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{{short description|American politician}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2013}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Stephen Elkins
|name = Stephen B. Elkins
|image = Stephen Benton Elkins Restore.jpg
|image = ELKINS, S.B. SENATOR LCCN2016856185 (resized).jpg
|caption =
|jr/sr = United States Senator
|jr/sr = United States Senator
|state = [[West Virginia]]
|state = [[West Virginia]]
Line 33: Line 36:
|rank = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
|rank = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]
|battles = [[American Civil War]]
|battles = [[American Civil War]]
|signature = Signature of Stephen Benton Elkins (1841–1911).png
}}
}}
'''Stephen Benton Elkins''' (September 26, 1841{{spaced ndash}}January 4, 1911) was an [[United States|American]] industrialist and [[political figure]]. He served as the [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] between 1891 and 1893. He served in the Congress as a Delegate from the [[Territory of New Mexico]] and a Senator from [[West Virginia]].
'''Stephen Benton Elkins''' (September 26, 1841{{spaced ndash}}January 4, 1911) was an American industrialist and politician. He served as the [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] between 1891 and 1893. He served in the United States Congress as a Delegate from the [[Territory of New Mexico]] and a Senator from [[West Virginia]].<ref>John Alexander Williams, ''West Virginia and the Captains of Industry'' (1976)</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==


===Early life===
===Early life===
Stephen Benton Elkins was born on September 26, 1841 near [[New Lexington, Ohio]] and moved with his family to [[Westport, Kansas City|Westport, Missouri]] (now part of Kansas City) in the mid-1840s to Philip Duncan Elkins and Sarah Pickett Withers. He attended the [[Masonic College]] in [[Lexington, Missouri]] in the 1850s, and graduated from the [[University of Missouri]] in [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]] in 1860. After graduation, he briefly taught school in [[Cass County, Missouri]]. Among his pupils was future [[James-Younger Gang]] member [[Cole Younger]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Leslie|first=Edward|title=The Devil Knows How to Ride|year=1996|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=0-679-42455-5|pages=103–104}}</ref>
Stephen Benton Elkins was born on September 26, 1841, near [[New Lexington, Ohio]] and moved with his family to [[Westport, Kansas City|Westport, Missouri]] (now part of Kansas City) in the mid-1840s. His parents were Philip Duncan Elkins and Sarah Pickett Withers. He attended the [[Masonic College]] in [[Lexington, Missouri]] in the 1850s, and graduated from the [[University of Missouri]] in [[Columbia, Missouri|Columbia]] in 1860. After graduation, he briefly taught school in [[Cass County, Missouri]]. Among his pupils was future [[James-Younger Gang]] member [[Cole Younger]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Leslie|first=Edward|title=The Devil Knows How to Ride|year=1996|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=0-679-42455-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/devilknowshowtor00lesl/page/103 103–104]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/devilknowshowtor00lesl/page/103}}</ref>


===Civil War===
===Civil War===
In the [[American Civil War]] Elkins' father and brother joined the Confederate Army under [[Sterling Price]], but he joined the Union Army. Before he joined the Union Army he was to encounter [[Quantrill's Raiders]] twice and was spared from being killed because of his father and brother. He noted:
In the [[American Civil War]] Elkins' father and brother joined the Confederate Army under [[Sterling Price]], but he joined the Union Army. Before he joined the Union Army he was to encounter [[Quantrill's Raiders]] twice and was spared from being killed because of his father and brother. He noted:
:They marched me along and we got to Quantrill's camp. There I saw [[Cole Younger]], [[Dick Yager]] and [[George M. Todd]], and several others afterward known for desperate deeds. Those I have mentioned were farmers' sons around where I lived. They identified me and said: Here comes Steve Elkins. All the way along I had been afraid that those fellows who had captured me would shoot me in the back, for I had on the watch which I am carrying now in the office of the secretary of war.<ref>{{cite book
{{Blockquote|They marched me along and we got to Quantrill's camp. There I saw [[Cole Younger]], [[Dick Yager]] and [[George M. Todd]], and several others afterward known for desperate deeds. Those I have mentioned were farmers' sons around where I lived. They identified me and said: Here comes Steve Elkins. All the way along I had been afraid that those fellows who had captured me would shoot me in the back, for I had on the watch which I am carrying now in the office of the secretary of war.<ref name="Centennial 629">{{cite book
|title=Centennial History of Missouri
|title=Centennial History of Missouri
|author=Walter Barlow Stevens
|author=Walter Barlow Stevens
|year=1921
|year=1921
|publisher=The S. J. Clarke publishing company
|publisher=The S. J. Clarke publishing company
|url=https://archive.org/details/centennialhisto00stevgoog
|isbn=
|page=[https://archive.org/details/centennialhisto00stevgoog/page/n641 629]
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jw1ExqwyW-4C&pg=PA629&lpg=PA629&dq=%22emory+s+foster%22+pdf&source=web&ots=eoMkdiTb3E&sig=m7RdI2XSOhP-Upf3L2YSURFIXo0#PPA630,M1
|quote=emory s foster pdf.
}}</ref>
}}</ref>}}


