400 



INGEESOLL, EALPH I. 



INSUEANCE. 



INGEESOLL, EALPH ISAACS, LL. D., an 

 American statesman and diplomatist, born in 

 New Haven, Conn., in 1788; died there, Au- 

 gust 27, 1872. He graduated from Yale Col- 

 lege in the class of 1808, studied Jaw, and, 

 having been admitted to the bar of his State, 

 entered upon the practice of his profession in 

 his native city, taking high rank among the 

 ablest jurists of that section. His public life 

 commenced while he was still a young man. 

 In 1819 he was chosen a representative of his 

 native town in the State Legislature. This 

 was one of the most important Legislatures 

 ever held in Connecticut. The new constitu- 

 tion had been adopted the year before, and on 

 this Legislature devolved the duty of conform- 

 ing the existing laws to the new order of 

 things under the constitution which had taken 

 the place of the old charter granted the 

 colony by the second Charles. The prominent 

 men of the State, from both the Democratic, 

 or, as it was called, "Toleration," and the Fed- 

 eral parties, were sent to this Legislature. Mr. 

 Ingersoll was perhaps the most conspicuous 

 debater on the Democratic side. The Federal 

 speakers and the press called him "Young 

 Hotspur," and Theodore Dwight, in his politi- 

 cal lyrics, alluded to him under that name. 

 For seven years Mr. Ingersoll continued to 

 represent New Haven in the popular branch 

 of the Legislature, and, in 1825, he was elected 

 at the same time to the Legislature of the 

 State and to the Congress of the United States. 

 He was elected to Congress for four consecu- 

 tive terms. He held a good position in the 

 House, serving on important committees, most 

 of the time on the Committee of Ways and 

 Means, having for his associates, among other 

 distinguished men, George McDuffie, Gulian 0. 

 Verplanck, and James K. Polk. After eight 

 years' service in Congress, Mr. Ingersoll felt 

 that his duty to his young family required that 

 he should devote himself to the practice of 

 the profession which he loved, and he accord- 

 ingly resigned his seat and returned to his law- 

 office in New Haven. He was appointed 

 State's Attorney for New Haven County in 

 1833, and held the office for some years, when 

 he resigned. Upon the death of Senator Na- 

 than Smith, Governor Edwards tendered him 

 the place made vacant thereby, but he de- 

 clined, having no inclination to reenter politi- 

 cal life. While in Congress an intimacy was 

 formed between himself and the President, 

 James K Polk, and in 1846 Mr. Ingersoll re- 

 ceived, unsolicited, the appointment of minis- 



ter plenipotentiary to Eussia, accompanied 

 with a friendly letter, saying that "the office 

 had sought the man, and not the man the 

 oflSce," and urging him not to decline, lie 

 remained abroad two years, when he resigned 

 his commission and returned to New Haven, 

 with the determination never again to accept 

 office. To this resolution he adhered strictly, 

 and the evening of his life was passed in quiet 

 retirement, and in the practice of his profes- 

 sion. He was greatly honored and esteemed 

 by the citizens of New Haven, and often ur- 

 gently solicited to accept office. 



INSUEANCE. The losses, by fire, during 

 the year 1872, were almost as disastrous to 

 the public and great for the insurance com- 

 panies as in 1871. The great fire of Boston, 

 November 9th and 10th, occasioned a loss 

 of about fifty million dollars. The follow- 

 ing is a statement of life-insurance compa- 

 nies in the United States, their operations 

 during the years 1869, to and including 1871, 

 and their results, as regards premiums re- 

 ceived, losses paid, benefits to the insured and 

 to the stockholders, and the cost of general 

 administration, computed on the basis of every 

 thousand dollars insured. The financial ac- 

 counts embrace cash transactions only, ex- 

 clusive of reinsurance : 



Of these, belong to the State of New York : 



The total revenues are : 



Of the New York companies, the 

 as follows : 



figures 



Total expenditures for each year 



