Milton J. Durham: Difference between revisions
→Bibliography: link |
Removing from Category:19th-century American legislators using Cat-a-lot |
||
(43 intermediate revisions by 31 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|American politician}} |
|||
{{Infobox officeholder |
{{Infobox officeholder |
||
|honorific-prefix = |
|honorific-prefix = |
||
Line 23: | Line 25: | ||
|death_date = {{death date and age|1911|02|12|1824|05|16}} |
|death_date = {{death date and age|1911|02|12|1824|05|16}} |
||
|death_place = [[Lexington, Kentucky]] |
|death_place = [[Lexington, Kentucky]] |
||
|restingplace = |
|restingplace = [[Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky)|Bellevue Cemetery]], [[Danville, Kentucky]] |
||
|restingplacecoordinates = |
|restingplacecoordinates = |
||
|birthname = |
|birthname = |
||
Line 35: | Line 37: | ||
|alma_mater = [[DePauw University]] |
|alma_mater = [[DePauw University]] |
||
|profession = [[Lawyer]] |
|profession = [[Lawyer]] |
||
|religion = [[Methodist Episcopal Church, South|Methodist Episcopal, South]] |
|||
|signature = Milton Durham sig.jpg |
|signature = Milton Durham sig.jpg |
||
|signature_alt = M. J. Durham |
|signature_alt = M. J. Durham |
||
Line 45: | Line 46: | ||
==Early life and family== |
==Early life and family== |
||
Milton J. Durham was born near [[Perryville, Kentucky|Perryville]], [[Mercer County, Kentucky|Mercer County]] (now [[Boyle County, Kentucky|Boyle County]]), Kentucky.<ref name=congbio>"Durham, Milton J." ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''</ref> He was the son of Benjamin and Margaret (Robinson) Durham.<ref name=bc4>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 4</ref> His grandfather, John Durham, established the first [[Methodism|Methodist]] church west of the [[Allegheny Mountains]], and his |
Milton J. Durham was born near [[Perryville, Kentucky|Perryville]], [[Mercer County, Kentucky|Mercer County]] (now [[Boyle County, Kentucky|Boyle County]]), Kentucky.<ref name=congbio>"Durham, Milton J." ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''</ref> He was the son of Benjamin and Margaret (Robinson) Durham.<ref name=bc4>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 4</ref> His grandfather, John Durham, established the first [[Methodism|Methodist]] church west of the [[Allegheny Mountains]], and his descendants, including Durham, were adherents of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church, South]].<ref name=bc5 /> |
||
Durham attained his early education in the common schools of the area.<ref name=congbio /> In January 1841, he matriculated to Indiana Asbury (now [[DePauw University|De Pauw]]) University in [[Greencastle, Indiana]] and graduated with honors in 1844.<ref name=barnes67>Barnes, p. 67</ref> After graduation, he taught in the common schools of Perryville and [[reading law|read law]] under [[Joshua Fry Bell]].<ref name=bc4 /> He attended the [[University of Louisville School of Law]] and graduated in March 1850.<ref name=bc4 /> He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in the same year and commenced practice in [[Danville, Kentucky]].<ref name=congbio /> For several years, he served on the Board of Commissioners for the [[Kentucky School for the Deaf|Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum]] in Danville.<ref name=barnes67 /> |
Durham attained his early education in the common schools of the area.<ref name=congbio /> In January 1841, he matriculated to Indiana Asbury (now [[DePauw University|De Pauw]]) University in [[Greencastle, Indiana]] and graduated with honors in 1844.<ref name=barnes67>Barnes, p. 67</ref> After graduation, he taught in the common schools of Perryville and [[reading law|read law]] under [[Joshua Fry Bell]].<ref name=bc4 /> He attended the [[University of Louisville School of Law]] and graduated in March 1850.<ref name=bc4 /> He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in the same year and commenced practice in [[Danville, Kentucky]].<ref name=congbio /> For several years, he served on the Board of Commissioners for the [[Kentucky School for the Deaf|Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum]] in Danville.<ref name=barnes67 /> |
||
On June 18, 1850, Durham married Martha J. Mitchell.<ref name=barnes67 /> The couple had five children – Louis H. Durham, Benjamin J. Durham, James Wesley Durham, Robert M. Durham, and Ora B. (Durham) Morris.<ref name=bc5>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 5</ref> Martha Durham died in 1879.<ref name=bc5 /> After the death of his first wife, Durham married Margaret |
On June 18, 1850, Durham married Martha J. Mitchell.<ref name=barnes67 /> The couple had five children – Louis H. Durham, Benjamin J. Durham, James Wesley Durham, Robert M. Durham, and Ora B. (Durham) Morris.<ref name=bc5>''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 5</ref> Martha Durham died in 1879.<ref name=bc5 /> After the death of his first wife, Durham married Margaret Letcher Carter in 1886.<ref name=bc5 /> |
||
==Political career== |
==Political career== |
||
