David B. Henderson
David Bremner Henderson | |
---|---|
34th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
In office December 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903 | |
Preceded by | Thomas B. Reed |
Succeeded by | Joseph G. Cannon |
Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
In office December 4, 1899 – March 3, 1903 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Brackett Reed |
Succeeded by | Joseph Gurney Cannon |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 3rd district | |
In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1903 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Updegraff |
Succeeded by | Benjamin P. Birdsall |
Personal details | |
Born | Old Deer, Scotland | March 14, 1840
Died | February 25, 1906 Dubuque, Iowa, United States | (aged 65)
Political party | Republican |
Alma mater | Upper Iowa University |
Profession | Law |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Union Army |
Rank | Colonel |
Unit | Company C, 12th Iowa Infantry Regiment 46th Iowa Infantry Regiment |
Battles/wars | |
David Bremner Henderson (March 14, 1840 – February 25, 1906), a ten-term
Early life
Henderson was born in Old Deer, Scotland on March 14, 1840. He emigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Winnebago County, Illinois in 1846. The family moved to a farm near Clermont, in Fayette County, Iowa in 1849. He attended the common schools, and the Upper Iowa University at Fayette, Iowa.
Henderson married Augusta Fox, a fellow student at Upper Iowa University. While pursuing the same course of study they formed a lifelong attachment. After finishing their studies, their paths diverged for a time. Fox returned to her home and Henderson entered the army as a private. He was severely wounded and lost a leg, but he returned to active service and accepted a colonelcy even before fully recovering. After the close of the war Colonel Henderson and Fox were married. Fox was a native of Ohio, but had moved to Iowa at an early age. They had two daughters and one son. The elder daughter married Samuel Peaslee, and the other daughter, Isabelle, was an accomplished musician.[1]
Civil War service
Henderson served in the
Law practice
Henderson was a successful lawyer prior to pursuing his political career. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1865 and commenced practice in Dubuque. He was the collector of internal revenue for the third district of Iowa from November 1865 to June 1869, when he resigned to accept a position as Assistant
Congressman and committee chair
In 1882, Henderson was elected as a Republican to represent
Henderson was an aggressive debater and an intense Republican partisan. He seems to have loved a fight; he got into enough of them from his very first term, exercising his power of personal vituperation and abuse against Democrats whenever he found grounds to do so. "I would rather spend an eternity in hell with a Confederate than an eternity in heaven with a northern
Speaker of the House
With the support of fellow "western state" Republicans, Henderson was elected to succeed Reed as Speaker following Reed's resignation from the post in 1899.[9] During his two terms as speaker (in the 56th and 57th congresses), Henderson, by longstanding tradition also held the role as chairman of the Committee on Rules.
On September 16, 1902—with the next Congressional election less than two months away—Henderson surprised nearly everyone by announcing that he was withdrawing from the re-election campaign.[10] Several explanations for his abrupt withdrawal were suggested. Henderson's letter announcing his decision referred to "a growing sentiment, among Republicans, that I do not truly represent their views on the tariff question."[11] Some attributed his decision to the lingering effects of his war injuries.[2][4] In a letter to Henderson's successor Joe Cannon dated three days after Henderson's announcement, former House Clerk Henry H. Smith stated that "there can be but one explanation of the reason for his action [the resignation] . . . they relate not alone to poker playing, but to his alleged intimacy with a certain 'lobbyess' who is reported to have some written evidence that would greatly embarrass the Speaker. . . . He seemed to have lost all control of himself and become reckless. . . . This is not mere guesswork at all but private and reliable information which I am sure you will recognize when I tell you the name." - [12] Whatever the cause, Henderson's resignation ushered in the beginning of Cannon's famous tenure as Speaker.
Death and honors
After leaving Congress, Henderson practiced law in New York City until health problems caused him to retire to Southern California.[2] Henderson died in Dubuque on February 25, 1906, aged 65. He is buried at Linwood Cemetery in Dubuque.
His portrait hangs in the speakers' room in the U.S. Capitol, and statues of Henderson by J. Massey Rhind are found in the collections of the Iowa State Historical Society and in Clermont.[2]
"Allison-Henderson Park," in Dubuque, shares his name with that of six-term U.S. Senator William B. Allison, another citizen of Dubuque.
References
- ^ Hinman, Ida (1895). The Washington Sketch Book. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d e Brigham, Johnson Iowa: Its History and Its Foremost Citizens, pp. 595 (S.J. Clarke, 1918, Iowa History Project).
- ^ "The Operation Successful," New York Times, 1894-02-12 at p. 1, and Logan, Guy E., Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 1, 12th Infantry Regiment Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b Logan, Guy E., Roster and Record of Iowa Troops In the Rebellion, Vol. 1, 46th Infantry Regiment.
- ^ "M'Kinley is in the Lead," New York Times, 1888-12-07 at p.1.
- ^ "Counting their Votes," New York Times, 1889-11-24 at p. 1.
- ^ Dubuque Daily Herald, September 9, 10, 11, 1886.
- ^ Chicago Tribune, October 16, 1886.
- ^ "National Capital Topics: Henderson's Election as Speaker Considered a Certainty," New York Times, 1899-06-04 at p. 13.
- ^ "Surprise in Washington," New York Times, 1902-09-17 at p. 1.
- ^ "Speaker Henderson will not run again," New York Times, 1902-09-17 at p. 1.
- ^ Waltzman, Forest, and Lawrence, Eric, "Why Did Speaker Henderson Resign? The Page 799 Mystery is Solved," 41 Public Affairs Report No. 4, September 2000, accessed on 2009-09-19.
- United States Congress. "David B. Henderson (id: H000478)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-10-01.
Further reading
- Hoing, Willard L. "David B. Henderson: Speaker of the House." Iowa Journal of History 55 (January 1957): 1-34.
- Schlup, Leonard. "Defender of the Old Guard: David B. Henderson and Republican Politics in Gilded Age America." Julien's Journal 22 (January 1997): 22–24.
- "100 Years Later, Henderson still remembered as a hero", Dubuque, Iowa Telegraph Herald, (February 25, 2006): 1.
- "Red-Light District: Working the Intersection Of Sex and Power," Lily Burana, Washington Post, (May 6, 2007): Page B01.