Elkins entered the [[Union Army]] as a captain of militia in the 77th Missouri Infantry. He served under [[Kersey Coates]] and only saw action once in the [[Battle of Lone Jack]], which he said filled him with disgust for war. Elkins noted that his good fortune of being protected by Quantrill matched a fear of being butchered by Quantrill for becoming a Union soldier as Quantrill's Raiders were thought to be present at the battle.
Elkins entered the [[Union Army]] as a captain of militia in the 77th Missouri Infantry. He served under [[Kersey Coates]] and only saw action once in the [[Battle of Lone Jack]], which he said filled him with disgust for war. Elkins noted that his good fortune of being protected by Quantrill matched a fear of being butchered by Quantrill for becoming a Union soldier as Quantrill's Raiders were thought to be present at the battle.


:[[Emory S. Foster|Foster]] thought the Confederates were the guerrilla hands who raised the black flag, and never gave any quarter. So he refused to surrender, and every one of his officers was picked off. The guerrillas were victorious. I went over the battlefield afterward, the blood, the cries for water and death, the naked bodies stripped of their clothing, the dead horses which served for ramparts, gave me a disgust for war, which makes it seem strange that I am here at the head of the war department of this great government.<ref>{{cite book
{{Blockquote|[[Emory S. Foster|Foster]] thought the Confederates were the guerrilla hands who raised the black flag, and never gave any quarter. So he refused to surrender, and every one of his officers was picked off. The guerrillas were victorious. I went over the battlefield afterward, the blood, the cries for water and death, the naked bodies stripped of their clothing, the dead horses which served for ramparts, gave me a disgust for war, which makes it seem strange that I am here at the head of the war department of this great government.<ref name="Centennial 629"/>}}
|title=Centennial History of Missouri
|author=Walter Barlow Stevens
|year=1921
|publisher=The S. J. Clarke publishing company
|isbn=
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jw1ExqwyW-4C&pg=PA629&lpg=PA629&dq=%22emory+s+foster%22+pdf&source=web&ots=eoMkdiTb3E&sig=m7RdI2XSOhP-Upf3L2YSURFIXo0#PPA630,M1
}}</ref>


Elkins and Foster from the Lone Jack Battle were to argue for a pardon for Younger following his conviction in the [[Northfield, Minnesota]] bank robbery (Younger had rescued Foster from execution by Quantrill's Raiders in the battle).
Elkins and Foster from the Lone Jack Battle were to argue for a pardon for Younger following his conviction in the [[Northfield, Minnesota]] bank robbery (Younger had rescued Foster from execution by Quantrill's Raiders in the battle).


===New Mexico===
===New Mexico===
⚫
Elkins entered the practice of law at [[Mesilla, New Mexico]], and was elected to the territorial legislature in 1864 and 1865. He was appointed territorial district attorney for a term from 1866 to 1867. It was at this time, on June 10, 1866, that he married his first wife Sarah Simms Jacobs.
[[File:SBElkins.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Stephen Benton Elkins]]
⚫
He entered the practice of law at [[Mesilla, New Mexico]], and was elected to the territorial legislature in 1864 and 1865. He was appointed territorial district attorney for a term from 1866 to 1867. It was at this time, on June 10, 1866, that he married his first wife Sarah Simms Jacobs.


