The New York Herald Newspaper, March 6, 1869, Page 3

THE CABINET SECRETARY OF STATE, ELIHU B. WASHBURNE, OF ILLINOIS, SECRETARY OF TREASURY, ‘ALEXANDER T. STEWART, OF NEW YORK, SECRETARY OF WAR (pro tem.), JOHN M, SCHOFIELD, OF ILLINOIS. SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, ADOLPH E. BORIE, OF PENNSYLVANIA, POSTMASTER GENERAL, SOHN A. J, CRESSWELL, OF MARYLAND. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, JACOB D, COX, OF OHIO. ATTORNEY GENERAL, EBEN. R. HOAR, OF MASSACHUSETTS. We give below, in regular order, biographical sketches of all the Cabinet Ministers whose names head this column. They will be found correct and mteresting histories of the lives and services of the seven gentlemen who have been called together as tbe Cabinet Ministers of President Grant. As will be seen by the Senate proceedings of yesterday the nominations of these oMcials were promptly con- Qrmed, so that the administration may be sald to be fairly in working order. We should not omit stating that General Schofield merely retains his of- flee as Secretary of War pro tempore. He has not been reappointed, but awaits the nomination and confirmation of a successor, which will doubtless be made in due time. ELIU B. WASHBURYE, OF ILLINOSS. ‘The warm personal friendship existing between the President and Mr. Washburne made it certain some time since that the latter would be nominated for some position of importance. His appointment a8 Secretary of State has, therefore, surprised no. one, although it has undoubtedly upset the calcula- tions of many politicians and destroyed more than ene ‘Cabinet slate.” Early Years of the Premier. Mr. Washburne is a member of one of the best Known families in the United States, one of his brothers beinga member of Congress from Maine ‘and another a member of Congress from Wisconsin, The new Cabinet Minister was born at Livermore, in Oxford county, ‘Maine—then Androscoggin, Massachusetts—on the 234 of September, 1816, and is now in the Mifty-third year of his age. Ata public school he received the rudiments of his education and after- = Wards studied at Kent’s Hill Seminary. On leaving school he was apprenticed to the proprietor of the Kenuebec'Journal, where he learned the trade of a printer, but did not follow the calling for any length of time. In 1838he entered the law office of John Otis, of Hallowell, afterwards member of Congress, and during the following year entered the law achool of Harvard University, where he studied iaw end graduated. His Removal to the West. At the time of Mr. Washburne’s admission to the bar the prospect in New England was by no means tempting to young men who desired to push their fortunes. He, therefore, aa did many thou- @ands of others, went to the West, and gettled at Galena, Ill, then the headquarters of those engaged in lead mining, which was found in the vicinity in great abundance. Here he commenced the practice of his profession, at first ‘with slender success, but subsequently he won the respect and confidence of the people and attained a large and lucrative practice, Although not looked upon as a brilliant lawyer, he had the reputation of being able, reliable and honest, never taking a case for the sake of a fee alone, but working diligently for his clients. For several years he quietly engaged im his professional duties, ignoring politics entirely. ‘Truth to tell, the district in which he resided was Rot at the time very favorable to the whigs, to which party Mr. Washburne nad alijed himself in the capa- city of a voter. The prospect for a young man in politics was pleasant only to those who supported the democracy, and the new Secretary was prudent enough to avoid becoming a candidate that could not possibly be elected. In 1845 he married Miss Adele Gratiot, of Galena, a most estimable lady, the sughter of Colonel Henry Gratiot, the well-known pioneer of the Northwest, whose brother, General Charles Gratiot, was the Engineer-in-Chief to the Indian expeditions conducted by General W. H. Harrison and others in that region of the country. His Entrance Into Political Life. In 1852 Mr. Washburne’s political opportunity ar- rived. That ‘tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune’ had come, and with considerable skill he seized the advantages offered and floated on to prominence. The de- mocracy in his district had been growing weaker and weaker for two or more years back, but still held the majority, and would probably have retained it for some time longer had not bickerings and dissensions in their ranks destroyed party discipline and weakened them to a greater extent than ever before. For the first time Mr. Washburne appeared before a nominating convention a8 an aspirant for the candidature of the whig party for the office of Representative in Congress. He obtained it, and ran in opposition to the Hon. Thomas Campbell, who then represented the district. Aiter an animated contest Mr. Wasn- burne was elected by 286 majority, and has since then been regularly re-elected. Whig and afterwards repubiican principles took a rapid and firm hold upon the people of tne district after his election. In 1866 his majority was nearly 12,000, in 1868 it fell to & trifle over 9,000, and in 1860 rose to nearly 13,000. During the reaction in 1862 he was re-elected by not quite 4,000 majority; but in 1864 the party re- covered its losses and sent him again to Congress ‘with 6,200 ahead of his opponent, and, at the two elections that have followed Mr. Washbourne has about retained this majority. His district, which ‘Was the First in 1862, ts now the Third, and is one of the most steadfastly republican in politics in the United States. Mr. Washburne’s Career an a Politician. When the Secretary of State entered Congress the ‘whig party was on its deathbed. The election which aaw Scott badly beaten by Pierce closed the career of an organization which had claimed as its leaders such men as Webster and Clay. The new Represen- tative had, therefore, but few opportunities of dis- finguishing bimseif, even his services as chairman of the Committees on Commerce being limited by circumstances. The birth of the republican party, however, changed the political situation materially. ‘The Kansas-Nebraska and other questions involving slavery came up, too, at the time, and Mr, Wash- burne ranged himeelf on the side of the opponents of slavery. His speeches on tho Kausas-Nebraska troubies, though not remarkable for their oratory, are nevertheless $= characterized by logical ar rangement and lega! argument. Me warmly espoused all measures of public improvements whieh would benefit the conntry at large, particularly those NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1869.