Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832 – May 28, 1895) was an American attorney, jurist, statesman, and politician who served in the cabinets of presidents Chester A. Arthur and Grover Cleveland.
Gresham was the 31st postmaster general of the United States under Arthur from 1883 to 1884 and briefly the 35th U.S. secretary of the treasury from September to October 1884 before resigning to become a federal judge. He was twice a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. president in 1884 and 1888 before leaving the party to support Cleveland in the 1892 election. He joined Cleveland's second cabinet as the 33rd U.S. secretary of state from 1893 until his death in 1895.
Walter Quintin Gresham was born on March 17, 1832, in Lanesville, Indiana to William Gresham (1802–1834) and his wife Sarah Davis.
William Gresham was a former colonel in the Indiana militia, a cabinet maker, and a member of the Whig Party. He was elected sheriff of Harrison County, and on January 26, 1834, he was fatally stabbed while assisting in the arrest of Levi Sipes, a so-called "desperado".[1] After William's death, Walter and his brothers were raised by a stepfather, Noah Remley.[2] His grandmother's brother, Dennis Pennington, was also influential on his childhood. Pennington secured him a position in the office of the Harrison County auditor.[3]
After attending the local schools in Harrison County, Gresham attended Corydon Seminary from 1849 to 1851.[2]Montgomery Schuyler Jr. later attributed Greshman's foreign policy to his devout religiosity.[3]
Gresham attended Indiana University Bloomington for a year beginning in September 1851, then returned to Corydon to read law with judge William A. Porter. He was admitted to the bar on April 1, 1854, and entered private practice with Thomas C. Slaughter.[2][4][5]
Gresham quickly became involved in politics as an opponent of slavery, advocating for gradual, peaceful abolition. He ran unsuccessfully for Harrison County clerk in 1853.[2] He joined the nativist American Party in 1855 before quickly joining the new Republican Party in 1856 and actively campaigning for the party's ticket. In 1860, he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives as a Republican in a strongly Democratic district.[6] Though Stephen A. Douglas carried Harrison County in the presidential election, Gresham won by sixty votes.[7]
Gresham's first act in the House was to introduce a resolution declaring armed resistance to constitutional laws by Congress as treason; though the word "treason" was ultimately removed, Gresham's resolution passed.[8] He was also a strong critic of the spoils system.[2]
Gresham received a commission as a colonel on the staff of Oliver P. Morton, but their relationship was strained.[8] As chair of the House Committee on Military Affairs, he was the author of a bill transferring power to commission militia officers to the governor; their office had previously been elected.[2] Gresham asked Morton for such a commission but was refused.[8]
Civil War service
At the end of his term in the House, Gresham organized a military company at Corydon and enlisted as a private; he was elected captain but, following his friends' lobbying of Governor Morton,[8] was quickly commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 38th Indiana Volunteer Infantry on September 18, 1861. In December, he was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 53rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry,[9] which subsequently took part in Ulysses S. Grant's Tennessee campaign of 1862, including the Sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg, during which Colonel Gresham commanded a brigade. On August 11, 1863, he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and was placed in command of the Federal forces at Natchez, Mississippi.[10]
In November 1865, Gresham returned to private practice in New Albany, Indiana in partnership with judge John Butler, but shortly began a solo practice.[10] Though Gresham's popularity with his party declined over his opposition to black suffrage, he was nominated for United States House of Representatives in 1866. He was defeated by Michael C. Kerr.[11] Instead, the legislature elected him to handle Indiana state finances in New York City.[4][10]
While serving in that office, Gresham was a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention. He was nominated for House against Kerr again but was defeated by a larger margin.[10]
Judge for the U.S. District Court of Indiana
On September 1, 1869, after declining appointments from President Grant as collector of the Port of New Orleans and U.S. attorney for the District of Indiana,[10] Gresham received a recess appointment without consent to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana vacated by judge David McDonald; he accepted.[11] He was nominated by President Grant on December 6, 1869, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 21, 1869, the same day he received his commission.[4]
Gresham's career as a district judge was marked by the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, during which he organized volunteer companies to preserve order and protect property.[11][10] He repeatedly declined to run for public office, including governor of Indiana and the U.S. Senate.[11]
Cabinet of Chester A. Arthur, Court of Appeals, and presidential campaigns
On April 9, 1883, Gresham resigned from the bench to accept an appointment as U.S. postmaster general in president Chester A. Arthur's cabinet.[4] He supervised the reduction of the postal rate from three cents to two, the increase in the weight allowance from half an ounce to a full ounce, and the reduction in the cost of postage of mail to Canada. He also participated in the suppression of the Louisiana lottery by banning it from federal mails.[10] He also oversaw reforms designed to improve the foreign postal service and restore faster mail delivery.[10]
Once in office, Harrison signed the McKinley Tariff. As a leading critic of protective tariffs and personal rival to Harrison, Gresham grew increasingly estranged from the Republican Party.
Secretary of State
In 1892, Gresham was offered the presidential nomination of the Populist Party, but declined and supported the Democratic candidate, Cleveland; privately, he emphasized that his support was due to Cleveland's position on the tariff and not his personal rivalry with Harrison.[13]
On January 25, 1893, Cleveland offered Gresham the position of secretary of state. On the advice of his family, who suggested joining Cleveland's administration would appear to be a quid pro quo and risk his personal popularity, Gresham first declined the offer on February 3.[14] On the advice of friends, especially Henry Watterson, and an urgent telegram from Cleveland to accept the offer, he reversed his position days later. Despite some opposition from Democratic Party regulars, the appointment was generally received with approval.[14]
Gresham was Cleveland's secretary of state from 1893 to 1895.[6] As secretary, Gresham led a moderate diplomatic application of the Monroe Doctrine in Central America and served as an international arbitrator between imperial powers in Central America and Asia. He negotiated the withdrawal of British troops during the Nicaragua Crisis of 1894–1895 and helped settle the Venezuelan crisis of 1895. He also served as an arbitrator in the First Sino-Japanese War and participated in the Bering Sea Arbitration.[15] During the Hawaiian crisis following the 1893 Overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani, Gresham and President Grover Cleveland opposed the annexation of Hawaii. Cleveland's predecessor, Benjamin Harrison had supported annexation, however left office before any decisive action could be undertaken. When Cleveland came to power, he withdrew the annexation treaty from Senate, and attempted to restore the Queen.[16][17]
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