In 1867, Elkins served as attorney general of the territory and later as U.S. district attorney from 1867 to 1870. He was elected territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress in 1872, and reelected in 1874, serving from March 4, 1873 to March 4, 1877. In 1875, he met and married his second wife, Hallie Davis, and continued to practice law. He founded and was president of the Santa Fe National Bank, and pursued broad business interests in land, rail, mining, and finance including president of the massive [[Maxwell Land Grant]] Company.<ref>[http://www.sangres.com/history/maxwelllandgrant.htm]</ref> In attempting to evict "squattors" (legitimate land grant heirs) from the Land Grant he would be accused of being part of the [[Santa Fe Ring]]. Along with his brother in law, Thomas B. Catron, Elkins participated in what would become the largest [[land speculation]] conspiracy in U.S. history. Using his influence on politicians such as congressmen, territorial judges, and U.S. Surveyors General, Elkins was able to patent Spanish and Mexican land grants in his name, thereby illegally including himself as a legitimate heir to the grants. By collectively representing opposing parties in land disputes, Elkins and Catron effectively manipulated territorial government policy to illegally partition Spanish and Mexican land grants, a direct violation of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]].
In 1867, Elkins served as attorney general of the territory and later as U.S. district attorney from 1867 to 1870. He was elected territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress in 1872, and reelected in 1874, serving from March 4, 1873, to March 4, 1877. In 1875, he met and married his second wife, Hallie Davis, and continued to practice law. He founded and was president of the Santa Fe National Bank, and pursued broad business interests in land, rail, mining, and finance including president of the massive [[Maxwell Land Grant]] Company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sangres.com/history/maxwelllandgrant.htm |title=The Maxwell (Beaubien-Miranda) Land Grant and the Colfax County War |website=Sangres.com |access-date=2021-04-07}}</ref> It is widely believed that the boundaries of the land grant were expanded by Maxwell through fraud. In attempting to evict "squattors" (legitimate land grant heirs) from the Land Grant he would be accused of being part of the [[Santa Fe Ring]]. Along with his brother in law, Thomas B. Catron, Elkins participated in what would become the largest [[land speculation]] conspiracy in U.S. history. Using his influence on politicians such as congressmen, territorial judges, and U.S. Surveyors General, Elkins was able to patent Spanish and Mexican land grants in his name, thereby illegally including himself as a legitimate heir to the grants. By collectively representing opposing parties in land disputes, Elkins and Catron effectively manipulated territorial government policy to illegally partition Spanish and Mexican land grants, a direct violation of the [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]].


===West Virginia===
===West Virginia===
Elkins married Hallie Davis, daughter of Senator [[Henry G. Davis]] of West Virginia, in 1875. He became a citizen of West Virginia in 1878 and began developing oil, coal, and timber industries with his father-in-law. They partnered to form the [[Davis Coal and Coke Company]].
Elkins married Hallie Davis, daughter of Senator [[Henry G. Davis]] of West Virginia, in 1875. He became a citizen of West Virginia in 1878 and began developing oil, coal, and timber industries with his father-in-law. They partnered to form the [[Davis Coal and Coke Company]].


Stephen and Hallie built their home, [[Halliehurst]], in Randolph County, and the town of Elkins was established nearby.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spears|first1=Jae|title=Stephen B. Elkins|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2199|website=e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia|accessdate=24 October 2016}}</ref> New York architect [[Charles T. Mott]] designed the house. It was given by his widow along with surrounding property to [[Davis and Elkins College]] and is now part of the college's campus. It is individually listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and also is a contributing property in the [[Davis and Elkins Historic District]].
Stephen and Hallie built their home, [[Halliehurst]], in Randolph County, and the town of Elkins was established nearby.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spears|first1=Jae|title=Stephen B. Elkins|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/2199|website=e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia|access-date=24 October 2016}}</ref> New York architect [[Charles T. Mott]] designed the house. It was given by his widow along with surrounding property to [[Davis and Elkins College]] and is now part of the college's campus. It is individually listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] and also is a contributing property in the [[Davis and Elkins Historic District]].


===Secretary of War===
===Secretary of War===
Elkins served as Secretary of War in the [[Benjamin Harrison]] administration from December 17, 1891 to March 5, 1893.<ref>{{cite web|title=ELKINS, Stephen Benton, (1841 - 1911)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000110|website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|accessdate=24 October 2016}}</ref> Amongst his goals were that the rank of lieutenant general be revived, and also that noncommissioned officers receive higher pay to improve the quality of the service. He also broadened the intelligence functions of the Division of Military Information.
Elkins served as Secretary of War in the [[Benjamin Harrison]] administration from December 17, 1891, to March 5, 1893.<ref name=Biographical>{{cite web|title=Elkins, Stephen Benton, (1841–1911)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000110|website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=24 October 2016}}</ref> He was appointed owing to close friendship with Secretary of State [[James G. Blaine]]. Amongst his goals were that the rank of lieutenant general be revived, and also that noncommissioned officers receive higher pay to improve the quality of the service. He also broadened the intelligence functions of the Division of Military Information.


