Henry Harrison Bingham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dean of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office March 6, 1900 – March 22, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred C. Harmer |
| Succeeded by | John Dalzell |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1879 – March 22, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | Chapman Freeman |
| Succeeded by | William Scott Vare |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1841-12-04)December 4, 1841 |
| Died | March 22, 1912(1912-03-22) (aged 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Washington and Jefferson College (LLD) |
| Awards | Medal of Honor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union army |
| Years of service | 1862–1866 |
| Rank |  Major BrevetBrigadier General |
| Unit |  140th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry |
| Battles/wars | |
Henry Harrison Bingham (December 4, 1841 – March 22, 1912) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as aRepublican member of theU.S. House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1879 to 1912. He was aUnion army officer in theAmerican Civil War, fought in some of the key battles of the war and received the United States Military's highest award for valor, theMedal of Honor, for his actions at theBattle of the Wilderness.
Bingham was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania on December 4, 1841.[1] He graduated fromJefferson College inCanonsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1862,[1] where he became a member of thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity. He received a LLD degree in 1902[2] fromWashington and Jefferson College inWashington, Pennsylvania.[3]
Bingham enlisted in theUnion army and received a commission as afirst lieutenant in the140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on August 22, 1862.[1]
During theBattle of Gettysburg on July 1–3, 1863, he was serving ascaptain and Judge-Advocate on the staff ofMajor GeneralWinfield Scott Hancock'sII Corps.[4] During the battle he witnessedPickett's Charge, and was nearThe Angle where theConfederates reached thehigh-water mark. He received the personal effects from the wounded ConfederateBrigadier GeneralLewis Armistead and carried the news to General Hancock, Armistead's friend from before the war.[5] Bingham was aMason (Chartiers Lodge #297, Canonsburg, PA), and the story of how he provided assistance to the dying fellow Mason, General Armistead, was used in Masonic literature, and commemorated with theFriend to Friend Masonic Memorial atGettysburg National Cemetery.[6] On the other hand, recent scholarship in 2010 by Michael Halleran shows that while Armistead and Bingham were both Masons, Bingham's encounter with Armistead occurred while the mortally wounded Armistead was being carried from the field by several men and happened purely by chance not because of any appeal of Masonic significance.[7] Bingham never claimed otherwise.[7] Bingham did take Armistead's personal effects and forwarded them to Major GeneralWinfield S. Hancock as Armistead had requested because Hancock was a pre-war friend.[7] Bingham also was wounded on July 3, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg.[1]
In 1864, Bingham became aide-de-camp to Major GeneralGouverneur K. Warren.[1] During theBattle of the Wilderness during theVirginiaOverland Campaign, on May 6, 1864, as captain of Company G, 140th Pennsylvania Infantry, he "rallied and led into action a portion of the troops who had given way under fierce assaults of the enemy."[8] He was awarded aMedal of Honor on August 26, 1893, for these actions.
Bingham was wounded again at theBattle of Spotsylvania, May 12, 1864.[1] On September 25, 1864, Bingham was discharged from his company for promotion and appointed Major and Judge Advocate of the First Division.[9] Bingham was captured at Dabney's Mill, Virginia on October 27, 1864 during theBattle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road but escaped the same day.[1]
Bingham was wounded a third time during his service atFarmville, Virginia in 1865.[2]
Bingham was mustered out of the service on July 2, 1866 and returned home to Philadelphia.[1] On December 3, 1867,PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Bingham for appointment to thebrevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from April 9, 1865, and theU.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1868.[10]
Henry Bingham was appointedpostmaster of Philadelphia[1] byPresidentAndrew Johnson in March 1867 and served until December 1872, when he resigned to accept the clerkship of the courts ofoyer and terminer andquarter sessions of the peace in Philadelphia. He was a delegate to theRepublican National Conventions of1872 though1900. He was elected to Congress as a Republican in1878, and served until his death.[1] In Congress, he served as Chairman of theCommittee on the Post Office and Post Roads, and on theCommittee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department.
He died in Pennsylvania March 22, 1912 and is buried inLaurel Hill Cemetery Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][11]
Rank and organization: Captain, Company G, 140th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness, Va., May 6, 1864. Entered service at: Cannonsburg, Pa. Born: December 4, 1841, Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: August 31, 1893.[12]
Citation: Rallied and led into action a portion of the troops who had given way under the fierce assaults of the enemy.[8]
Bingham County, Idaho was named in his honor.
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 1st congressional district 1879–1912 | Succeeded by |
| Post Office and Post Roads (1808–1947) |  | |
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| (Reform in the) Civil Service* (1893–1947) | ||
| Post Office and Civil Service (1947–1995) | ||
| Note | *Name shortened fromReform in the Civil Service toCivil Service in 1925. | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