—TRIPLE SHEET. 3 Gangerous rapids tm the Mississippi river. The great | large majority of scheme for connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific found in him’an earnest advocate. “I am,” said he, in debate, “for a Pacific earnestly, sin- cerely and in good faith. I do not care from what side of the House the proposition. comes, whether it be from the republican side (from which nearly the whole number of votes that are to carry the measure are to come), or whether it be from the democratic side. ‘I care not what party or what individual shall have the credit of the measure, provided the credit belongs to such party or such individual.” The Friendship Between the President and Mr. Washburne. Of no slight importance to the country at large is the warm friendship which exists between President Grant and Mr, Washburne. Both resided in Galena when the rebellion broke out, and, as was natural enough with neighbors in a small town, were on intimate terms with each other, and at the request of Grant, Washburne obtained a position for him from Governor Yates as colonel of a volunteer regiment. During the war, when, as is stated and generally be- Meved, efforts were made to have Grant relieved from command his friend stood by him through thick and thin, and used all his influence in keep- ing him at the front, The result we are all too well aware of to need the telling at this date. In sun- shine as in gloom Mr, Washburne remained the steadfast friend of his quondam protégé, and was the author of the bill reviving the grade of Lieutenant General, which was conferred upon the new President. This friendship has existed through all the changes which the past eight years have seen. At the time when it seemed as if Grant supported Mr. Johnson’s policy, and when radical newspapers were sneering at his reticence, Mr. Washburne repeatedly assured his acquaint- ances that time would vindicate the General from the doubts which were being cast upon him. His Political Experience. Mr. Washburne brings to the position of Secretary of State the experience gained in sixteen years of legislative duties. Although a comparatively young man he has served continuously in the House of Representatives for alonger period of years than any other member, and has thereby gained the title of “Father of the House.’ Although not a man of brilliant genius ne is able, honest and candid. His recent speeches in favor of economy in the adminis- tration of the government and his opposition to fur- ther subsidizing railroad companies, show that he ardently desires retrenchment and the hushanding of our resources, so that the load of debt under which the people groan may be removed before many years have passed. Exactly what his career as Secretary of State will be time alone can tell. ALEXANDER T. STEWART, OF NEW YORK. The appointment of this gentleman to the re- sponsible position of Secretary of the Treasury, though @ matter of some little surprise, was not altogether unexpected. There is perhaps no name in the United States better known than that of Alex- ander T. Stewart. His immense wealth and exten- sive business, together with the manner in which he succeeded in obtaining both, have for many years past made the people of this country almost as fami liar with his name as with that of Washington, Mr. Stewart is an Irishman by birth, and was born in the county Tyrone about the year 1795. He received a good education, and after leaving school passed a few brief years in his native land, struggling against poverty and the numerous hardships which are neces- sarily entatled upon those who are beset by the grim spectre, Failing to better his condition at home, and perceiving that no prospects presented them- selves of abrighter future in his own country, Mr. ftevart at length cut loose from all his youthtu: associations and embarked for the United States, to which the eyes of the poor of the Old World were then being finally turned as the Mecca of their earthly happiness and prosperity. Possessed of little money, but with an abundant amount of hope and resolution, he landed in New Yorkin 1819, being then about twenty-four years of age. Soon after he set to work in the capacity ef ® ehool teacher, and at No. 59 Rose street for many motitns patiently endeavored Lo instil knowledge into the minds of the young and rising generation. Entrance Inte Business Life. As might naturally,be supposed, school teaching was not an occupation likely to lead to wealth, and much less to the colossal fortune which Mr. Stewart subsequently earned. Still the profession appears to have indirectly laid the foundation to it, as he is said to have not only made a living, but to have ac- tually saved some money. In 1822, soon after the fatal yellow fever epidemic of that year, Mr. Stew- art first appeared in a@ mercantile character. In an old wooden tenement on Broadway, almost directly opposite his wholesale mar- ble building, at the corner of Chambers street, he opened a retail dry gooasstore. If all accounts be correct the total cash capital with which this business was commenced was between twelve and fifteen hundred dollars. But if the capi- tal was small his business tact and ability were great, though then undeveloped; and, besides, he had made many friends, who were aware of his sterling honesty and steadiness of character. His establishment was almost as small as his capital, being not more than twenty-two feet wide by twenty deep, It was situated next door to the business house of Bonafanti, the then well known but now almost forgotten variety storekeeper, whose eccentricities and poetry made him the most popular dealer in the-city. The manner in which Mr. Stewart commenced business was unusual, and differed greatly from that of merchants in general. His stock was limited to compara- tively few articles, and these were obtained almost entirely from auction sales. All sales by auction were attended with great reguiarity, and his purchases were invariably what are known in mer- cantile language as “sample lots.’ These com- prised numerous kinds of articles, which, from being smali quantities of each gathered together in confusion, sold for considerably less than each sepa- rate article would have brought had it been of con- siderable quantity. When purchased they were con- veyed to his store, and after the day’s business was over he would sit down to work and patiently separate them and restore order. Gloves were redressed; laces were made to look as if they had never been crampled up in the hands of bidders; hosiery was carefully attended to; and, in fact, when his task was completed and the goods placed in their appropriate places on the sheives every article seemed as fresh and as new as those which had just arrived uninjured by the last vessel from Europe. Of course this triumph of industry and patience had its reward. Being purchased for a mere trifle the goods were sold for a much smaller price than the other retail dealers, who pur- chased in the regular manner, were able to sell the same material. The result was that ladies and gen- tlemen found it to their interest to purchase all they needed in his line from Stewart. Ladies of fashion also began to patronize him, and their example being followed by others he soon drew around him @ large and profitable trade. For six years he re- mained in his old wooden tef@ment store, attended the auctions regularly, redressed his purchases in the nights, and modestly sold them to his cus- tomers at lower prices than they could be purchased for elsewhere, A Chango to More Aristocratic Quarters. At the expiration of his mxth year of business (1828) Mr. Stewart's business had become too large and too aristocratic for the premises he occupied. On Broadway, between Chambers and Warren streets, three new stores had been erected, the smallest one of which he leased. The building was only three stories high and the store was but thirty fect deep. It was, nevertheless, a great improvement upon the old establishment ; it was better fitted up, ‘was better stocked, and, taken altogether, was a more respectable place. For four years business was carried on here, and atthe expiration of that time he removed to a two story building located between Murray and Warren streets, He had not been here long when his business continued to increase so rapidly that he was compelied to add twenty feet to the depth of the store and to place an additional story to the structure. Five years later the building had attained to the dignity of five stories and was increased thirty feet in depth, Mr, Stewart's busi- ness was now thoroughly established and the foun- dation of his fortune firmly laid, About this time he introduced of adopted @ custom which has since ‘ing to the berbors of the Western lakes and to i become aniversal thronghout the country, A who, with the failing (is it?) peculiar to their sex, were pleased generally to enter into con- versation with the clerks when “shopping,” the happy idea was put into execution of employing the handsomest young men that could be obtained. Of course the consequence of this Napoleonic stroke of mercantile policy was an immense increase of business, From the hour the store was opened to the hour ef closing it was filled with bevies of young ladies, who, if they even chatted and flirted with the handsome clerks, rarely left without making purchases which amply remunerated the proprietor for the few moments lost in gogsip. It must not be supposed, though, that auch measures as these of com- parative insignificence were the means of his pros- perity. They were, we might say, simply the humor- ous diversions of a great commercial system. The Commercial Crisis of 1837. ‘Mr, Stewart was now becoming wealthy, and he employed the means obtained to second his com- Merial abilities in insuring beyond all eventualities the stability of his future prosperity. During the great commercia) disasters of 1837 he literally coined money, when hundreds around him were de- claring themselves bankrupt. Before the storm burst upon the country, to the ruin of thousands, he perceived it approaching end prepared to meet it. He invented the now pop- ular method of “selling at cost,” and, reducing the price of his goods to the lowest possible ebb, carried on a retail trade of $5,000 per day, while his com- mercial neighbors were sending their stocks to the auctioneers to be sold by wholesale for just what they could bring. With the money thus obtained Mr. Stewart attended these auctions and purchased by the quantities the same kind of goods that he had retalled for forty per cent less than he had sold for. In one single purchase of silks in this manner he made a profit in a few days of $20,000, the price paid by him being but $50,000, When the crisis had passed and men looked to returning confidence ana reviv- ing trade for achance vw retrieve their losses and begin the struggle of lie again, Mr. Stewart moved among them with almost a fortune in his possession. While those who escaped absolute bankruptcy were rejoicing in their good luck he was quietly counting the thousands made in the midst of the most disas- trous commercial convulsion that this country has ever known. Continued Increase of the Business. From 1837 to 1848 Mr. Stewart's business increased with marvellous rapidity, and during the latter year he removed into the marble building at the corner of Bréadway and Chambers street, now occupied by his firmas their wholesale house. Here the trade continued to increase until in 1860 it nad attained gigantic proportions and the head of the firm was the possessor of a fortune estimated at $20,000,000. When the rebellion broke out many people thought that Stewart would suffer heavily by the loss of his Southern trade, which formed a very considerable portion of