Alliance. Gradually, however, he grew out of sympathy with Republican leaders and policies, and in 1892 advocated the election of Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland for the presidency. On March 3, 1893, he resigned from the bench, and from 7 March 1893, until his death in Washington, D.C., on May 28, 1895, he was Secretary of State at the Cabinet of President Grover Cleveland. His grave is at Arlington National Cemetery.
He is a Gresham, Oregon and Gresham, Nebraska namesake.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (States)
References
- Attribution
- This article incorporates text from publications now in the public domain: Ã, Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gresham, Walter Quinton". EncyclopÃÆ'Â|dia Britannica . 12 (issue 11). Cambridge University Press.
External links
- Media related to Walter Q. Gresham on Wikimedia Commons
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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