Walter Q. Gresham | |
|---|---|
 Portrait,c. 1870–1880 | |
| 33rdUnited States Secretary of State | |
| In office March 7, 1893 – May 28, 1895 | |
| President | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | John W. Foster |
| Succeeded by | Richard Olney |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit | |
| In office June 16, 1891 – March 3, 1893 | |
| Appointed by | Operation of law |
| Preceded by | Seat established by 26 Stat. 826 |
| Succeeded by | James Graham Jenkins |
| Judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit | |
| In office October 28, 1884 – March 3, 1893 | |
| Appointed by | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | Thomas Drummond |
| Succeeded by | James Graham Jenkins |
| 35thUnited States Secretary of the Treasury | |
| In office September 5, 1884 – October 28, 1884 | |
| President | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | Charles J. Folger |
| Succeeded by | Hugh McCulloch |
| 31stUnited States Postmaster General | |
| In office April 9, 1883 – September 4, 1884 | |
| President | Chester A. Arthur |
| Preceded by | Timothy O. Howe |
| Succeeded by | Frank Hatton |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana | |
| In office September 1, 1869 – April 9, 1883 | |
| Appointed by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | David McDonald |
| Succeeded by | William Allen Woods |
| Member of theIndiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1860–1861 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Walter Quintin Gresham (1832-03-17)March 17, 1832 Lanesville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 1895(1895-05-28) (aged 63) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Party | Whig (before 1855) American (1855) Republican (1856–1892) Democratic (1892–1895) |
| Spouse | Matilda McGrain |
| Parents |
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| Signature | .jpg) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army (Union Army) |
| Years of service | 1861–1864 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832 – May 28, 1895) was an American attorney, jurist, statesman, and politician who served in the cabinets of presidentsChester A. Arthur andGrover Cleveland.
Gresham was the 31stpostmaster general of the United States under Arthur from 1883 to 1884 and briefly the 35thU.S. secretary of the treasury from September to October 1884 before resigning to become a federal judge. He was twice a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. president in1884 and1888 before leaving the party to support Cleveland in the1892 election. He joined Cleveland's second cabinet as the 33rdU.S. secretary of state from 1893 until his death in 1895.
Gresham served as a federal judge on theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, theU.S. Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit, and theU.S. District Court for the District of Indiana.
Walter Quintin Gresham was born on March 17, 1832, inLanesville, Indiana, to William Gresham and Sarah Davis.
William Gresham was a formercolonel in the Indianamilitia, a cabinet maker, and a member of theWhig Party. He was elected sheriff ofHarrison County, and on January 26, 1834, he was fatally stabbed while assisting in the arrest of Levi Sipes, a so-called "desperado".[1] After William's death, Walter and his brothers were raised by a stepfather, Noah Remley.[2] His grandmother's brother,Dennis Pennington, was also influential on his childhood. Pennington secured him a position in the office of the Harrison County auditor.[3]
After attending the local schools in Harrison County, Gresham attended Corydon Seminary from 1849 to 1851.[2]Montgomery Schuyler Jr. later attributed Greshman's foreign policy to his devout religiosity.[3]
Gresham attendedIndiana University Bloomington for a year beginning in September 1851, then returned to Corydon toread law with judge William A. Porter. He was admitted to the bar on April 1, 1854, and entered private practice with Thomas C. Slaughter.[2][4][5]
Gresham quickly became involved in politics as an opponent of slavery, advocating for gradual, peaceful abolition. He ran unsuccessfully for Harrison County clerk in 1853.[2] He joined the nativist American Party in 1855 before quickly joining the newRepublican Party in 1856 and actively campaigning for the party's ticket. In 1860, he was elected to theIndiana House of Representatives as a Republican in a stronglyDemocratic district.[6] ThoughStephen A. Douglas carried Harrison County inthe presidential election, Gresham won by sixty votes.[7]
Gresham's first act in the House was to introduce a resolution declaring armed resistance to constitutional laws by Congress as treason; though the word "treason" was ultimately removed, Gresham's resolution passed.[8] He was also a strong critic of thespoils system.[2]
Gresham received a commission as a colonel on the staff ofOliver P. Morton, but their relationship was strained.[8] As chair of the House Committee on Military Affairs, he was the author of a bill transferring power to commission militia officers to the governor; their office had previously been elected.[2] Gresham asked Morton for such a commission but was refused.[8]
At the end of his term in the House, Gresham organized a military company at Corydon and enlisted as a private; he was elected captain but, following his friends' lobbying of Governor Morton,[8] was quickly commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 38th Indiana Volunteer Infantry on September 18, 1861. In December, he was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the53rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry,[9] which subsequently took part inUlysses S. Grant's Tennessee campaign of 1862, including theSieges of Corinth andVicksburg, during which Colonel Gresham commanded abrigade. On August 11, 1863, he was appointedbrigadier general of volunteers and was placed in command of the Federal forces atNatchez, Mississippi.[10]
In 1864, he commanded a division ofthe XVII Corps inWilliam Tecumseh Sherman'sAtlanta campaign, and before theBattle of Atlanta, on July 20, he received a gunshot wound to his knee that forced him to retire from active service and left him lame for life. In 1865, he was appointed abrevetmajor general of volunteers.[6][10]