his business. They were, however, mis- taken in their calculations, The shrewd millionaire had already perceived an opening in which he could not only recover the loss thus entailed, but add largely to his commerce. He shrewdly foresaw the demand which would arise for all materials of war, and he therefore, as is stated, proceeded to engage from nearly all of the manufacturers their entire productions for several months in advance. When, therefore, the United States government came into the market he was almost the only man with whom they could contract for uniforms, blankets and other materials, Al- though from these contracts he is said to have made many millions of dollars, 1t is undoubtedly true that his terms with the United States were more liberal than those of other contractors. His Wealth. The vast fortune which he possesses (estimated by many at as high as forty millions) is principally in- vested in real estate. His two marble palaces on Broadway, the Metropolitan and St. Nicholas hotels, New York theatre and his magnificent mansion on Fifth avenue, yet unfinished, are well known to the public. In addition to these valuable properties Mr. Stewart is the owner of nearly the whole of Bleecker street, from Broadway to Depau row, the Amity street Baptist church, Grand street Presbyte- rian church, his present residence on Fifth avenue, together with a large number of less noted build. ings. It would, indeed, be utterly impossibie in an article like this to mention all of Mr. Stewart's pos- sessions. He is the largest city real estate owner in the United States, Mr. Astor possibly excepted. When we reflect that the owner of this fortune was a poor school teacher in 1822 it seems almost incredible that such a fortune could have been amassed by a man’s personal exertions in the short space of forty- five years. His ia, without doubt, the greatest suc- cess in a mercantile career that the world has ever known. Mr. Stewart’s Personal Life. Mr. Stewart was married many years ago to Miss Clinch, of this city. They have never had children. He lives very plainly and ts very simple in his habits, Never having entered into politics before, less 1s known about his private life than about the private lives of other and less prominent men. His only e public appearances were as a member of Bene Defence Committee during the war and rwards as one of the signers of the Saratoga ad- dress, in 1866, calling upon the people to support the policy of President Johnson. Personally, though, he is said to be a very kind-hearted and charitable gentleman. It is true his charities are performed quietly and without ostentation, so that the world seldom knows of them. Some of them, however, have been told, and are worthy of notice. Daring the war, it will be remembered, he sent a cargo oi provisions over to Ireiand, and invited as many persons as the vessel could carry to return in her free of charge. One hundred and thirty. nine persons accepted the offer, and upon thetrarrival here he procured them all situations, thus fully carrying out his noble and generous charity. Some time ago it was stated that he pro- posed expending one or more millions of dollars in the erection of suitable dwellings for the working classes, but so far events seem to have prevented the consummation of a most laudable intention. As we remarked before, his acts of benevolence are per- formed in secret—known only to the recipients of his kindnesses, and therefore a better, purer and more ennobling charity than gifts pubiished to the world could possibly be. And asin this respect he shows much reserve, so is his sociality and hospi- tality ofa quiet and modest nature. Perhaps itis that engrossed in business he has no spare time for those convivialities which iighten care and make life enjoyable to most men. Still, whenever he gathers his frends around him, his society ts cor- dial and his hospitality generous. Of course, with his wealth, everything placed before his guests 16 of the best, ano it is said that at his great dinner parties the service {s of solid gold. Singular Characteristics of the New Secretary. Perhaps the most singular characteristic of Mr. Stewart ts his alleged superstition. He is sald to ignore to a great extent the business tact, ability and foresight which were undoubtedly the carvers of his vast fortune, and to attribute his success in Life solely to luck. And this {dea is the cause of namerous ludicrous occurrences in his career. When he kept his store on Broadway, between Murray and Warren streets, there sat on the sidewalk before it, on an orange box, an old woman, whose ostensible occu- pation was the selling of apples. This business was, however, merely apretenco; the main object being beggary. As years rolled on Mr. Stewart became impressed with the idea that the old dame was his guardian angel of good luck, and this impression took so firm ® hold upon his mind that when he Temoved to Chambers street he, in person, took up the old woman’s box, and removed her tothe front of his now establishment. In farther illustration of Mr. Stewart’s faith in the Irish traditional belief in “lucky” and “un: lucky” persons it may be mentioned that after the completion of the St. Nicholas Hotel in this city, 4n undertaking in which he was largely interested, and when the butlding was just about to be opened for the reception of guests, the millionnatre, stand- ing in the drawing room, ejaculated, “It is now Anished; I hope its firat visitors may be lucky peo- ple.” A gentleman present, who had heard of Mr. Stewart's care for the aged apple vendor, remarked, “I presume, sir, you do not in reality care about lucky or unlucky persons,” to which he immediately replied, “Indeed, Ido. There are porsona who are unlucky. I sometimes open a case of goods and sell ‘the firet from it to some person who is anlacky and big onstomers being ladies | lose on it to the end. I frequently see persons to | Carolina. Newspaper correspondents differ in regard whom I would not sell if I could avoid 1t.” His Formal Entrance Inte Political Life. Last year stgnalizea Mr. Stewart’s formal entrance into political life/ The meeting called to nominate President