Samuel Fenton Cary
Encyclopedia
Samuel Fenton Cary was a congressman and significant temperance movement
leader in the nineteenth century. Cary became well-known nationally as a prohibitionist author
and lecturer
.
. He graduated from Miami University
in 1835 and at the Cincinnati Law School in 1837 being admitted to the bar the same year, practicing law out of his in office in Cincinnati. He was elected a judge
in the Ohio State Supreme Court
, but decided to pass the job up. Instead, he got the post of Paymaster General for the state of Ohio
during the terms of Governors Mordecai Bartley
and William Bebb
.
He stopped working in law in 1845 to become a farmer and also to devote himself to temperance and anti-slavery
groups. He gave lectures and wrote books on prohibition
and slavery
matters. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
in 1864 supporting Abraham Lincoln
for a second term who initially had won. Cary then became Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's first district
in 1865.
In 1867, Cary was elected to the Fortieth Congress
as an Independent Republican
to represent Ohio's second district
, taking seat November 21, 1867. This was caused by the resignation
of future United States President
Rutherford B. Hayes
who had just been elected Governor of Ohio. There, he became the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. Cary had also been the only Republican to vote against the impeachment of President
Andrew Johnson
. He lost the election to the Forty-first Congress
in 1868 to Job E. Stevenson
.
In 1875, Cary ran for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
. At the time, Rutherford B. Hayes
was running for a third term as Governor which he won. However, Cary lost his race to Thomas L. Young
who would succeed to the governorship after Hayes resigned to become President of the United States
.
Cary joined the Greenback Party
and was the nominee for Vice President of the United States
in the 1876 election
after Newton Booth
declined to run. He ran with Peter Cooper
who was running for the presidency against Rutherford B. Hayes
. Hayes won the presidency along with his running mate, William A. Wheeler
. Cooper and Cary also came behind the Democratic Party
candidates Samuel J. Tilden
and Thomas A. Hendricks
.
Cary lived out the rest of his days writing literature and supporting fellow prohibitionists. He was twice married, first to Maria Louisa Allen, October 18, 1836, she died of consumption, September 25, 1847. They had three children: Martha Louisa(b.1837), Ella Woodnutt (b.1841) and Lou Allen (b.1847). In 1849, he married second Lida Stillwell. They had three children: Olive (b.1851), Samuel Fenton, Jr. (b. 1857) and Jessie (b. 1858). He died at the Cary Homestead in College Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio on September 29, 1900. He is interred with his family in Spring Grove Cemetery
in Cincinnati. Cary, North Carolina
was named in his honor.
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
leader in the nineteenth century. Cary became well-known nationally as a prohibitionist author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
.
Life
Cary was born on February 18, 1814 in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He graduated from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1835 and at the Cincinnati Law School in 1837 being admitted to the bar the same year, practicing law out of his in office in Cincinnati. He was elected a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in the Ohio State Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Ohio
The Supreme Court of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, each serving six-year terms...
, but decided to pass the job up. Instead, he got the post of Paymaster General for the state of Ohio
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...
during the terms of Governors Mordecai Bartley
Mordecai Bartley
Mordecai Bartley was a Whig politician from Ohio. He served as the 18th Governor of Ohio. Bartley succeeded his son, Thomas W. Bartley as governor, one of only a few instances of this happening in the United States in high offices.Bartley was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania...
and William Bebb
William Bebb
William Bebb was a Whig politician from Ohio. He served as the 19th Governor of Ohio, he was the third native Ohioan to be elected to the office....
.
He stopped working in law in 1845 to become a farmer and also to devote himself to temperance and anti-slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
groups. He gave lectures and wrote books on prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
and slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
matters. 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...
in 1864 supporting Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
for a second term who initially had won. Cary then became Collector of Internal Revenue for Ohio's first district
Ohio's 1st congressional district
Ohio's 1st congressional district is currently represented by Republican Steve Chabot. This district includes parts of Cincinnati, and borders both Kentucky and Indiana.-Cities:Cincinnati Cheviot Deer Park Forest Park Harrison Mount Healthy...
in 1865.
In 1867, Cary was elected to the Fortieth Congress
40th United States Congress
The Fortieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867 to March 4, 1869, during the third and fourth...
as an Independent 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...
to represent Ohio's second district
Ohio's 2nd congressional district
Ohio's 2nd congressional district is a district in southern Ohio. It is currently represented by Jean Schmidt.The district stretches along the Ohio River from the Hamilton County suburbs of Cincinnati east to Scioto County...
, taking seat November 21, 1867. This was caused by the resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
of future United States President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
who had just been elected Governor of Ohio. There, he became the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor. Cary had also been the only Republican to vote against the impeachment of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
. He lost the election to the Forty-first Congress
40th United States Congress
The Fortieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867 to March 4, 1869, during the third and fourth...
in 1868 to Job E. Stevenson
Job E. Stevenson
Job Evans Stevenson was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born in Yellow Bud, Ohio, Stevenson completed preparatory studies.He studied law....
.
In 1875, Cary ran for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
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...
. At the time, Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
was running for a third term as Governor which he won. However, Cary lost his race to Thomas L. Young
Thomas L. Young
Thomas Lowry Young was a Republican politician from Ohio. Young served as the 33rd Governor of Ohio.-Biography:...
who would succeed to the governorship after Hayes resigned to become President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Cary joined the Greenback Party
United States Greenback Party
The Greenback Party was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology that was active between 1874 and 1884. Its name referred to paper money, or "greenbacks," that had been issued during the American Civil War and afterward...
and was the nominee for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in the 1876 election
United States presidential election, 1876
The United States presidential election of 1876 was one of the most disputed and controversial presidential elections in American history. Samuel J. Tilden of New York outpolled Ohio's Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes's 165, with 20 votes uncounted...
after Newton Booth
Newton Booth
Newton Booth was an American politician.Born in Salem, Indiana, he attended the common schools. In 1841, his parents Beebe and Hannah Booth moved from Salem to Terre Haute, Indiana. Newton graduated from Asbury University, later renamed DePauw University, in nearby Greencastle, Indiana. He studied...
declined to run. He ran with Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper
Peter Cooper was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and candidate for President of the United States...
who was running for the presidency against Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
. Hayes won the presidency along with his running mate, William A. Wheeler
William A. Wheeler
William Almon Wheeler was a Representative from New York and the 19th Vice President of the United States .-Early life and career:...
. Cooper and Cary also came behind the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidates Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel J. Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency in the disputed election of 1876, one of the most controversial American elections of the 19th century. He was the 25th Governor of New York...
and Thomas A. Hendricks
Thomas A. Hendricks
Thomas Andrews Hendricks was an American politician who served as a Representative and a Senator from Indiana, the 16th Governor of Indiana , and the 21st Vice President of the United States...
.
Cary lived out the rest of his days writing literature and supporting fellow prohibitionists. He was twice married, first to Maria Louisa Allen, October 18, 1836, she died of consumption, September 25, 1847. They had three children: Martha Louisa(b.1837), Ella Woodnutt (b.1841) and Lou Allen (b.1847). In 1849, he married second Lida Stillwell. They had three children: Olive (b.1851), Samuel Fenton, Jr. (b. 1857) and Jessie (b. 1858). He died at the Cary Homestead in College Hill, Cincinnati, Ohio on September 29, 1900. He is interred with his family in Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery
Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is a nonprofit garden cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the second largest cemetery in the United States and is recognized as a U.S. National Historic Landmark....
in Cincinnati. Cary, North Carolina
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
was named in his honor.
External links
- Samuel Fenton Cary at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- The Cary Heritage Museum