Statesman; born in
Richmond, Vt., Feb. 1, 1828; took an early and active part in
Vermont politics, serving several terms in both houses of the legislature; was speaker of the House of Representatives and president
pro tem. of the Senate.
In 1866 he entered the United States Senate as a Republican, and till 1891 was one of the foremost men in Congress.
Towards the close of his senatorial career he was the author of the acts of 1882 and 1887 for the suppression of polygamy and the regulation of affairs in
Utah, and of the anti-trust law (1890). In 1886 he framed the act for counting the electoral vote.
He resigned his seat in 1891 at the conclusion of twenty-five years of uninterrupted service.
In 1897 he was chosen chairman of the monetary commission
appointed by the Indianapolis monetary conference, which reported to Congress a scheme of currency reform.