Grant was held, it may be said, more through his active exertions than through those of any other man. Ata later date, for the first time in hia career, he came before the people as an applicant for their suffrages, having been nomi- nated on the republican ticket as candidate for the office of Presidential Elector from this State. He ‘Was, of course, with the entire ticket, defeated by the democracy. Forsome time past Mr. Stewart's associations with the President have been of quite an Intimate character, but as he was not supposed to possess ambition for poiitical preferment it was scarcely believed that he would hold a place in the Cabinet, although his name was frequently urged for the office to which he has been nominated. Conclusion. The carcer of Mr. Stewart is altogether 8 most re- markableone. His rapid attainment of wealth has never been equalled in modern times. Even the great Rothschild sinks into comparative insignifi- cance aside of him. Commencing with scarcely more than his resolution to work, he prospered be- yond all parallel, and is now one of the wealthiest men in the United States. But few men tn this country ever rose from obscurity to opulence and reputation with the rapidity that he has; and, sing u- lar but true, of those few not a single native can be found among them. It ts almost unnecessary to state that Mr. Stewart's financial experience 1s great, and that not many men in the world have the power to controi such vast sums of money as he must have, MAJOR GENERAL JOHN M. SCHOFIELD, OF ILLINOIS. General Schofield, never having resigned his office as Secretary o1 War, has been retained in office and has not been appointed, as is supposed by some per- sons. He will, therefore, hold his position until a successor is appointed, as Secretary of War pro tempore. A Brief Sketch of His Career. Major General John McAllister Schofield was born in Chatauqua county, New York, on the 29th of Sep- tember, 1831. While a boy of twelve years his parents removed to Illinois, from which State he was sent to West Pointas a cadet. He graduated there in 1851, and after serving in the army for some years returned to West Point, where he held the position of Instructor until 1860, when he obtained leave of absence for the purphse of accepting a professorship in the Wasbing- ton University at St. Louis. Upon the outbreak of the repellion he was ordered to the fleid, and his military career is too fresh in the minds of our read- ers to need narration. After the Reconstruction bill became a law he was assigned to duty as Com- mander of the First Military district, with headquar- ters at Richmond. Although he carried out the law to the very letter, his strict impartiality and non- partisan course made his administration acceptable $0 the peopie, Upon the removal of Mr. Stanton and the failure of the impeachment trial General Schofield ‘was confirmed as Secretary of War and granted leave of absence for one year. Yesterday his ap- pointment to the rank of Major General in the regu- Jar army was confirmed by the Senate, ADOLPH E. BORIE, OF PENNSYLVANIA. Adolph E. Borie, the Secretary of the Navy under President Grant’s administration, was born in the city of Philadelphia in the year 1609, and is conse- quently sixty years of age. He is a member of one of the oldest and most aristocratic Philadelphia families. He graduated at the University of Penn- sylvania, and soon afterwards embarked in mercan- tile pursuits. He displayed extraordinary ability as a business man, became a leading Philadelphia mer- chant and one of the largest importers in the coun- try. Mr. Borie amassed the great bulk of his im- mense fortune in the China trade, and at pregent 498 member of the well known importing house of McKean, Borie & Co., No. 153 Dock street, Philadelphia. He was one of tie ders of the Union League of Philadelphia, and @ very ac- tive part in the doings of that organization, during and #ince the rebellion. He 1s the present Vice President of the Union League, having been re- cently elected to that position, declining the presi- dency in favor of Horace Binney. His Career During the Rebellion and as a Politician. Mr. Borie has always been a most uncompromising Union man, and during the rebellion gave large sums of money to raise troops and was personally instru- mental in placing several regiments, fully equipped, in the field. He has never, however, been identified to any extent with party politics, and the politicians will find him fully as dimcult a man to approach for selfish or sinister motives as President Grant him- seif. The new Secretary of the Navy has never heid any political office of any description, either local, State or national, and his main actions as a member of the republican party have been confined to prevent the frauds that are perpetrated on the people at primary elections. He was a member of the committee of the Philadelphia Union League who offered a handsome prize for the best essay on the subject of purifying primary or local elections. Mr. Borie took a very active part in the reception and entertainment in Philadelphia of the Southern loyalists who met in convention in'that city some time since. His Business Connections. He is connected with many business organizations in Philadelphia, being a director of the National Bank of Commerce, @ member of the Board of ‘Trade, a manager of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society—one of the oldest institutions of the kind in the country—and a liberal contributor to various benevolent associations. It was due in a great measure during the rebellion to his efforts that negro regiments were organized in Philadeipnia, and he contributed largely to sending them into the field. Mr. Borie’s Associations with President Grant. President Grant during one of his visits to the Union League House in Philadelphia remarked some- thing about the liverality of the League during the war, and asked where the fmoney they so freely ex- pended came from, when he was introduced to Mr. Borie as one of the most liberal contributors. An intimacy between the two men started ‘from this point, which culminated in Mr. Borie being invited into Grant’s