===U.S. Senator===
===U.S. Senator===
After his service as Secretary, he was elected to the [[U.S. Senate]] in 1895, serving the state of West Virginia, and was re-elected twice. In the Senate, he held the positions of chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on the Geological Survey|Committee on the Geological Survey]] (Fifty-sixth and Fifty-ninth Congresses), and of member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce|Committee on Interstate Commerce]] (Fifty-seventh through Sixty-first Congresses). Elkins served as Senator until his death in Washington, D.C. in 1911, and is interred in Maplewood Cemetery of Elkins, West Virginia.<ref>{{cite web|title=Elkins, Stephen Benton (1841-1911)|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000110|website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|accessdate=24 October 2016}}</ref>
After his service as Secretary, Elkins was elected to the [[U.S. Senate]] in 1895, serving the state of West Virginia, and was re-elected twice. In the Senate, he held the positions of chairman of the [[United States Senate Committee on the Geological Survey|Committee on the Geological Survey]] (Fifty-sixth and Fifty-ninth Congresses), and of member of the [[United States Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce|Committee on Interstate Commerce]] (Fifty-seventh through Sixty-first Congresses). Elkins served as Senator until his death in Washington, D.C. in 1911, and is interred in Maplewood Cemetery of Elkins, West Virginia.<ref name=Biographical/>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Stephen Benton Elkins is the namesake of Elkins, West Virginia.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA117#v=onepage&q&f=false | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=117}}</ref>
Stephen Benton Elkins is the namesake of [[Elkins, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n116 117]}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|United States Army|American Civil War}}
{{Portal|American Civil War}}
*[[Davis and Elkins College]], in Elkins, WV; named for Senators Elkins and Davis
*[[Davis & Elkins College]], in Elkins, WV; named for Senators Elkins and Davis
*[[Halliehurst]] or [[Senator Stephen Benton Elkins House]]
*[[Halliehurst]] or [[Senator Stephen Benton Elkins House]]
*[[List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)]]
*[[List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)]]
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==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Lambert, Oscar Doane. ''Stephen Benton Elkins: American Foursquare'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1955. viii + 336 pp.
* Williams, John Alexander. ''West Virginia and the Captains of Industry'' (1976)
* Williams, John Alexander. "Davis and Elkins of West Virginia: businessmen in politics" (PhD dissertation, Yale University, 1967)  ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1967. 6708432.
* Williams, John Alexander. "Stephen B. Elkins and the Benjamin Harrison Campaign and Cabinet, 1887-1891." ''Indiana Magazine of History'' (1972): 1-23. [https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/download/9624/12960 online]

{{CongBio|E000110}} Retrieved on 2008-10-19
{{CongBio|E000110}} Retrieved on 2008-10-19
*[http://www.history.army.mil/books/sw-sa/Elkins.htm Biography] in ''Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army'' published by the [[United States Army Center of Military History]]
*[http://www.history.army.mil/books/sw-sa/Elkins.htm Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608152236/http://www.history.army.mil/books/Sw-SA/Elkins.htm |date=June 8, 2010 }} in ''Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army'' published by the [[United States Army Center of Military History]]
* [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t1hh6n279;view=1up;seq=5 Stephen B. Elkins, late a senator from West Virginia, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1912]
* [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/13960/t1hh6n279;view=1up;seq=5 Stephen B. Elkins, late a senator from West Virginia, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1912]


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Stephen Benton Elkins}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Stephen Benton Elkins}}
*[[West Virginia & Regional History Center]] at [[West Virginia University]], [https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/agents/people/78 Stephen B. Elkins]
*[http://www.wvculture.org/history/thisdayinwvhistory/0104A.html Death of Stephen B. Elkins]
*[http://www.wvculture.org/history/thisdayinwvhistory/0104A.html Death of Stephen B. Elkins]





