Elbert L. Lampson
Encyclopedia
Elbert L. Lampson was an interesting figure and striking personality in Ohio
politics
and public affairs
during the second half of the nineteenth century. Hailing from Jefferson
, Lampson was the 21st Lieutenant Governor
of Ohio and former State Senator
. A lawyer
by profession, his time had been taken up with a diversity of interests. He was a banker, and for many years was a newspaper publisher.
, in Ashtabula County
, July 30, 1852. He was of old New England
ancestry, the Lampsons settling in Connecticut
when they came from England
in Colonial
times. His grandfather, Ebenezer Lampson, was born in Connecticut in 1754. He served three enlistments as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. In the cemetery at Windsor, Ohio, is a monument erected to the memory of the soldiers of the American Revolution
, and one of the names on that monument is Ebenezer Lampson. He came West and settled in the Western Reserve, at Windsor, in 1809. He served as a member of the first grand jury of Ashtabula County in 1811. He was a farmer, and developed a good home, though he lost part of his property through a defective title. He died at Windsor March 12, 1835. His second wife and the grandmother of Elbert L. Lampson bore the maiden name of Martha Griggs. She was born in Connecticut in 1777, and died at Windsor in 1862.
Chester Lampson, son of this Revolutionary soldier, was born at the old homestead in Windsor Township, March 12, 1823, and lived there all his life. He was killed by a falling tree while cutting timber on September 12, 1879. He remained at home and assisted his widowed mother, who received a pension
as a Revolutionary widow, and, while starting life in very modest circumstances, he left an estate of 523 acres (2.1 km²) of valuable farm land. He was a staunch Republican
, and for a number of years served as township trustee and as a member of the District School Board. As a young man he received military training as a member of the State Militia. Chester Lampson married Emerette A. Griswold, who was born at Windsor in 1829, and died there June 25, 1893. Her father was Nathaniel Griswold, who came to Ohio from New Hampshire
. Of the seven children born to Chester Lampson and wife Elbert L. is the oldest; Carrie A. is the wife of Eugene C. Hoskins, a farmer at Middlefield, Ohio; Deette H., who died at Mesopotamia, Ohio, married Thomas H. Bell, a retired farmer at Windsor; Addie is the wife of William R. Pinks, a farmer at Windsor, and former county commissioner of Ashtabula County; Clayton L. is a farmer at Windsor; Ray D. is manager of the Jefferson Gazette; and Edith is the wife of Walter Norris, cashier of the Middlefield Banking company at Middlefield, Ohio.
at Austinburg, attending one term each school year and then teaching, and in this way he continued until he graduated with the Bachelor of Science
degree in 1875. About that time he married, and continued teaching and also began the study of law at Jefferson under the late Congressman Northway
. In 1876 he became a student in the law department at the University of Michigan, and was graduated Bachelor of Laws
in 1878, and admitted to the Ohio bar the same year. Mr. Lampson then engaged in private practice at Jefferson, and was an active member of the bar until 1883. Since that year other interests have served to deflect him largely from the legal profession.
In 1883 Mr. Lampson bought the Jefferson Gazette, and was editor
and publisher of that Republican newspaper until about 1900. Sometime afterward the ownership and management of the Gazette were transferred to a new firm, consisting of E.C. Lampson, son of Elbert L., and R.D. Lampson, brother of Elbert L. Mr. Lampson was vice president of the Jefferson Banking company and chairman of its discount committee. Through his private business interests had been woven a thread of public service, portions of which had demanded much of his time and energies. From 1877 to 1885 he served as county school examiner of Ashtabula County. He also held such offices as township trustee, president of the Board of Education
, justice of the peace and treasurer of the Ashland County Agricultural Society. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
at Chicago
in 1884, being secretary of the Ohio delegation and a member of the Blaine Conference Committee. In 1885 he was elected to represent Ashtabula County in the General Assembly of Ohio, and was reelected in 1887. In 1888 he was chosen speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives
, and during the two sessions he presided the only appeal, taken from his decisions was sustained in his favor.
. That was a notable campaign in Ohio State politics. Governor Foraker was defeated by James E. Campbell
of Columbus, but the rest of the republican ticket was elected, Mr. Lampson having a plurality of twenty-two votes. However, he filled the office of lieutenant-governor only eighteen days. The democrats held control of the Senate by a majority of one, and this majority unseated him and gave the office to his opponent.
Mr. Lampson served as permanent chairman of the Republican State Convention at Dayton in 1888. In 1891 he was elected to the State Senate to represent the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-sixth districts, including Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Portage and Summit counties, and in January, 1892, he was chosen president pro tem of the Senate. He twice voted for John Sherman for the United States Senate. In December, 1895, Mr. Lampson was appointed reading clerk
of the National House of Representatives, and during the sessions of United States Congress
he was on duty at Washington and held the position continuously for nearly sixteen years, until May 11, 1911. In 1912 Mr. Lampson was a prominent member of the Constitutional Convention of Ohio. He was parliamentarian of the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1912. Under the auspices of the National Republican Committee he has been a speaker in five national campaigns, those in which the republican candidates for president were Blaine, McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft and Harding. He had spoken in twelve different states, and in the campaign of 1892 he delivered over thirty speeches in New York and Connecticut.
