BIO: Chauncey Mitchell Depew; New York State surname: Depew, Palmer, Hegeman submitted by W. David Samuelsen (no relation) *********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm *********************************************************************** An Illustrated Legislative Manual The New York Red Book Containing the Portraits and Biographies of the U.S. Senators, Governor, State Officers and Members of the Legislature; also with the Portraits of Judges and Court Reporters, the New Constitution of the State, Election and Population Statistics, and General Facts of Interest. By Edgar L. Murlin New Constitution Compiled by R. C. Cumming, O. L. Potter and F. B. Gilbert Published, Albany, J. B. Lyon Company, Publishers, 1909 Copyright by J. B. Lyon Company, 1909 Chauncey Mitchell Depew, the senior United States Senator, eminent lawyer, and railroad executive, was born in Peekskill, N. Y, on April 23, 1834, His father was Isaac Depew, a prominent and highly-regarded resident of Peekskill, and his mother, Martha Mitchell, was a member of the New England Sherman family. Its most famous representative was Roger Sherman, one of the signers of t he Declaration of Independence. Mr. Depew's mother was a granddaughter of the Rev. Josiah Sherman, a brother of Roger Sherman. Her father, Chauncey R. Mitchell, was a distinguished lawyer and orator. Her mother was Ann Johnston, whose father, Judge Robert Johnston, was a Senator and Judge for many years. Mr. Depew's remote ancestors were French Huguenots, who left their country about the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and founded New Rochelle. The family settled in Peekskiil 200 years ago, and still is the possessor of the farm then bought by them. Mr. Depew still calls the old homestead his "home," despite his beautiful residence in New York city. Mr. Depew lived in his native village during his boyhood and there was prepared for college. When eighteen years old he entered Yale College, and was graduated by that college with one of the first honors of his class in 1856. Upon June 28, 1887, the degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by Yale. The year when he graduated the Republican party was organized and Mr. Depew, notwithstanding Democratic antecedents, joined it, and he cast his first vote for a President for John C. Fremont. He studied law with the Hon. William Nelson, in Peekskill, and was admitted to the bar in 1858. In the same year he received h is first political honors, being sent from his native town as a Delegate to the Republican State Convention. In the following year he began the practice of law, but his deep interest in politics and the demands made on him by his fellow citizens caused his practice to be interrupted. In 1 860 he went on the stump for Abraham Lincoln and addressed many meetings in the Ninth Congressional District and in other parts of the State, receiving an enthusiastic welcome wherever he appeared. So deep was the impression made by him on the voters that in 1861 he was nominated for the Assembly in the Third Westchester District. This district had a Democratic majority, but Mr. Depew carried it by 259 votes after an arduous campaign. In 1862 he was re-elected. and his name was prominently associated with the Speakership, and he was appointed chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, a high honor for so young a legislator. During this term he was Speaker pro tem, for part of the session. Mr. Depew. in 1864, was the leading candidate of the Republican party for a State office, being its candidate for Secretary of State. He fought a hard aggressive battle, and turned the State over from a Democratic victory in 1862 to a Republican victory by a plurality of 30,600. In this campaign he spoke twice daily for six consecutive weeks, surprising his companions on the stump by his endurance and originality. He discharged the duties of his office of Secretary of State with fidelity and honor to the State, and was tendered therefor a renomination by his party, but he declined it. When Andrew Johnson succeeded to the Presidency he selected Mr. Depew for Collector of the Port of New York, but, on breaking with the Republican party, he became angry at Senator Edwin D. Morgan. because of the latter's refusal to sustain his veto of the Civil Rights Bill and tore up Mr. Depew's commission. Later in the administration, Secretary of State William H. Seward appointed Mr. Depew Minister to Japan. The appointment was confirmed by the Senate. but Mr. Depew declined the honor, because he preferred to practice his profession as a lawyer. His ability had already been perceived by Cornelius Vanderbilt and by William H. Vanderbilt, and in I 866 he was appointed attorney for the New York and Harlem Railroad Company, and since then his name has been closely linked with the Vanderbilt railroad interests. When the Harlem and Central Railroad Companies were consolidated in 1869, Mr. Depew was elected a director and appointed attorney for the new company. His duties and responsibilities grew with the increase of the Vanderbilt interests, and in 1875 he was made the general counsel for the entire system and elected a director in each road. Mr. Depew permitted the use of his name as candidate for Lieutenant Governor on the Liberal Republican ticket in 1872, and was defeated as its candidate with others of his associate candidates of the same party. That is the only year in which he has not acted with the regular Republican party, speaking, working, and assisting its candidates in every campaign. In 1874 he was the choice of the Legislature for Regent of the University, and was appointed on the commission to build the State Capitol. Mr. Depew came near to being elected United States Senator in 1881. On the nineteenth ballot he lacked only ten votes of an election, and on the thirty-fourth ballot he lacked the same number. The Legislature adjourned on J u ly 2d on account of the assassination of President Garfield. Mr. Depew pointed out that it was the duty of the Legislature to stop the contest, and he withdrew on the fortieth ballot. In 1885 the Republicans offered to elect him to the United