Cabinet. Mr, Borie is rather below the average height, has a handsome, dignified and ex- pressive cast of countenance, and snow-white beard and mustache. In manner he is polite, refined and affable, and although he belongs to an old and aris- tocratic family he is entirely free from ostentation or unbecoming pride, He is @ fair specimen of a re- fined gentieman of the old school. JOHN 4. J. CRESSWELL, OF MARYLAND. Contrary to the general impression a Southern man has, in the person of Mr. Cresswell, been ap- pointed a member of President Grant's Cabinet. We say s Southern man, because in sympathy, educa- tion and characteristics the people of Maryland are as much Southern as those of Georgia. Mr. Cresswell’s Home and Early Life: The new Postmaster General was born at Port Deposit, Cecil county, Md., on the 18th of November, 1828, and is consequently @ man still in the prime of life, His parents being possessed of ampie means, he was sent, when @ lad, to Dickinson College, in Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors during the year 1848. Returning home he studied lav, and in 1850 was admitted to the bar. Born and reared in a State where the institu- tion of sidvery held full sway, and where to oppose it was to be consigned to political oblivion, it is not surprising but few men in Maryland could be found daring enough to avow thelr opposition to slavery, or even to cherish sentiments antagonistic to the {n- stitution, Whether Mr. Cresswell was always an abo- littonist we cannot tell, He may have been, but it is certain that he never took rank among the Garrisons, Sumners, Wilsons, and others of the like. Indeed, he appears to have remained at home quietly pur- suing his professtonal avocations, which were quite onerous by reason of an extensive practice, and ap- parently taking no active interest in politics, save as one of many thousands of voters, Wo say this be- canse we feel no certainty as to what political opin- sons he held before the secession of South from which city he was driven by & mob about to this, some asserting that he was first a whig and subsequently @ republican, although by reason of his surroundings he dared not avow his political Preferences. Others state that he was a democrat, and only left the party when he discovered that, in Maryland, at least, it sympathized with the rebel- lion. His Career as a Politician. But whatever may have been Mr. Creswell’s politi- cal views, it is certain that he took an early stand in favor of the Union and against secession. His career 48 & politician began in 1861, when he was elected & member of the Maryland House of Delegates, and as such ably opposed every effort of the majority to take the State out of the Union, From August, 1862, to April, 1863, he served as an assistant adjutant gene- ral of his State, This office he resigned upon betng elected a Representative to the Thirty- eighth Congress, in which he served on .the Committee on Commerce and Pensions, Through- Out the rebellion his voice and votes were given in favor of'a vigorous coercive policy, nor did he ever falter in his faith that the Union arms would be finally successful. In 1864 he was a delegate to the Republican Convention held at Baltimore, and which nominated Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Johnson for the offices of President and Vice President. In 1864 Mr. Cressweil was defeated for Congress by Mr. Hiram McCulloch, but during the following year was chosen to fill the vacant seat m the United States Senate, caused by the death of ex-Governor T. H. Hicks. When the term expired the republican party was in @ hopeless minority in Maryland and ail chances for his continuation in office by direct elec- ton had ended. At the Presidential election last year every Congressiona! district in the State was carried by the democrats, his old district leading with a majority of over 8,000. Mr. Cresswell was succeeded by a democrat in the Senate. Political Faith of the Postmaster General. In politics Mr. Cresswell is a radical of the most ad- vanced stripe, He favors the reconstruction of Ma- ryland on the plan adopted for the ex-rebel States. Di the contest with Mr. Johnson he never de- viated from lus support of Congress, although the chances are that had he pursued the course followed by ex-Governur Swann and other republicans he would have, like them, been retained in office by the democrats. But remaining consistent to bis politi- cal faith he sacrificed his chances of preferment at the hands of his fellow citizens. Mr. Cresswell isan able politician, and will doubtless make an accept- able Postmaster General. JACOB DOHLSON COX, OF OHIO. Mr, Hoar as a Politician. Rockwood Hoar, as he is styled by his intimate acquaintances, was graduated st Harvard College in 1835, and immediately began the study of the law. He was for some time in the office of Charles Allen, of Worcester, and he could have had no better training than he got at the hand of that very great lawyer and judge. He was early in politics, having been a whig member of the State Senate about 1846; at any rate st the time of the controversy between the “conscience” and the “cotton” whigs, which culminated in the free soil bolt of 1848. These old names are mentioned because the distinction which they imply took its rise in a remark by Mr. Hoar during a speech in the Senate when he was & Member. He was with Sumner, and Allen, ands, 0. Philips, and Wilson and Palfrey in the free soil moye- ment, and especially active in the canvass in Middie- sex between Palfrey and his whig opponents, which began with the opposition of the former to Mr. Win- throp’s election to the Speakership of the Lower House of Congress in 1848, when Charles Allen and Henry “Wilson originatea the free soil bolt’ by denouncing Taylor’s nomination in the Phila- delphia Convention. Mr. Hoar led off in the new movement. He wrote the circular which called the State Convention in Massachusetts, and which resulted in the formation of a party of 36,000 voters, who within three years broke down Mr. Webster and the whig party, elected Charles Sumner to the seat he now holds and placed Governor Bout- well in the gubernatorial