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{{s-bef|before=[[José Manuel Gallegos]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[José Manuel Gallegos]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Delegate to the [[List of United States Representatives from New Mexico|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[New Mexico Territory's at-large congressional district|New Mexico's at-large congressional district]]|years=2007–2013}}
{{s-ttl|title=Delegate to the [[List of United States Representatives from New Mexico|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[New Mexico Territory's at-large congressional district|New Mexico's at-large congressional district]]|years=1873–1877}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Trinidad Romero]]}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkins, Stephen Benton}}
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[[Category:American energy industry executives]]
[[Category:American energy industry executives]]
[[Category:American schoolteachers]]
[[Category:Benjamin Harrison administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Benjamin Harrison administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from West Virginia]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from West Virginia]]
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[[Category:District attorneys in New Mexico]]
[[Category:District attorneys in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Members of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature]]
[[Category:Members of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature]]
[[Category:New Mexico Attorneys General]]
[[Category:New Mexico attorneys general]]
[[Category:Union Army officers]]
[[Category:Union army officers]]
[[Category:United States Secretaries of War]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of war]]
⚫
[[Category:United States Senators from West Virginia]]
[[Category:United States Attorneys for the District of New Mexico]]
[[Category:United States Attorneys for the District of New Mexico]]
[[Category:People from Elkins, West Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Elkins, West Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Perry County, Ohio]]
[[Category:People from Perry County, Ohio]]
[[Category:People of Missouri in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:People of Missouri in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Republican Party United States Senators]]
[[Category:Republican Party United States senators from West Virginia]]
[[Category:University of Missouri alumni]]
[[Category:University of Missouri alumni]]
[[Category:West Virginia Republicans]]
[[Category:New Mexico Republicans]]
[[Category:New Mexico Republicans]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia]]
[[Category:Members of Congress who served in multiple states]]
[[Category:19th-century West Virginia politicians]]
[[Category:19th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:Davis & Elkins College]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century West Virginia politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:19th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]

Latest revision as of 03:11, 11 December 2024

Stephen B. Elkins
United States Senator
from West Virginia
In office
March 4, 1895 – January 4, 1911
Preceded byJohnson N. Camden
Succeeded byDavis Elkins
38th United States Secretary of War
In office
December 17, 1891 – March 5, 1893
PresidentBenjamin Harrison
Preceded byRedfield Proctor
Succeeded byDaniel S. Lamont
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1877
Delegate
Preceded byJosé Manuel Gallegos
Succeeded byTrinidad Romero
Personal details
Born
Stephen Benton Elkins

(1841-09-26)September 26, 1841
New Lexington, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1911(1911-01-04) (aged 69)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Sarah Jacobs
Hallie Davis
EducationMasonic College
University of Missouri, Columbia (BA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
 • Union
Branch/service United States Army
 • Union Army
RankCaptain
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Stephen Benton Elkins (September 26, 1841 – January 4, 1911) was an American industrialist and politician. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893. He served in the United States Congress as a Delegate from the Territory of New Mexico and a Senator from West Virginia.[1]

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

Stephen Benton Elkins was born on September 26, 1841, near New Lexington, Ohio and moved with his family to Westport, Missouri (now part of Kansas City) in the mid-1840s. His parents were Philip Duncan Elkins and Sarah Pickett Withers. He attended the Masonic College in Lexington, Missouri in the 1850s, and graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1860. After graduation, he briefly taught school in Cass County, Missouri. Among his pupils was future James-Younger Gang member Cole Younger.[2]

Civil War

[edit]

In the American Civil War Elkins' father and brother joined the Confederate Army under Sterling Price, but he joined the Union Army. Before he joined the Union Army he was to encounter Quantrill's Raiders twice and was spared from being killed because of his father and brother. He noted:

They marched me along and we got to Quantrill's camp. There I saw Cole Younger, Dick Yager and George M. Todd, and several others afterward known for desperate deeds. Those I have mentioned were farmers' sons around where I lived. They identified me and said: Here comes Steve Elkins. All the way along I had been afraid that those fellows who had captured me would shoot me in the back, for I had on the watch which I am carrying now in the office of the secretary of war.[3]

Elkins entered the Union Army as a captain of militia in the 77th Missouri Infantry. He served under Kersey Coates and only saw action once in the Battle of Lone Jack, which he said filled him with disgust for war. Elkins noted that his good fortune of being protected by Quantrill matched a fear of being butchered by Quantrill for becoming a Union soldier as Quantrill's Raiders were thought to be present at the battle.

Foster thought the Confederates were the guerrilla hands who raised the black flag, and never gave any quarter. So he refused to surrender, and every one of his officers was picked off. The guerrillas were victorious. I went over the battlefield afterward, the blood, the cries for water and death, the naked bodies stripped of their clothing, the dead horses which served for ramparts, gave me a disgust for war, which makes it seem strange that I am here at the head of the war department of this great government.[3]

Elkins and Foster from the Lone Jack Battle were to argue for a pardon for Younger following his conviction in the Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery (Younger had rescued Foster from execution by Quantrill's Raiders in the battle).

