Augustus Dodge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 14thUnited States Minister to Spain | |
| In office June 17, 1855 – March 12, 1859 | |
| President | Franklin Pierce James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | Pierre Soulé |
| Succeeded by | William Preston |
| United States Senator fromIowa | |
| In office December 7, 1848 – February 22, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | James Harlan |
| Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from theIowa Territory's at-large district | |
| In office October 28, 1840 – December 28, 1846 | |
| Preceded by | Francis Gehon(Delegate-elect) |
| Succeeded by | Serranus Hastings(Representative) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Augustus Caesar Dodge (1812-01-02)January 2, 1812 Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 20, 1883(1883-11-20) (aged 71) Burlington, Iowa, U.S. |
| Resting place | Aspen Grove Cemetery Burlington, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | Black Hawk War |
Augustus Caesar Dodge (January 4, 1812 – November 21, 1883)[1] was aDemocratic delegate to theU.S. House of Representatives fromIowa Territory, a U.S. minister to Spain, and one of the first set ofUnited States senators to representIowa after it was admitted to the Union as a state. His father,Henry Dodge, served as a U.S. senator fromWisconsin; the two were the first and so far the only father-son pair to serve concurrently in the Senate, which they did from 1848 to 1855.
Augustus Dodge was born in what is nowSte. Genevieve, Missouri (then inLouisiana Territory). Self-educated, he moved toIllinois in 1827, settled inGalena, and was employed there in various capacities in his father's lead mines. He served in theBlack Hawk War and otherIndian wars. In 1837, he moved to what is nowBurlington, Iowa (then inWisconsin Territory), where he served as register of the land office until 1840.
Congress created Iowa Territory in 1838, from what was formerly the Iowa District of Wisconsin Territory. As a result of the Act of March 3, 1839,[2] the position of Iowa Territory's Delegate to the U.S. House would become vacant on October 27, 1840, and Dodge was elected to fill it. After initially serving in theTwenty-sixth United States Congress, he was re-elected in 1840 (to theTwenty-seventh Congress), 1842 (to theTwenty-eighth Congress), and 1844 (to theTwenty-ninth Congress). He served as delegate until Iowa became a state in December 1846, and his role was replaced by two voting Representatives.
For its first two years, theIowa General Assembly failed to choose Iowa's first U.S. senators, due to a three-way split that prevented any candidate from earning the required number of 30 legislators' votes.[3] However, after the 1848 elections gave the Democratic Party a greater share of Iowa legislators, Dodge (andGeorge Wallace Jones) were elected as Iowa's first two U.S. senators.[3] By drawing lots, Dodge received the seat with the shorter term (to expire in 1849), but was re-elected that year to a full six-year term.[3] While in the Senate, he served as chairman of the committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses (in theThirty-first andThirty-second Congresses), the Committee on Pensions (in the Thirty-first Congress), the Committee on Revolutionary Claims (in the Thirty-second Congress), and the Committee on Public Lands (in theThirty-third Congress).
On December 14, 1853, Dodge introduced a bill to organize the new territory ofNebraska. Under the leadership ofIllinois SenatorStephen Douglas, that bill eventually became theKansas-Nebraska Act, which Dodge supported forcefully.
In 1854, as Dodge's second term was near its end, the Iowa General Assembly choseFree Soil Party member (and future Republican)James Harlan, rather than Dodge.[3] Dodge was the preferred choice of Democratic legislators, whose ranks had declined. But in a failed effort to defeat Harlan by uniting Democrats and nationalist Whigs behind a single candidate, Dodge dropped out after the fourth ballot.[3]
Dodge served in the Senate until February 22, 1855, when PresidentFranklin Pierce appointed him to the post ofminister to Spain. He served as the minister until 1859.
Dodge unsuccessfully ran forGovernor of Iowa in 1859, losing to RepublicanSamuel J. Kirkwood. He served as mayor ofBurlington, Iowa from 1874 to 1875.
In1868, Dodge supported the candidacy ofGeorge H. Pendleton for the Democratic presidential nomination.[4]During that same election year, Dodge himself had been mentioned for the vice-presidency. "His nomination", saidThe Democratic Watchman (Bellfontaine, Pennsylvania) "would probably give satisfaction to as many Democrats as that of any other western man."[5] Looking toward the1872 presidential election, Dodge recommendedThomas A. Hendricks as a "worthy, able and excellent man." He believed that there was strong support throughout the Midwest for the Indianan, although he doubted that Hendricks would run well in the East.[6]
He died in Burlington, Iowa on November 20, 1883, and was interred inAspen Grove Cemetery in Burlington.[7]
Dodge was the nephew ofMissouri SenatorLewis F. Linn. His brother-in-lawJames Clarke served as the third and last Governor ofIowa Territory.[8]
Dodge County, Nebraska[9] andDodge Street inOmaha, Nebraska[10] were named after Augustus Dodge. His home in Burlington, Iowa is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places as theAugustus Caesar Dodge House.[11]
Also, Augustus C. Dodge is numbered among the honored pioneers of Des Moines County, and during his life was among the most noted men. He sprang from good old Revolutionary stock, and the patriotism of his ancestors found an abiding-place in his heart.[1]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Delegate to theU.S. House of Representatives from theIowa Territory's at-large congressional district 1840–1846 | Succeeded byas U.S. Representative |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| New seat | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Iowa 1848–1855 Served alongside:George Wallace Jones | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Expenses Committee 1849–1853 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Public Lands Committee 1853–1855 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Spain 1855–1859 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Ben Samuels | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Iowa 1859 | Succeeded by William Merritt |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Public Lands (1816–1921) | | |
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| Public Lands and Surveys (1921–1947) | ||
| Interior and Insular Affairs (1947–1977) | ||
| Energy and Natural Resources (1977–) | ||
| Ministers Plenipotentiary to Spain (1779–1825) | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain (1825–1913) | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain (1913–present) | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