In November 1865, Gresham returned to private practice inNew Albany, Indiana in partnership with judge John Butler, but shortly began a solo practice.[10] Though Gresham's popularity with his party declined over his opposition to black suffrage, he was nominated for United States House of Representatives in 1866. He was defeated byMichael C. Kerr.[11] Instead, the legislature elected him to handle Indiana state finances in New York City.[4][10]
While serving in that office, Gresham was a delegate to the1868 Republican National Convention. He was nominated for House against Kerr again but was defeated by a larger margin.[10]
On September 1, 1869, after declining appointments from President Grant as collector of the Port of New Orleans and U.S. attorney for the District of Indiana,[10] Gresham received arecess appointment without consent to a seat on theU.S. District Court for the District of Indiana vacated by judgeDavid McDonald; he accepted.[11] He was nominated by President Grant on December 6, 1869, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on December 21, 1869, the same day he received his commission.[4]
Gresham's career as a district judge was marked by theGreat Railroad Strike of 1877, during which he organized volunteer companies to preserve order and protect property.[11][10] He repeatedly declined to run for public office, including governor of Indiana and the U.S. Senate.[11]
On April 9, 1883, Gresham resigned from the bench to accept an appointment asU.S. postmaster general in presidentChester A. Arthur's cabinet.[4] He supervised the reduction of the postal rate from three cents to two, the increase in the weight allowance from half an ounce to a full ounce, and the reduction in the cost of postage of mail to Canada. He also participated in the suppression of theLouisiana lottery by banning it from federal mails.[10] He also oversaw reforms designed to improve the foreign postal service and restore faster mail delivery.[10]
In September 1884, Arthur appointed Gresham to succeedCharles J. Folger, who died in office, asU.S. secretary of the treasury. After one month in office, he resigned to accept a recess appointment from President Arthur to a seat on theU.S. Circuit Court for the Seventh Circuit vacated by judgeThomas Drummond. He was nominated to the same position by President Arthur on December 3, 1884, was confirmed on December 9, and received his commission the same day. Gresham was assigned byoperation of law to additional and concurrent service on theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on June 16, 1891, to a new seat authorized by theEvarts Act. He resigned on March 3, 1893.[4]
Gresham was a candidate forthe 1884 and1888 Republican presidential nominations.[6] His 1888 candidacy was supported by several notable agrarian unions, including theAgricultural Wheel, theNational Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, and theFarmers' Alliance.[12] On the first ballot, Gresham finished second behindJohn Sherman and carried the states of Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, and Missouri. He did not, however, carry Indiana, which backed his rivalBenjamin Harrison. On the eighth ballot, Harrison secured the nomination; he went on to defeat incumbent Democratic presidentGrover Cleveland in the general election.
Once in office, Harrison signed theMcKinley Tariff. As a leading critic of protective tariffs and personal rival to Harrison, Gresham grew increasingly estranged from the Republican Party.
In 1892, Gresham was offered the presidential nomination of the Populist Party, but declined and supported the Democratic candidate, Cleveland; privately, he emphasized that his support was due to Cleveland's position on the tariff and not his personal rivalry with Harrison.[13]
On January 25, 1893, Cleveland offered Gresham the position of secretary of state. On the advice of his family, who suggested joining Cleveland's administration would appear to be a quid pro quo and risk his personal popularity, Gresham first declined the offer on February 3.[14] On the advice of friends, especiallyHenry Watterson, and an urgent telegram from Cleveland to accept the offer, he reversed his position days later. Despite some opposition from Democratic Party regulars, the appointment was generally received with approval.[14]
Gresham was Cleveland's secretary of state from 1893 to 1895.[6] As secretary, Gresham led a moderate diplomatic application of theMonroe Doctrine in Central America and served as an international arbitrator between imperial powers in Central America and Asia. He negotiated the withdrawal of British troops during theNicaragua Crisis of 1894–1895 and helped settle theVenezuelan crisis of 1895. He also served as an arbitrator in theFirst Sino-Japanese War and participated in theBering Sea Arbitration.[15] During the Hawaiian crisis following the 1893 Overthrow of QueenLiliʻuokalani, Gresham and PresidentGrover Cleveland opposed the annexation ofHawaii. Cleveland's predecessor, Benjamin Harrison had supported annexation, however left office before any decisive action could be undertaken. When Cleveland came to power, he withdrew the annexation treaty from Senate, and attempted to restore the Queen.[16][17]
Gresham died on May 28, 1895, inWashington, D.C.[4] He is interred inArlington National Cemetery.[18]
Gresham married Matilda McGrain on March 11, 1858.[2] They had two children, Kate and Otto.[2]
One of Gresham's grandsons was U.S. representativeWalter G. Andrews of New York.[19]
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Gresham received an honorary doctorate from Indiana University in 1883.[20]
An 800-page biography of Gresham by his son and widow was published in 1919.[21]
Gresham, Oregon;Gresham, Nebraska;Gresham, Wisconsin; and the shipUSRC Gresham are named in his honor.[22]
March 16th ... is also the anniversary of the birth ... Walter Quinton Gresham
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gresham, Walter Quinton".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 583.
Media related toWalter Q. Gresham at Wikimedia Commons| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the District of Indiana 1869–1883 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit 1884–1893 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Seat established by 26 Stat. 826 | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit 1891–1893 | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Postmaster General 1883–1884 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Treasury 1884 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of State 1893–1895 | Succeeded by |
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