Mr. Lampson was a trustee of the Congregational Church of Jefferson, and fraternally affiliated with Tuscan Lodge No. 342, Free and Accepted Masons, at Jefferson; Jefferson Chapter No. 141, Royal Arch Masons, and Conneaut Commandery, Knights Templar, at Conneaut
. He was a member of the Ashtabula County Bar Association and the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. He had a number of business interests, including real estate in Ashtabula, and one of the residences in Jefferson was the home of his family, located at the corner of Chestnut and Ashtabula streets. He was one of the organizers of the Ohio Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
at Austinburg
, and it was there that they began the friendship which ripened into marriage. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lampson. Edward C. was the successor of his father as editor of the Jefferson Gazette. The son Lawrence V., who was a literary graduate of Oberlin College, spent ten years as a teacher in the Central High School at Washington, D.C.
and lived in that city a representative of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York
. Lillian D., living with her parents, was the widow of Gould R. Anthony, who died as the result of hardships endured while a soldier in the Spanish-American war
. The youngest child, Clara May, was a graduate of Oberlin College and the wife of L.J. Pauley, a dentist at Mason City, Iowa
.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and public affairs
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
during the second half of the nineteenth century. Hailing from Jefferson
Jefferson, Ohio
Jefferson is a village in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,572 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Ashtabula County. Modern-day Jefferson sports the world's only perambulator museum and a historical complex including several restored 18th century buildings....
, Lampson was the 21st Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship...
of Ohio and former State Senator
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
. A lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
by profession, his time had been taken up with a diversity of interests. He was a banker, and for many years was a newspaper publisher.
Background
Lampson was born at WindsorWindsor, Ohio
Windsor is an unincorporated community in eastern Windsor Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44099. It lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 322 with State Route 534....
, in Ashtabula County
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Ashtabula County is the northeasternmost county in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 101,497, its county seat is Jefferson. The county is named for a Native American word meaning "river of many fish"....
, July 30, 1852. He was of old New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
ancestry, the Lampsons settling in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
when they came from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in Colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
times. His grandfather, Ebenezer Lampson, was born in Connecticut in 1754. He served three enlistments as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. In the cemetery at Windsor, Ohio, is a monument erected to the memory of the soldiers of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and one of the names on that monument is Ebenezer Lampson. He came West and settled in the Western Reserve, at Windsor, in 1809. He served as a member of the first grand jury of Ashtabula County in 1811. He was a farmer, and developed a good home, though he lost part of his property through a defective title. He died at Windsor March 12, 1835. His second wife and the grandmother of Elbert L. Lampson bore the maiden name of Martha Griggs. She was born in Connecticut in 1777, and died at Windsor in 1862.
Chester Lampson, son of this Revolutionary soldier, was born at the old homestead in Windsor Township, March 12, 1823, and lived there all his life. He was killed by a falling tree while cutting timber on September 12, 1879. He remained at home and assisted his widowed mother, who received a pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
as a Revolutionary widow, and, while starting life in very modest circumstances, he left an estate of 523 acres (2.1 km²) of valuable farm land. He was a staunch Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, and for a number of years served as township trustee and as a member of the District School Board. As a young man he received military training as a member of the State Militia. Chester Lampson married Emerette A. Griswold, who was born at Windsor in 1829, and died there June 25, 1893. Her father was Nathaniel Griswold, who came to Ohio from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Of the seven children born to Chester Lampson and wife Elbert L. is the oldest; Carrie A. is the wife of Eugene C. Hoskins, a farmer at Middlefield, Ohio; Deette H., who died at Mesopotamia, Ohio, married Thomas H. Bell, a retired farmer at Windsor; Addie is the wife of William R. Pinks, a farmer at Windsor, and former county commissioner of Ashtabula County; Clayton L. is a farmer at Windsor; Ray D. is manager of the Jefferson Gazette; and Edith is the wife of Walter Norris, cashier of the Middlefield Banking company at Middlefield, Ohio.
Career
Elbert L. Lampson was reared on his father's farm, and with increasing years he performed a larger share of the duties of the establishment. At the same time he attended the district schools, and when he was seventeen he entered the Grand River InstituteGrand River Academy
Grand River Academy, formerly known as the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry and then the Grand River Institute, is a private, nonsectarian, boarding high school for boys located in Austinburg, Ohio...
at Austinburg, attending one term each school year and then teaching, and in this way he continued until he graduated with the Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1875. About that time he married, and continued teaching and also began the study of law at Jefferson under the late Congressman Northway
Stephen A. Northway
Stephen Asa Northway was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in Christian Hollow, New York, Northway moved with his parents in 1840 to the township of Orwell, Ohio....
