Andrew Gregg Curtin

Andrew Gregg Curtin
United States Ambassador to Russia
In office October 28, 1869 – July 1, 1872
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	Cassius Marcellus Clay
Succeeded by	James Lawrence Orr
Personal details
Born	(1815-04-22)April 22, 1815 or (1817-04-22)April 22, 1817 Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 7, 1894 (aged 77 or 79) Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Whig, Republican, Democratic
Spouse	Katharine Irvine Wilson
Profession	Politician, lawyer
Signature
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated	October 9, 1950
Location	Bellefonte

Andrew Gregg Curtin (April 22, 1815/1817 – October 7, 1894) was an American

Curtin's family was prominent in Pennsylvania politics and in the American Civil War. He was the great-grandson of James Potter, the vice president of Pennsylvania, and was the grandson of Andrew Gregg, a prominent Pennsylvania politician. He was the uncle of John I. Gregg and cousin of David McMurtrie Gregg, both Union generals in the Civil War. His cousin was Colonel John I. Curtin.

Curtin attended Bellefonte Academy, Dickinson College, and Dickinson School of Law.^[7]

Career

After law school, Curtin began practicing law. He first entered politics during the 1840 election, campaigning for Whig presidential candidate William Henry Harrison.^[8]

In 1855,

With the collapse of the Whig Party, Curtin switched to the newly formed

Curtin was a strong supporter of President Lincoln's policies in the Civil War, and Curtin committed Pennsylvania to the war effort.^[8] Curtin organized the Pennsylvania Reserves into combat units, and oversaw the construction of the first Union military camp for training militia. It opened in an agricultural school nearby Harrisburg as Camp Curtin on April 18, 1861, and more than 300,000 men were drilled there during 4 years. In the years that followed, Curtin became a close friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln, visiting the White House several times in order to converse about the status of the war effort.^[10]

Curtin was very active during the Gettysburg Campaign, working with

Following the Battle of Gettysburg, Governor Curtin was the principal force behind the establishment of the National Cemetery there. Through his agent, David Wills, Curtin persuaded President Abraham Lincoln to attend the dedication of the cemetery. Governor Curtin was sitting with Lincoln on the platform on November 19, 1863, when Lincoln delivered his famed Gettysburg Address.^[10]

In his first term, Governor Curtin suffered a severe breakdown from the stresses of war. Secretary of State Eli Slifer handled governmental affairs during the increasingly frequent periods when Curtin was incapacitated. President Lincoln offered the governor a diplomatic position abroad, but he chose to run for reelection in 1863.^[10]

To coordinate Union war efforts, Curtin convened the Loyal War Governors' Conference on September 24 and 25, 1862, in Altoona. This event was one of his most significant contributions to the Union war effort. He formed the Pennsylvania State Agency in Washington, and another branch in Nashville, Tennessee, to provide support for wounded soldiers on the battlefield and returned home. He also founded the state-funded Orphan's School to aid and educate children of military men who had died for the Union cause.^[10]

Soon after the war, Curtin was elected to the honorary position of a 3rd Class Companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States in recognition of his support for the Union during the war.^[10]

As governor, from 1858 to 1860, Curtin also served as president of the Tyrone and Clearfield Railroad.^[11]

Ambassador to Russia

After the Civil War, Curtin lost his party's Senate nomination to Simon Cameron, and was appointed Ambassador to Russia by President Ulysses S. Grant.

U.S. Representative

Curtin later switched to the

On May 30, 1844, Curtin was married to Katharine Irvine Wilson (1821–1903), a daughter of Dr. William Irvine Wilson and Mary (née Potter) Wilson.[12] Together, they were the parents of:^[10]

• Mary Curtin (1845–1927), who married George Fairlamb Harris.^[12]
• Martha Irvin Curtin (1848–1935), who married Captain
  Kidder Randolph Breese.^[12]
• Myron Stanley Curtin (1854–1857), who died young.[12]
• Katherine Irvine Wilson Curtin (1859–1930), who married Moses Dewitt Burnet.^[12]
• Bessie Elliott Curtin (1865–1866), who died young.^[12]

Death

Curtin died at his birthplace on October 7, 1894, in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and is buried there in Union Cemetery.^[8]

Notes

References

• Eicher, John H., and
  ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
  .
• "Bucknell University's Biography of Andrew Gregg Curtin". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2005.

• United States Congress. "Andrew Gregg Curtin (id: C001004)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-03-23

External links

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Andrew Gregg Curtin.

• Life and Times of Andrew Gregg Curtin (biography)
• "Andrew Gregg Curtin". Find a Grave. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
• Curtin Clan Association Ancestry Centre

Party political offices
Preceded by David Wilmot	Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania 1860, 1863	Succeeded by John W. Geary
Political offices
Preceded by William Packer	Governor of Pennsylvania 1861–1867	Succeeded by John W. Geary
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Cassius Marcellus Clay	United States Ambassador to Russia 1869–1872	Succeeded by James Lawrence Orr
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Seth Hartman Yocum	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 20th congressional district 1881–1887	Succeeded by John Patton