chair. The ground on which the opposition was put in this circular was that General Taylor was not a whig, and that the whig party had been substantially disbanded by his nomination. This was not perhaps creditable to the candor of Mr. Hoar and his brethren, but, consid- ering the overpowering influence of Mr. Webster and the social and political supremacy of whigism in the State, it was as far as they saw fit to go. His Services on the Bench and Legal Attain ments. Soon after this time Mr. Hoar was appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and served in this capacity several years, with great credit to him- self and usefulness to the State. It may be well to speak here of his legal qualities. He is unquestion- ably a very superior lawyer—one of the very first in @ State famous for legal acumen and profoundness, Asan advocate he lacked enthusiasm ana perhaps was not so persuasive a man as his father, but as @ judge he has no superior here, and few if any equals. While om the bench of the Common Pleas he gave the only judicial opinion ever delivered here against the constituiton- ality of the Fugitive Slave law. In charging the grand jury at the beginning of a term before which trial growing out of the Sims case was expected to come, he expressed himself very strongly to this effect, and the contrast which was thus exhibited between the radical opinion of the young free soi} Judge and the cautious and timid policy of all the judges, big and little, from Shaw downward, tended to make him very well known and much admired by the progressive party. After leaving the inferior court he practiced law several years, and in 1859 waa again made a judge, and on this occasion of the Supreme Judicial Court, which office he has held ever since, though at times with great reluc- tance, om account of the fhadequacy of the salary. When Judge Bigelow resigned the chief justiceship, Governor Bullock, who, it is said, has a decided repugnance to Judge Hoar—growing out of his hostility to the Judge’s brother, George F. Hoar, of Worcester, the member of Congress from the Eighth district—refased to appoint him and nomi- nated Judge Thomas to the vacant place. The friends of Judge Hoar made a strenuous resistance to this proposed indignity towards him, as they considered it, and they succeeded in obtaining a vote of the Council against Thomas. Harvard College, where Mr. Hoar has many friends, entered warmly into this contest, and the most eminent of our literary men, such as Emerson and Lowell and Holmes, lobbied the matter against the Governor's favorite. The re- sult was the nomination and confirmation of Judge Chapman to the position of chief, the Governor, of course, refusing to appoint Hoar after a contest with him and his friends in which he came out second This gentioman, the new Secretary of the Interior, was born in Montreal, Canada, some time during the month of October, 1828, While quite a youth his parents emigrated to Ohio, taking up their residence, we think, at Cleveland, where they soon became known as highly respectable citizens. Young Cox ‘was sent to the well-known college at Oberlin, where he graduated with honors. Having completed his collegiate studies he entered upon the theological, during which President Finney paid a visit to Europe, leaving the student, to whom he was much attached, in charge of his household. The presence of a young widow, in the person of the daughter of Mr. Finney, in the house, lent it an ad- ditional attraction, which the Secretary -evi- dently appreciated, for he is said to bave rather neglected theology and engaged in the delighttul occupation of loving and being loved. The finale was, that when the worthy Presi- dent returned from his European tour he found his student friend metamorphosed into an affectionate son-in-law. its Legal and Political Life. Instead of becoming a peacher of the Gospel Mr. Cox betook himself to law, and after being admitted to the bar removed with his wife to Warren, Trum- bull county, a municipal division of the State of Ohio which never fails to vote an overwhelming majority for the radical ticket, Here he engaged in the practice of his profession and took an active Part in politics. He endeavored to obtain s nomina- tion for Congress at one ume, but was beaten by his law partner, Mr. Hutchins. Subse- quently, however, he was elected a member of the State Senate, serving with distinction and winning the confidence of bis constituents. His law practice in the meantime had become quite large as 8 conse- quence of his undoubted abilities and his diligence. When the rebellion broke out Mr. Cox was employed. with Governor Dennison and the Adjutant General of the State in the patriotic work of organizing and sending troops to the field. His labors at this time were very severe, buthe managed to find leisure moments in which to study the art of war, so that in a few weeks he became as conversant with the details of a soldier as & graduate of West Point. Miltary Record of General Cox. Early in 1861 Governor Yates, of Ohio, commis- stoned Mr. Cox @ brigadier general of volunteers. In the Kanawha valley, West Virginia, he first saw active service under General McClellan. His ca reer during this campaign was brilliant. During the numerous engagements which took place amid the mountains of that State, then a@ part of Old Virginia, he distinguished himseif, and par- ticularly so in the severe conflict at Gauley Bridge, which was defended by Colonel Alexander W. Rey- nolds, of Virginia, a graduate of West Point, and a former officer of the army, who gained the soubri- quet of “Old Gauley” for his desperate defence of the position. For some time after taking the field Geueral Cox beid no other commission than that of @ State officer, but on May 17, 1861, he was commis- sioned a brigadier geuerai of volunteers in the United States Army. On the 14th of September, 1862, he commanded the Fourth division of the Niath Army Corps, under General Reno, and the charge of his troops this day on the rebel position at South Moun- tain was one of the most brilliant events of the war. Three days later he was in command of the Ninth corps, and participated