Although active in [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politics and frequently urged by friends and acquaintances to seek a seat in the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]] or [[Kentucky Senate]], Durham held no public office prior to 1861.<ref name=barnes67 /> In that year, [[Governor of Kentucky|Governor]] [[Beriah Magoffin]] appointed him circuit judge of the eighth judicial district.<ref name=bc4 /> He served until 1862, but declined further service on the bench.<ref name=barnes67 /> |
Although active in [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politics and frequently urged by friends and acquaintances to seek a seat in the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]] or [[Kentucky Senate]], Durham held no public office prior to 1861.<ref name=barnes67 /> In that year, [[Governor of Kentucky|Governor]] [[Beriah Magoffin]] appointed him circuit judge of the eighth judicial district.<ref name=bc4 /> He served until 1862, but declined further service on the bench.<ref name=barnes67 /> |
||
In 1872, Durham was elected to represent the heavily Democratic [[Kentucky's 8th congressional district|Eighth District]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], defeating [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[William O. Bradley]] by a vote of 10,874 to 9,925.<ref name=tapp123>Tapp and Klotter, p. 123</ref> He served in the [[43rd United States Congress|Forty-third]], [[44th United States Congress|Forty-fourth]], and [[45th United States Congress|Forty-fifth]] Congresses (March 4, 1873 |
In 1872, Durham was elected to represent the heavily Democratic [[Kentucky's 8th congressional district|Eighth District]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]], defeating [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[William O. Bradley]] by a vote of 10,874 to 9,925.<ref name=tapp123>Tapp and Klotter, p. 123</ref> He served in the [[43rd United States Congress|Forty-third]], [[44th United States Congress|Forty-fourth]], and [[45th United States Congress|Forty-fifth]] Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879).<ref name=congbio /> During his congressional tenure, he served on the House Committees on [[United States House Committee on Financial Services|Banking and Currency]], Coinage, and Weights and Measures, and chaired the House Committees on [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|Appropriations]] and [[United States House Committee on the Judiciary|Revision of the Laws]].<ref name=bc4 /> He also served on committees investigating the failure of the [[First Bank of the United States]], alleged fraud in the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas|Western Judicial District of Arkansas]], the accounts of the [[Bureau of Engraving and Printing]], and the condition of the [[Freedman's Savings Bank|Freedman's Savings and Trust Company]].<ref name=barnes68>Barnes, p. 68</ref> In response to the investigation of Freedman's Savings and Trust, he sponsored legislation designed to better secure the company's assets.<ref name=barnes68 /> He also made notable speeches on the subjects of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1871]] and the resumption of [[Bullion coin|specie]] payments.<ref name=barnes68 /> |
||
[[File:Philip B. Thompson, Jr. - Brady Handy cropped.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man with dark hair and a dark mustache wearing a high-collared white shirt, black jacket, and tie|Philip B. Thompson, Jr. defeated Durham in 1878.]] |
[[File:Philip B. Thompson, Jr. - Brady Handy cropped.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A man with dark hair and a dark mustache wearing a high-collared white shirt, black jacket, and tie|Philip B. Thompson, Jr. defeated Durham in 1878.]] |
||
Durham sought re-election to his seat in 1878.<ref name=congbio /> He was opposed for the nomination by [[Philip B. Thompson, Jr.]], who defeated him by one-tenth of a vote at the Democratic nominating convention at [[Stanford, Kentucky]] and went on to defeat the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] challenger, George Denny.<ref name=mcafee158>McAfee, p. 158</ref> At the expiration of his term, Durham returned to his law practice in Danville.<ref name=congbio /> He again sought the Democratic nomination to represent the Eighth District in 1884.<ref name=mcafee120>McAfee, p. 120</ref> His opponents were the incumbent, Philip B. Thompson, Jr., and former Governor [[James B. McCreary]].<ref name=mcafee120 /> So great was the excitement about the race that party leaders decided to choose the nominee by a [[primary election]] rather than a nominating convention for the first time in the history of the district.<ref name=triangle>"Interesting Triangular Fight in 'Old Eighth'. ''The Interior Journal''</ref> Durham finished behind both Thompson and McCreary, who won the nomination and went on to defeat the Republican nominee, James Sebastian.<ref name=mcafee120 /> |