States Senate, but his business interests would not permit it him to accept the honor. William H. Vanderbilt resigned the presidency of the New York Central Railroad in 1882 and James H. Rutter was elected president and Mr. Depew second vice- president. When Mr. Rutter died in 1885, Mr. Depew was elected president of the road. This office of executive head of one of the greatest rail roads in the World he retained until his election as chairman of the board of directors of the Vanderbilt system of railroads. an office he still holds. In 1888 Mr. Depew was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President and received the solid vote, at the Republican National Convention, of the New York delegation as well as the vote of the delegates, but withdrew his name and favored the nomination of Benjamin Harrison - a nomination which followed, largely it is thought brought. about by Mr. Depew's influence, in 1892 and 1896 he was a Delegate-at-Large of New York State to the National Re publica n Con vent ion, presenting the name of President Harrison at the former and of Governor Morton at the latter. He is an active member of the Skull-and-Bones of Yale College, and of the St. Nicholas Society of New York, the Holland Society of New York and the Huguenot Society of America. He was for seven years President of the Union League Club, a term longer by several years than this distinguished post has been held by any other. On declining further election he was made a life member of the club. He was for ten years in succession elected President of the Yale Alumni Association. Having ended a decade of service he declined a re-election and was made an honorary member. Mr. Depew's popular fame rests as much on his ability as an orator and after-dinner speaker as on his business and professional career. He has been the orator an three great national and international occasions - the unveiling of the statue of Liberty in New York harbor, the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the first President of the United States, and the opening of the World's Fair at Chicago. He was also selected by the Legislature to deliver the oration at the centennial celebration of the formation of the Constitution of the State of New York at Kingston, and also at the centennial of the organization of the Legislature of the State of New York. He was selected by the Legislature to deliver the oration at the services in the Legislature in memory of General Sherman. General Husted, and Governor Fenton, and at the memorial services of President Garfield in New York, and also as the orator at the unveiling of the statute of Alexander Hamilton, in Central Park, New York, and at the centennial celebration of the capture of Major Andre at Sleepy Hollow. Mr. Depew was elected to the United States Senate to succeed Edward Murphy, Jr., Democrat, in, January, 1899, and took his seat March 4, 1890. His term of service will expire March 3, 1905, His activity in behalf of the Republican party has continued since his election as Senator. He was prominent as a campaign speaker in a large part of New York State in the campaign of 1900, when William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt were candidates for President and Vice-President respectively. Mr. Depew also exerted himself vigorously in 1902 to bring about the re-election of Benjamin B. Odell, Jr., as Governor. Among the speeches made by Mr. Depew since he became a Senator are the following: At the Memorial Services of Vice President Garret A. Hobart, January 10, 1900. On the Oleomargarine Bill, April 2, 1902. On the Government of the Philippine Islands, February 27, 1900. On the bill for the relief of Puerto Rico, April 2. 1900. On the Ship-Subsidy Bill, January 25, 1901. On the Appalachian Forest Preserve, June 2, 1902. On the Ship-Subsidy Bill, March 12, 1902. On the election of United States Senators by direct vote of the people, April 10, 1902. On the Statehood Bill, February 11, 12. 13, and 17, 1903. On Trade Relations with Cuba, December 12, 1903. On the Panama Canal, January 14, 1904. He introduced a bill to establish the University of the United States, which was read twice; a bill to promote and encourage the mining, mineral, and metallurgical sciences in the United States; a bill to prevent the false branding or marking of food and dairy products; a bill for an addition of protected torpedo boats to the United States Navy; a bill to revise and codify the criminal and penal laws of the United States, and a bill to provide for the presentation of medals of honor to certain troops who volunteered their services in 1863 before the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Depew also introduced and succeeded in passing bills granting pensions to or increasing the pensions of veterans or widows of veterans of the Civil War. Mr. Depew was married to Elise Hegeman on November 9, 1871, and has one child, a son. Mrs. Depew died on May 7, 1893, mourned by all who knew her. Mr. Depew was married to Miss May Palmer in December, 1901. Senator Depew took a prominent part in the movement in favor of the re-election of President Roosevelt and in favor of the election of the Hon. Frank W. Higgins as Governor of New York in 1904. He attended the Republican National Delegation as one of New York's delegates-at-large. Then returning to the State he traversed it making speeches in behalf of the Republican party, he spoke seven times in the city of New York, and he also addressed voters in the following places, Plattsburg, Auburn, Little Falls, Norwich, Oswego, Cortland, Attica, Poughkeepsie, Croton, Warsaw, Schenectady, Jamestown, Rochester, Ellenville, Wellsville, Lock port, Olean, Jamaica, Brooklyn, Medina, Newburgh, Watertown, Cohoes, Middletown, Hornellsville, Afton, Mt. Kisco, Whitney's Point, and Schoharie. As a result of Mr. Depew's vigorous support of t he Republican candidates in the campaign of 1904, and for years previously and his record in the Senate and as a businessman, his re-election as a United States Senator was unopposed in the Legislature by any Republican, and early in 1905 he was re-elected for another term of six years.