RAYMOND, HENRY J. 



year of the great Compromises. Mr. Raymond 

 sympathized with President Taylor, and Gen- 

 eral Webb with his successor. While on the 

 staff of the Courier and Enquirer he became 

 well known as a polished writer and a man of 

 letters, and formed a connection with the pub- 

 lishing-house of Harper and Brothers, which 

 lasted ten years. During this time a spirited 

 discussion of Fourier's principles of socialism 

 was carried on between Mr. Eaymond and Mr. 

 Greeley, and his articles on this subject were 

 afterward published in pamphlet form. Mr. 

 Raymond's political life began in 1849, when 

 he was elected a member of the Assembly by 

 the Whigs ; he was reflected in 1850, when he 

 was chosen Speaker. He at once became prom- 

 inent as a debater, directing his attention 

 while in the Legislature especially to the com- 

 mon schools and the cansfls. 



The Times newspaper was started by him 

 on the 18th of September, 1851. It com- 

 menced with six editors, two proof-readers, 

 and eighteen compositors. In 1852 he went 

 to the Baltimore Convention to report the 

 proceedings for his paper, but was given a seat 

 as a delegate, and made an eloquent speech in 

 exposition of Northern sentiment. In 1854 he 

 was elected Lieutenant - Governor of New 

 York, receiving 157,166 votes, a majority of 

 28,333 over Ludlow, his principal opponent. 

 As an organizer of the Republican party, Mr. 

 Raymond was an active worker. The " Ad- 

 dress to the People," which was issued from 

 Pittsburg in 1856, was from his pen. He 

 advocated the election of Fremont after the 

 meeting of the first National Convention. In 

 1857 he refused to be a candidate for Govern- 

 or of this State. The next four years were 

 devoted to his profession. In 1858 he sided, 

 apparently, with the supporters of Mr. Doug- 

 las, but in the end resumed his relations with 

 the Republican party. In 1859, he visited Eu- 

 rope, and while in Italy witnessed the short 

 and decisive campaign of the French against 

 the Austrians. His account of the battle of 

 Solferino, written on the spot during the prog- 

 ress of the action, was dispatched by a special 

 courier to Havre, in season to catch the ear- 

 liest mail for New York, where it arrived 

 several days in advance of the English accounts. 

 In 1860 he was earnestly in favor of the 

 nomination of Mr. Seward for the presidency, 

 but acquiesced promptly in the selection of 

 Mr, Lincoln by the Republican National Con- 

 vention, and it was through his influence that 

 Mr. Seward was placed in the Cabinet of Mr. 

 Lincoln. He was a warm supporter and per- 

 sonal friend of Mr. Lincoln in all his active 

 measures, though at times deploring his hesi- 

 tating policy. After the disaster at Bull Run, 

 he proposed the establishment of a provisional 

 government, but the idea was not received 

 with any favor. In 1861 he was again elected 

 to the Assembly, where he was chosen Speaker. 

 The following fall he was the president of the 

 Union State Convention at Syracuse, where he 



C01 



voted for the nomination of General Dix, but, 

 after the nomination of James S. Wadsworth 

 declared the latter his first choice. In 1863 

 he was defeated by Governor Morgan for tho 

 nomination of United States Senator. In May, 

 1864, he was^a delegate to the Republican 

 State Convention, and was chosen by a unani- 

 mous vote delegate at large to tho National 

 Convention. He was afterward appointed 

 chairman of the New York State delegation. 

 He was elected in the fall of 1864 to the Tliirty- 

 ninth Congress, from the Sixth Congressional 

 District, and took his seat on the 4th of 

 December, 1865. His course was that of 

 a moderate Republican. Though allied by 

 strong conviction with the Republican party, 

 he was never, in the strict sense of the 

 word, a party man, and never surrendered to 

 party the supreme right of private judgment 

 on all questions, whether of principle or policy. 

 Unable, frequently, to go with the Republican 

 party on all questions, he incurred the charge 

 of political inconsistency so often and so 

 recklessly brought against public men of inde- 

 pendent thought, and never more unjustly fhan 

 in the case of Mr. Raymond. So far from be- 

 ing fickle and inconsistent, he was in truth 

 one of the most consistent and conscientious 

 men that ever took part in public affairs. He 

 was always true to his convictions. His public 

 course was based on the broadest principles 

 of right and justice. Mr. Raymond's Con- 

 gressional record began with the delivery of 

 his speech against Mr. Stevens's theory of 

 "dead States," on the 22d of December, 1865. 

 He maintained, in opposition to that doctrine, 

 that, as the several ordinances of secession 

 were nullities, the Southern States had never 

 been out of the Union. Holding this view, he 

 would exact of them all necessary guarantees 

 of, future loyalty to the Constitution, and'for 

 the care and protection of the freedmen. He 

 advised the most rigid scrutiny into the char- 

 acter of the men whom they should send to 

 Congress ; but he sought to allay the animosi- 

 ties and mutual jealousies engendered by the 

 war, and deprecated any policy which would 

 tend to keep them alive. His speech in reply 

 to Mr. Shellabarger, January 29, 1866, was 

 conceived in the same spirit ; and consistently 

 with thse opinions, he opposed the bill re- 

 ported by Mr. Stevens, from the Reconstruc- 

 tion Committee, to provide military govern- 

 ments for the Southern States. 



Aside from purely political questions, Mr. 

 Raymond took a very active interest in the 

 ordinary legislation of Congress ; and his name 

 is connected with some of the most important 

 bills considered by the body of which he was a 

 member. The Philadelphia Convention, held 

 August 14, 1866, enlisted his warm support. 

 Impressed with the belief that Congress did 

 not fully represent the wishes of the country, 

 in respect to the various questions involved in 

 the reorganization of the Southern States, he 

 favored the plan of a direct appeal to the 