Durham sought re-election to his seat in 1878.<ref name=congbio /> He was opposed for the nomination by [[Philip B. Thompson, Jr.]], who defeated him by one-tenth of a vote at the Democratic nominating convention at [[Stanford, Kentucky]] and went on to defeat the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] challenger, George Denny.<ref name=mcafee158>McAfee, p. 158</ref> At the expiration of his term, Durham returned to his law practice in Danville.<ref name=congbio /> He again sought the Democratic nomination to represent the Eighth District in 1884.<ref name=mcafee120>McAfee, p. 120</ref> His opponents were the incumbent, Philip B. Thompson, Jr., and former Governor [[James B. McCreary]].<ref name=mcafee120 /> So great was the excitement about the race that party leaders decided to choose the nominee by a [[Partisan primary|primary election]] rather than a nominating convention for the first time in the history of the district.<ref name=triangle>"Interesting Triangular Fight in 'Old Eighth'. ''The Interior Journal''</ref> Durham finished behind both Thompson and McCreary, who won the nomination and went on to defeat the Republican nominee, James Sebastian.<ref name=mcafee120 /> |
||
In 1885, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Grover Cleveland]] appointed Durham First [[Comptroller of the Treasury]] of the United States; he served from March 20, 1885 until the office was discontinued on April 22, 1889.<ref name=congbio /><ref name=bc4 /> During his tenure, he sparked a minor controversy between himself and Governor [[J. Proctor Knott]] when, in a private letter to a friend, he suggested that Kentucky needed a financier in the governor's office.<ref name=governor>"Kentucky's Angry Governor". ''The New York Times''</ref> The letter went on to say that, while Durham had no plans to actively seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1887, he would consider running if the nomination were offered him, provided that President Cleveland approved of his resignation to seek the office.<ref name=governor /> The courier who delivered the letter also shared it with a newspaper editor who subsequently published it.<ref name=governor /> Governor Knott took the letter as a slap at his financial acumen.<ref name=governor /> A noted satirist from his time in Congress, Knott responded with a biting letter in the local newspaper.<ref name=governor /> |
In 1885, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Grover Cleveland]] appointed Durham First [[Comptroller of the Treasury]] of the United States; he served from March 20, 1885, until the office was discontinued on April 22, 1889.<ref name=congbio /><ref name=bc4 /> During his tenure, he sparked a minor controversy between himself and Governor [[J. Proctor Knott]] when, in a private letter to a friend, he suggested that Kentucky needed a financier in the governor's office.<ref name=governor>"Kentucky's Angry Governor". ''The New York Times''</ref> The letter went on to say that, while Durham had no plans to actively seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1887, he would consider running if the nomination were offered him, provided that President Cleveland approved of his resignation to seek the office.<ref name=governor /> The courier who delivered the letter also shared it with a newspaper editor who subsequently published it.<ref name=governor /> Governor Knott took the letter as a slap at his financial acumen.<ref name=governor /> A noted satirist from his time in Congress, Knott responded with a biting letter in the local newspaper.<ref name=governor /> |
||
==Later life and death== |
==Later life and death== |
||
After a severe bout with [[influenza]], Durham's doctors advised him to abandon the practice of law.<ref name=bc4 /> In 1890, he moved to [[Lexington, Kentucky]] and engaged in banking.<ref name=congbio /> He helped organize the Central Bank of Lexington and served as the bank's cashier and also served as the treasurer of the Blue Grass Building and Loan Association.<ref name=bc4 /> |
After a severe bout with [[influenza]], Durham's doctors advised him to abandon the practice of law.<ref name=bc4 /> In 1890, he moved to [[Lexington, Kentucky]] and engaged in banking.<ref name=congbio /> He helped organize the Central Bank of Lexington and served as the bank's cashier and also served as the treasurer of the Blue Grass Building and Loan Association.<ref name=bc4 /> |
||
Remaining interested in politics, he was among the speakers at a May 14, 1894 rally to condemn the renomination of Congressman [[William Campbell Preston Breckinridge]] because of his admission, under oath, of having an extramarital affair.<ref name=condemn>"All Met to Condemn Breckinridge". ''The New York Times''</ref> Later that year, the announcement of Durham as a replacement speaker for [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[William Lindsay (Kentucky)|William Lindsay]] at a rally in [[Mount Sterling, Kentucky]] advocating the [[gold standard]] touched off a riot among [[free silver]] supporters in which one man was killed and several others were injured.<ref name=riot>"Political Riot in Kentucky". ''The New York Times'</ref> In 1896, Durham disputed an article that appeared in the ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader|Lexington Leader]]'' newspaper claiming that he and other sound money backers had advised [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury Secretary]] [[John G. Carlisle]] not to visit Kentucky at that time.<ref name=encounter>"Encounter in a Newspaper Office". ''The New York Times''</ref> Durham's initial meeting with the newspaper's editor ended peacefully, but when Durham returned later in the day to further protest, he got into an altercation with one of the newspaper's writers and bloodied his face.<ref name=encounter /> |
