Orris S. Ferry
Orris Sanford Ferry | |
|---|---|
James H. Hoyt | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1823 Bethel, Connecticut |
| Died | November 21, 1875 (aged 52) Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Resting place | Union Cemetery Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Political party | Republican, Liberal Republican |
| Spouse | Charlotte Bissell |
| Alma mater | Yale College |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Rank |  Brigadier General Bvt. Major General |
| Unit | 5th Connecticut Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Orris Sanford Ferry (August 15, 1823 – November 21, 1875) was a Republican American lawyer and politician from Connecticut who served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He was also a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Early life
Ferry was born on August 15, 1823, in
Early political career
Ferry served as a
House of Representatives
During his time in
American Civil War
At the outbreak of the
On July 23, 1861, he was put in command of the
Battle of Cedar Mountain
Shortly after the First Battle of Winchester, Ferry and the 5th Connecticut Infantry were put under the command of Maj. Gen.
Services and resignation
During the war, Ferry served in the
Senate career
After the Civil War, Ferry returned to both his political career and law practice. In 1866, he ran against
Alexander Caldwell scandal
In 1871, Alexander Caldwell was elected to the Senate from Kansas. From the start, allegations of corruption and pay-offs emerged.[16] In 1873, Congressman Sidney Clarke, who assisted in Caldwell's election, testified that Caldwell's campaign had claimed that it would pay $250,000 to secure the election.[16] Kansas Governor Thomas Carney testified that he was paid $15,000 to drop out of the race. An investigation followed; its final report asked the Senate to expel Caldwell for not being "duly and legally elected". On March 21, 1873, Ferry took to the floor of the Senate and gave a speech asking the Senate to expel Caldwell: "The crime of bribery goes down to the very foundations of the institutions under which we live. We all know it and ... we shall stifle our consciences if we do not vote to expel." After a survey of the Senate, Caldwell saw his inevitability of being expelled, and resigned, on March 23.[16]
I see around me the life-long friends and neighbors of Senator Ferry, now no more; a man whom I cherished as a dear companion and associate, and to whom I looked up as one of the foremost men of the republic, in talent, integrity and patriotic spirit. More than almost any one I knew did he possess those qualities of mind and character which just at this period of our history are so greatly needed for the guidance of public affairs ... Had his body been as strong as his mind and heart, he would beyond doubt have compelled universal recognition as one of the very first of statesmen in American history.
—Senator Carl Schurz, from his speech during Ferry's funeral, 1875[2]
Later Senate career
In 1874, Ferry gave a speech against the future
Death
After his final speech, Ferry left the capital for a new medical treatment. The treatment was to help heal his decaying spine, but the procedure failed.[3] On November 20, 1875, Ferry's friends and doctors helped take him home. He died of his spine disease the next day.[3] His funeral was attended by dignitaries such as Schurz. Ferry was interred at Union Cemetery in Norwalk.[2][7]
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)
- List of United States representatives from Connecticut
- List of United States senators from Connecticut
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Orris S. Ferry
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Obituary of Orris S. Ferry
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Williams pp. 277–281
- ^ Fraternity, Psi Upsilon (1917). The twelfth general catalogue of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
- ^ a b Croffut p. 32
- ^ Norwalk Patch
- ^ a b c d e Eicher pp. 233–234
- ^ a b History of Battle-Flag Day p. 139
- ^ a b c Warner pp. 151-152
- ^ a b Sixties p. 83
- ^ Salmon pp. 134-135
- ^ McDonald p. 81
- ^ Eicher p. 831
- ^ Eicher p. 842
- ^ New York Times Obituary of Orris S. Ferry, 1875
- ^ a b c Grossman p. 44
References
- Croffut, William Augustus, Morris, John Moses; The military and civil history of Connecticut during the war of 1861-65: comprising a detailed account of the various regiments and batteries, through march, encampment, bivouac, and battle; also instances of distinguished personal gallantry, and biographical sketches of many heroic soldiers..., Ledyard Bill, 1869
- Eicher, John H., ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1
- Grossman, Mark; Political corruption in America: an encyclopedia of scandals, power, and greed, ABC-CLIO, 2003 ISBN 978-1-57607-060-4
- History of Battle-Flag Day, September 17, 1879, Lockwood & Merritt, 1879
- Hutchins, Edward Ridgeway; The War of the Sixties, The Neale Publishing Co., 1912
- McDonald, William N., A History of the Laurel Brigade, 1907.
- Obituary of Orris S. Ferry
- United States Congress. "Orris S. Ferry (id: F000094)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-12
- Orris S. Ferry Obituary in the New York Times, November 22 1875
- Salmon, John S., The Official Virginia Civil War Battlefield Guide, Stackpole Books, 2001, ISBN 978-0-8117-2868-3.
- Warner, Ezra J.; Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders, LSU Press, 1964, ISBN 978-0-8071-0822-2
- Williams, H. Clay; Biographical encyclopaedia of Connecticut and Rhode Island of the nineteenth century, Metropolitan Pub. and Engraving Co., 1881
External links
- Orris S. Ferry at Find a Grave
- Orris S. Ferry Obituary in the New York Times, November 22 1875
- . Encyclopedia Americana. 1920.
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| Labor and Public Welfare (1947–1977) | ||
| Labor and Human Resources (1977–1999) | ||
| Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (1999–present) | ||
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