New Mexico

[edit]

Elkins entered the practice of law at Mesilla, New Mexico, and was elected to the territorial legislature in 1864 and 1865. He was appointed territorial district attorney for a term from 1866 to 1867. It was at this time, on June 10, 1866, that he married his first wife Sarah Simms Jacobs.

In 1867, Elkins served as attorney general of the territory and later as U.S. district attorney from 1867 to 1870. He was elected territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress in 1872, and reelected in 1874, serving from March 4, 1873, to March 4, 1877. In 1875, he met and married his second wife, Hallie Davis, and continued to practice law. He founded and was president of the Santa Fe National Bank, and pursued broad business interests in land, rail, mining, and finance including president of the massive Maxwell Land Grant Company.[4] It is widely believed that the boundaries of the land grant were expanded by Maxwell through fraud. In attempting to evict "squattors" (legitimate land grant heirs) from the Land Grant he would be accused of being part of the Santa Fe Ring. Along with his brother in law, Thomas B. Catron, Elkins participated in what would become the largest land speculation conspiracy in U.S. history. Using his influence on politicians such as congressmen, territorial judges, and U.S. Surveyors General, Elkins was able to patent Spanish and Mexican land grants in his name, thereby illegally including himself as a legitimate heir to the grants. By collectively representing opposing parties in land disputes, Elkins and Catron effectively manipulated territorial government policy to illegally partition Spanish and Mexican land grants, a direct violation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

West Virginia

[edit]

Elkins married Hallie Davis, daughter of Senator Henry G. Davis of West Virginia, in 1875. He became a citizen of West Virginia in 1878 and began developing oil, coal, and timber industries with his father-in-law. They partnered to form the Davis Coal and Coke Company.

Stephen and Hallie built their home, Halliehurst, in Randolph County, and the town of Elkins was established nearby.[5] New York architect Charles T. Mott designed the house. It was given by his widow along with surrounding property to Davis and Elkins College and is now part of the college's campus. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and also is a contributing property in the Davis and Elkins Historic District.

Secretary of War

[edit]

Elkins served as Secretary of War in the Benjamin Harrison administration from December 17, 1891, to March 5, 1893.[6] He was appointed owing to close friendship with Secretary of State James G. Blaine. Amongst his goals were that the rank of lieutenant general be revived, and also that noncommissioned officers receive higher pay to improve the quality of the service. He also broadened the intelligence functions of the Division of Military Information.

U.S. Senator

[edit]

After his service as Secretary, Elkins was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1895, serving the state of West Virginia, and was re-elected twice. In the Senate, he held the positions of chairman of the Committee on the Geological Survey (Fifty-sixth and Fifty-ninth Congresses), and of member of the Committee on Interstate Commerce (Fifty-seventh through Sixty-first Congresses). Elkins served as Senator until his death in Washington, D.C. in 1911, and is interred in Maplewood Cemetery of Elkins, West Virginia.[6]

Legacy

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Stephen Benton Elkins is the namesake of Elkins, West Virginia.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ John Alexander Williams, West Virginia and the Captains of Industry (1976)
  2. ^ Leslie, Edward (1996). The Devil Knows How to Ride. New York: Random House. pp. 103–104. ISBN 0-679-42455-5.
  3. ^ a b Walter Barlow Stevens (1921). Centennial History of Missouri. The S. J. Clarke publishing company. p. 629. emory s foster pdf.
  4. ^ "The Maxwell (Beaubien-Miranda) Land Grant and the Colfax County War". Sangres.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. ^ Spears, Jae. "Stephen B. Elkins". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Elkins, Stephen Benton, (1841–1911)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 117.

Further reading

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  • Lambert, Oscar Doane. Stephen Benton Elkins: American Foursquare (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1955. viii + 336 pp.
  • Williams, John Alexander. West Virginia and the Captains of Industry (1976)
  • Williams, John Alexander. "Davis and Elkins of West Virginia: businessmen in politics" (PhD dissertation, Yale University, 1967)  ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  1967. 6708432.
  • Williams, John Alexander. "Stephen B. Elkins and the Benjamin Harrison Campaign and Cabinet, 1887-1891." Indiana Magazine of History (1972): 1-23. online


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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stephen Benton Elkins.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Mexico's at-large congressional district
1873–1877 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by United States Secretary of War
1891–1893 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 1) from West Virginia
1895–1911
Served alongside: Charles James Faulkner, Nathan B. Scott 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee
1901–1911 		Succeeded by
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