Remaining interested in politics, he was among the speakers at a May 14, 1894 rally to condemn the renomination of Congressman [[William Campbell Preston Breckinridge]] because of his admission, under oath, of having an extramarital affair.<ref name=condemn>"All Met to Condemn Breckinridge". ''The New York Times''</ref> Later that year, the announcement of Durham as a replacement speaker for [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[William Lindsay (Kentucky)|William Lindsay]] at a rally in [[Mount Sterling, Kentucky]] advocating the [[gold standard]] touched off a riot among [[free silver]] supporters in which one man was killed and several others were injured.<ref name=riot>"Political Riot in Kentucky". ''The New York Times'</ref> In 1896, Durham disputed an article that appeared in the ''[[Lexington Herald-Leader|Lexington Leader]]'' newspaper claiming that he and other sound money backers had advised [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury Secretary]] [[John G. Carlisle]] not to visit Kentucky at that time.<ref name=encounter>"Encounter in a Newspaper Office". ''The New York Times''</ref> Durham's initial meeting with the newspaper's editor ended peacefully, but when Durham returned later in the day to further protest, he got into an altercation with one of the newspaper's writers and bloodied his face.<ref name=encounter /> |
||
Durham was appointed deputy clerk of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] at Lexington in 1901 and served until his death in that city on February 12, 1911.<ref name=congbio /> He was interred in |
Durham was appointed deputy clerk of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] at Lexington in 1901 and served until his death in that city on February 12, 1911.<ref name=congbio /> He was interred in [[Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky)|Bellevue Cemetery]] in Danville.<ref name=congbio /> |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Line 72: | Line 73: | ||
===Bibliography=== |
===Bibliography=== |
||
*{{cite news |title=All Met to Condemn Breckinridge |newspaper= |
*{{cite news |title=All Met to Condemn Breckinridge |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1894-05-15 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/05/15/106905219.pdf |access-date=2011-05-31}} |
||
*{{cite book |last=Barnes |first=William Horatio |title=The American Government: Biographies of members of the House of representatives of the Forty-third Congress |volume=3 |publisher=Nelson and Phillips |location=[[New York City, New York]] |year=1874 |url= |
*{{cite book |last=Barnes |first=William Horatio |title=The American Government: Biographies of members of the House of representatives of the Forty-third Congress |volume=3 |publisher=Nelson and Phillips |location=[[New York City, New York]] |year=1874 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h8g8AQAAIAAJ}} |
||
*{{cite book |title=Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky |publisher=J.M. Gresham Company |location=[[Chicago, Illinois]] |year=1896 |url= |
*{{cite book |title=Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky |publisher=J.M. Gresham Company |location=[[Chicago, Illinois]] |year=1896 |url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028804122}} |
||
{{CongBio|D000572}} |
|||
*{{cite news |title=Encounter in a Newspaper Office |newspaper= |
*{{cite news |title=Encounter in a Newspaper Office |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1896-05-17 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/05/17/105749895.pdf |access-date=2011-05-31}} |
||
*{{cite news |title=Interesting Triangular Fight in "Old Eighth" |newspaper= |
*{{cite news |title=Interesting Triangular Fight in "Old Eighth" |newspaper=The Interior Journal |date=1916-12-12 |url=http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=intnews;cc=intnews;q1=durham;rgn=full%20text;idno=int1916121201_sn85052023;didno=int1916121201_sn85052023;view=pdf;seq=6;passterms=1 |access-date=2011-05-31}} |
||
*{{cite news |title=Kentucky's Angry Governor |newspaper= |
*{{cite news |title=Kentucky's Angry Governor |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1886-05-29 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1886/05/29/103113972.pdf |access-date=2011-05-31}} |
||
*{{cite book |last=McAfee |first=John J. |title=Kentucky politicians: sketches of representative Corncrackers and other miscellany |publisher=Press of the Courier-Journal job printing company |location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]] |year=1886 |url=http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=kyetexts;cc=kyetexts;sid=7c3b4143decaf4c8af264312f1bb5cd1;idno=b92-77-27211894;view=toc}} |