. In 1876 he became a student in the law department at the University of Michigan, and was graduated Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
in 1878, and admitted to the Ohio bar the same year. Mr. Lampson then engaged in private practice at Jefferson, and was an active member of the bar until 1883. Since that year other interests have served to deflect him largely from the legal profession.
In 1883 Mr. Lampson bought the Jefferson Gazette, and was editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and publisher of that Republican newspaper until about 1900. Sometime afterward the ownership and management of the Gazette were transferred to a new firm, consisting of E.C. Lampson, son of Elbert L., and R.D. Lampson, brother of Elbert L. Mr. Lampson was vice president of the Jefferson Banking company and chairman of its discount committee. Through his private business interests had been woven a thread of public service, portions of which had demanded much of his time and energies. From 1877 to 1885 he served as county school examiner of Ashtabula County. He also held such offices as township trustee, president of the Board of Education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
, justice of the peace and treasurer of the Ashland County Agricultural Society. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1884, being secretary of the Ohio delegation and a member of the Blaine Conference Committee. In 1885 he was elected to represent Ashtabula County in the General Assembly of Ohio, and was reelected in 1887. In 1888 he was chosen speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
, and during the two sessions he presided the only appeal, taken from his decisions was sustained in his favor.
Politics
In the Republican State Convention of 1889 Mr. Lampson was nominated for lieutenant-governor, taking second place on the ticket headed by Governor J.B. ForakerJoseph B. Foraker
Joseph Benson Foraker was a Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 37th Governor of Ohio from 1886 to 1890.-Early life:...
. That was a notable campaign in Ohio State politics. Governor Foraker was defeated by James E. Campbell
James E. Campbell
James Edwin Campbell was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the 38th Governor of Ohio.Campbell was born in Middletown, Ohio where he attended the public schools and then Miami University. He served in the Union Army as a member of the Mississippi River Squadron during the Civil War...
of Columbus, but the rest of the republican ticket was elected, Mr. Lampson having a plurality of twenty-two votes. However, he filled the office of lieutenant-governor only eighteen days. The democrats held control of the Senate by a majority of one, and this majority unseated him and gave the office to his opponent.
Mr. Lampson served as permanent chairman of the Republican State Convention at Dayton in 1888. In 1891 he was elected to the State Senate to represent the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-sixth districts, including Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Portage and Summit counties, and in January, 1892, he was chosen president pro tem of the Senate. He twice voted for John Sherman for the United States Senate. In December, 1895, Mr. Lampson was appointed reading clerk
Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives
The Reading Clerk of the United States House of Representatives reads bills, motions, and other papers before the House and keeps track of changes to legislation made on the floor...
of the National House of Representatives, and during the sessions of United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
he was on duty at Washington and held the position continuously for nearly sixteen years, until May 11, 1911. In 1912 Mr. Lampson was a prominent member of the Constitutional Convention of Ohio. He was parliamentarian of the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1912. Under the auspices of the National Republican Committee he has been a speaker in five national campaigns, those in which the republican candidates for president were Blaine, McKinley, Roosevelt, Taft and Harding. He had spoken in twelve different states, and in the campaign of 1892 he delivered over thirty speeches in New York and Connecticut.
Mr. Lampson was a trustee of the Congregational Church of Jefferson, and fraternally affiliated with Tuscan Lodge No. 342, Free and Accepted Masons, at Jefferson; Jefferson Chapter No. 141, Royal Arch Masons, and Conneaut Commandery, Knights Templar, at Conneaut
Conneaut, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,485 people, 5,038 households, and 3,410 families residing in the city. The population density was 473.4 people per square mile . There were 5,710 housing units at an average density of 216.5 per square mile...
. He was a member of the Ashtabula County Bar Association and the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. He had a number of business interests, including real estate in Ashtabula, and one of the residences in Jefferson was the home of his family, located at the corner of Chestnut and Ashtabula streets. He was one of the organizers of the Ohio Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Marriage and children
On August 5, 1875, at Hartsgrove, Ohio, Mr. Lampson married Miss Mary L. Hurlburt, daughter of Edward G. and Jane (Babcock) Hurlburt, now deceased. Her father was a farmer at Hartsgrove, and for twelve years was county commissioner of Ashtabula County. Mrs. Lampson also attended Grand River InstituteGrand River Academy
Grand River Academy, formerly known as the Ashtabula County Institute of Science and Industry and then the Grand River Institute, is a private, nonsectarian, boarding high school for boys located in Austinburg, Ohio...
at Austinburg
Austinburg, Ohio
Austinburg is a census-designated place in northern Austinburg Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44010. It lies at the intersection of State Routes 45 and 307....
, and it was there that they began the friendship which ripened into marriage. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lampson. Edward C. was the successor of his father as editor of the Jefferson Gazette. The son Lawrence V., who was a literary graduate of Oberlin College, spent ten years as a teacher in the Central High School at Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and lived in that city a representative of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Lillian D., living with her parents, was the widow of Gould R. Anthony, who died as the result of hardships endured while a soldier in the Spanish-American war
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. The youngest child, Clara May, was a graduate of Oberlin College and the wife of L.J. Pauley, a dentist at Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
.