in the battle of Antietam, and on the 6th of October following was commissioned a major general of volunteers, but the Senate either refused or ne- glected to confirm the appointment, It would con- sume far more space than can be spared to narrate all of the military achievements of General Cox dur. ing the rebellion. He was for awhile in command of the district of West Virginia, and afterwards in that of Ohio. In December, 1863, he was again or- dered to the field, and after serving at Knoxville he joined Sherman’s army in the advacce on Atlanta, During that remarkable campaign, which lasted from March to September, and which was, withodt doubt, the only series of operations during the entire war in which the strategy of war was developed in ita grandest form, the division of General Cox took an important part, being engaged in nearly every one of the severe contests which took place. When Hood, abandoning his secure position across the Wevt Pomt and Atlantic and Macon and Western railroads, swung his army around Sher- man, and rapidly marched into Tennessee, General Cox, who was then atthe head of the Army of the Ohio, Was sent in pursuit, and on the sanguinary fields of Nashville won fresh iaureis, On the 14th of February, 1805, the Senate at length did justice to a gallant and able oficer by confirming his appotnt- ment a8 Major General of volunteers. But tue war had already ended; a few months after saw the last rebel regiment disbanded. General Cox as a Politician. With the return of peace the General resigned bis ee resumed his peaceful avocauons, At the meeting of the Republican State Convention on the 2ist of June, 1865, he was nomi- nated for the office of Governor of Ohio amid the acclamations of the delegates. The contest was not a.severe one, the democracy being defeated by a large majority. As Governor of Although he took partiwitn Congress ‘against the @ took part with Congress ns President he is rather conservative tn bis political sentiments and is said to have opposed, or given no aid to, the Deg in favor of negro rarage, which was defeated by 60,000 majority tn Ohio in 1867, and which directiy caused the election of a democratic Legislature and the consequent sending of a democrai, in person of bso Thurman, to the United States ite. General man of fine attainm @ man of strict Integrity, and as Secretary of t! 2 interior will doubtlens give best. . Political Views of the New Atterney General. Judge Hoar is in the prime of life and in the vigor of his faculties. He is spoken of as a radical, but this remark will not apply to him except as an anti- slavery man. His ancestry is federal and conserva- tive, and his tastes and habits, especially of late years, have led him into conservative ways, Upon all topics growing out of the war and the extinction of slavery he would be likely to be radical, for he inherits a hatred of that specia! form of aristocracy which Sumner calls “an oligarchy of the skin,” and has a contempt for all slaveholding pretensions to superior breeding and chivalry. He would be much more likely to go with Mr. Dana than General But+ ler, and if he has anything to do with the distribu- tionof the offices the peculiar friends of the Essex member will not be likely to have more than an even chance. His Personal Characteristics. Personally Judge Hoar is the most agreeable of men. He ts thought to be the man of most wit and of most humor in the circle in which Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and George T. Davis move, and 1s no less capital at a dinner spéech his cousin, the late Attorney General, Mr. Et He is of middle age, somewhat stooping, a wearer of spectacles, a smoker of cigars, and is so far different from his father that he does not disdain a social glaas of wine. The people of Massachusetts will be satisfied with this appointment, because they will feel that their State is well represented, whatever may be said of other States. Columbus Delano, of Ohio. Mr. Delano was yesterday nominated to and con- firmed by the Senate as Commissioner of Internal Revenue. The new holder of this important position was born in Shoreham, Vt., in 1800, but removed to Ohio when quite young. He received an excellent education, studied law, and after his admission to the bar won an extensive reputation as a criminal prosecutor and an advocate. In 1844 he was first elected to Congress, serving one term and failing of a re-election. He, how- ever, retained his prominent position in his political organization, and in 1847 failed by only two votes to receive the nomination for Governor. In 1861 Mr. Delano was appointed Commissary General of Ohio, filling the office with great success and ex- hibiting marked power of administration. In 1863 he failed to receive the republican nomination for United States Senator, and during the following year was elected a member of the lower house of the Onio Legislature. He was re-elected to Congress in 1964, and in 1866 was defeated by General G. W. Morgan by 271 majority. Tins election he contested successfully and held @ seat in the Fortieth Uon- gress. Mr. Delano was not a candidate for office at the election last year. He isa man of wealth and & prominent member of the Protestant Episcopal church. In politics he is intensely radical. —— So A Maryland Paper on John A. J. Cresewelly EBENEZER ROCKWOOD HOAR, OF MASSA- Wi bon (March 1) coi idence of the ‘That honest, loyal and ‘triotic feliow citizen of ours, Mr, Grevewsll, has been licking his ips for some Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, the newly appointed Attorney General, t¢ @ eon of the iste Hon. Samuei Hoar, of Concord, Mass., and was born in that town in 1816, His father was for many years the leading lawyer of Middlesex county, and was considered no unequal antagonist to such men as Richard Fletcher, Pliny Merrick, Franklin Dexter, Rufus Choate and Daniel Webster. He was no orator, but he had a reputation for candor and fairness and a persuasive power which rendered him very formidable at the bar. The public services of Mr. Hoar, Sr., consisted mainly in one Congressional term—from 1835 to 1897 and in bis eventful experience in Uharieston, 8. C.,