*{{cite book |last=McAfee |first=John J. |title=Kentucky politicians: sketches of representative Corncrackers and other miscellany |publisher=Press of the Courier-Journal job printing company |location=[[Louisville, Kentucky]] |year=1886 |url=http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=kyetexts;cc=kyetexts;sid=7c3b4143decaf4c8af264312f1bb5cd1;idno=b92-77-27211894;view=toc |access-date=2011-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050308114924/http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=kyetexts |archive-date=2005-03-08 |url-status=dead }} |
||
*{{cite news |title=Political Riot in Kentucky |newspaper= |
*{{cite news |title=Political Riot in Kentucky |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=1896-11-01 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1896/11/01/106850652.pdf |access-date=2011-05-31}} |
||
*{{cite book |last=Tapp |first=Hambleton | |
*{{cite book |last=Tapp |first=Hambleton |author2=James C. Klotter |author2-link=James C. Klotter |title=Kentucky: decades of discord, 1865–1900 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=[[Lexington, Kentucky]] |year=1977 |isbn=0-916968-05-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7JIP_B_vQMC |access-date=2009-06-26}} |
||
{{S-start}} |
|||
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> |
|||
{{s-par|us-hs}} |
|||
| NAME = Durham, Milton Jameson |
|||
{{US House succession box |
|||
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |
|||
| state = Kentucky| district = 8| before= [[George M. Adams]]| after = [[Philip B. Thompson, Jr.]] |
|||
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician |
|||
| years= 1873{{spaced ndash}}1879 |
|||
| DATE OF BIRTH = May 16, 1824 |
|||
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Mercer County, Kentucky]] |
|||
| DATE OF DEATH = February 12, 1911 |
|||
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Lexington, Kentucky]] |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
{{s-end}} |
|||
{{USCongRep-start|congresses= 43rd–45th [[United States Congress]]es |state=[[Kentucky]]}} |
|||
{{USCongRep/KY/43}} |
|||
{{USCongRep/KY/44}} |
|||
{{USCongRep/KY/45}} |
|||
{{USCongRep-end}} |
|||
{{Authority control}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Milton Jameson}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Milton Jameson}} |
||
[[Category:1824 births]] |
[[Category:1824 births]] |
||
[[Category:1911 deaths]] |
[[Category:1911 deaths]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Methodists from Kentucky]] |
||
⚫ | |||
[[Category:Comptrollers of the United States Treasury]] |
[[Category:Comptrollers of the United States Treasury]] |
||
[[Category:DePauw University alumni]] |
[[Category:DePauw University alumni]] |
||
[[Category:Kentucky Democrats]] |
|||
[[Category:Kentucky lawyers]] |
[[Category:Kentucky lawyers]] |
||
[[Category:Kentucky state court judges]] |
[[Category:Kentucky state court judges]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:People from Perryville, Kentucky]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Politicians from Danville, Kentucky]] |
||
⚫ | |||
[[Category:University of Louisville School of Law alumni]] |
[[Category:University of Louisville School of Law alumni]] |
||
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky]] |
|||
[[Category:19th-century American judges]] |
|||
[[de:Milton J. Durham]] |
|||
[[Category:19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]] |
Latest revision as of 09:13, 9 December 2024
Milton J. Durham | |
---|---|
First Comptroller of the Treasury | |
In office March 20, 1885 – April 22, 1889 | |
Preceded by | William Lawrence |
Succeeded by | Office abolished |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district | |
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879 | |
Preceded by | George Madison Adams |
Succeeded by | Philip B. Thompson, Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Mercer County, Kentucky | May 16, 1824
Died | February 12, 1911 Lexington, Kentucky | (aged 86)
Resting place | Bellevue Cemetery, Danville, Kentucky |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Martha J. Mitchell Margaret Letcher Carter |
Alma mater | DePauw University |
Profession | Lawyer |
Signature | |
Milton Jameson Durham (May 16, 1824 – February 12, 1911) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as First Comptroller of the Treasury in the administration of President Grover Cleveland. An alumnus of DePauw University and the University of Louisville School of Law, Durham held no political office prior to his appointment as a circuit court judge by Governor Beriah Magoffin in 1861. He was elected to represent Kentucky's Eighth District in Congress in 1872. He served three terms and was a member of several finance-related committees. He was narrowly defeated for renomination in 1878 by Philip B. Thompson, Jr. at the district's Democratic nominating convention.
After unsuccessfully trying to regain the Eighth District seat from Thompson in 1884, Durham was appointed First Comptroller of the Treasury in 1885, serving throughout President Cleveland's term. In 1890, after battling a severe case of influenza, Durham abandoned his law practice, moving to Lexington, Kentucky and helping organize the Bank of Lexington. He was an officer of the bank for several years. He ardently held to a sound money position during the height of the Free Silver movement. He was appointed deputy clerk of the Internal Revenue Service at Lexington in 1901, a position he held until his death on February 12, 1911.
Early life and family
[edit]Milton J. Durham was born near Perryville, Mercer County (now Boyle County), Kentucky.[1] He was the son of Benjamin and Margaret (Robinson) Durham.[2] His grandfather, John Durham, established the first Methodist church west of the Allegheny Mountains, and his descendants, including Durham, were adherents of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.[3]
Durham attained his early education in the common schools of the area.[1] In January 1841, he matriculated to Indiana Asbury (now De Pauw) University in Greencastle, Indiana and graduated with honors in 1844.[4] After graduation, he taught in the common schools of Perryville and read law under Joshua Fry Bell.[2] He attended the University of Louisville School of Law and graduated in March 1850.[2] He was admitted to the bar in the same year and commenced practice in Danville, Kentucky.[1] For several years, he served on the Board of Commissioners for the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Danville.[4]
On June 18, 1850, Durham married Martha J. Mitchell.[4] The couple had five children – Louis H. Durham, Benjamin J. Durham, James Wesley Durham, Robert M. Durham, and Ora B. (Durham) Morris.[3] Martha Durham died in 1879.[3] After the death of his first wife, Durham married Margaret Letcher Carter in 1886.[3]
Political career
[edit]Although active in Democratic politics and frequently urged by friends and acquaintances to seek a seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives or Kentucky Senate, Durham held no public office prior to 1861.[4] In that year, Governor Beriah Magoffin appointed him circuit judge of the eighth judicial district.[2] He served until 1862, but declined further service on the bench.[4]
In 1872, Durham was elected to represent the heavily Democratic Eighth District in the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Republican William O. Bradley by a vote of 10,874 to 9,925.[5] He served in the Forty-third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879).[1] During his congressional tenure, he served on the House Committees on Banking and Currency, Coinage, and Weights and Measures, and chaired the House Committees on Appropriations and Revision of the Laws.[2] He also served on committees investigating the failure of the First Bank of the United States, alleged fraud in the Western Judicial District of Arkansas, the accounts of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the condition of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company.[6] In response to the investigation of Freedman's Savings and Trust, he sponsored legislation designed to better secure the company's assets.[6] He also made notable speeches on the subjects of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 and the resumption of specie payments.[6]
Durham sought re-election to his seat in 1878.[1] He was opposed for the nomination by Philip B. Thompson, Jr., who defeated him by one-tenth of a vote at the Democratic nominating convention at Stanford, Kentucky and went on to defeat the Republican challenger, George Denny.[7] At the expiration of his term, Durham returned to his law practice in Danville.[1] He again sought the Democratic nomination to represent the Eighth District in 1884.[8] His opponents were the incumbent, Philip B. Thompson, Jr., and former Governor James B. McCreary.[8] So great was the excitement about the race that party leaders decided to choose the nominee by a primary election rather than a nominating convention for the first time in the history of the district.[9] Durham finished behind both Thompson and McCreary, who won the nomination and went on to defeat the Republican nominee, James Sebastian.[8]
In 1885, President Grover Cleveland appointed Durham First Comptroller of the Treasury of the United States; he served from March 20, 1885, until the office was discontinued on April 22, 1889.[1][2] During his tenure, he sparked a minor controversy between himself and Governor J. Proctor Knott when, in a private letter to a friend, he suggested that Kentucky needed a financier in the governor's office.[10] The letter went on to say that, while Durham had no plans to actively seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1887, he would consider running if the nomination were offered him, provided that President Cleveland approved of his resignation to seek the office.[10] The courier who delivered the letter also shared it with a newspaper editor who subsequently published it.[10] Governor Knott took the letter as a slap at his financial acumen.[10] A noted satirist from his time in Congress, Knott responded with a biting letter in the local newspaper.[10]
Later life and death
[edit]After a severe bout with influenza, Durham's doctors advised him to abandon the practice of law.[2] In 1890, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky and engaged in banking.[1] He helped organize the Central Bank of Lexington and served as the bank's cashier and also served as the treasurer of the Blue Grass Building and Loan Association.[2]
Remaining interested in politics, he was among the speakers at a May 14, 1894 rally to condemn the renomination of Congressman William Campbell Preston Breckinridge because of his admission, under oath, of having an extramarital affair.[11] Later that year, the announcement of Durham as a replacement speaker for Senator William Lindsay at a rally in Mount Sterling, Kentucky advocating the gold standard touched off a riot among free silver supporters in which one man was killed and several others were injured.[12] In 1896, Durham disputed an article that appeared in the Lexington Leader newspaper claiming that he and other sound money backers had advised Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle not to visit Kentucky at that time.[13] Durham's initial meeting with the newspaper's editor ended peacefully, but when Durham returned later in the day to further protest, he got into an altercation with one of the newspaper's writers and bloodied his face.[13]
Durham was appointed deputy clerk of the Internal Revenue Service at Lexington in 1901 and served until his death in that city on February 12, 1911.[1] He was interred in Bellevue Cemetery in Danville.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Durham, Milton J." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- ^ a b c d e f g h Biographical Cyclopedia, p. 4
- ^ a b c d Biographical Cyclopedia, p. 5
- ^ a b c d e Barnes, p. 67
- ^ Tapp and Klotter, p. 123
- ^ a b c Barnes, p. 68
- ^ McAfee, p. 158
- ^ a b c McAfee, p. 120
- ^ "Interesting Triangular Fight in 'Old Eighth'. The Interior Journal
- ^ a b c d e "Kentucky's Angry Governor". The New York Times
- ^ "All Met to Condemn Breckinridge". The New York Times
- ^ "Political Riot in Kentucky". The New York Times'
- ^ a b "Encounter in a Newspaper Office". The New York Times
Bibliography
[edit]- "All Met to Condemn Breckinridge" (PDF). The New York Times. 1894-05-15. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- Barnes, William Horatio (1874). The American Government: Biographies of members of the House of representatives of the Forty-third Congress. Vol. 3. New York City, New York: Nelson and Phillips.
- Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Chicago, Illinois: J.M. Gresham Company. 1896.
- United States Congress. "Milton J. Durham (id: D000572)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- "Encounter in a Newspaper Office" (PDF). The New York Times. 1896-05-17. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- "Interesting Triangular Fight in "Old Eighth"". The Interior Journal. 1916-12-12. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- "Kentucky's Angry Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. 1886-05-29. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- McAfee, John J. (1886). Kentucky politicians: sketches of representative Corncrackers and other miscellany. Louisville, Kentucky: Press of the Courier-Journal job printing company. Archived from the original on 2005-03-08. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- "Political Riot in Kentucky" (PDF). The New York Times. 1896-11-01. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
- Tapp, Hambleton; James C. Klotter (1977). Kentucky: decades of discord, 1865–1900. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-916968-05-7. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
- 1824 births
- 1911 deaths
- Methodists from Kentucky
- Burials in Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky)
- Comptrollers of the United States Treasury
- DePauw University alumni
- Kentucky lawyers
- Kentucky state court judges
- People from Perryville, Kentucky
- Politicians from Danville, Kentucky
- University of Louisville School of Law alumni
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky
- 19th-century American judges
- 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives