RANDALL, ALEXANDER W. 



READ, THOMAS B. 



705 



Law considered," 1859 ; " Diversities of Faults 

 in Christian Believers," 1859 ; " Pastoral Let- 

 ters, "186 1-'62; "Christian Life," 1862;. "Epis- 

 copal Church of Scotland," 1862; "Two Lect- 

 ures on Handel," 1862 ; "Proposals for pro- 

 viding a Peal of Bells for Edinburgh," 1863; 

 "Christian Responsibility," 1864; "Thomas 

 Chalmers, D.D., a Biographical Notice," 1867; 

 "Pulpit Table-Talk, containing Remarks and 

 Anecdotes," 1868. The last seems to be nearly 

 as successful as the "Reminiscences." 



RANDALL, ALEXANDER WILLIAMS, ex-Gov-' 

 ernor of Wisconsin, and ex-Postmaster-Gen- 

 eral of the United States, born in Montgomery 

 County, N. Y., October, 1819 ; died at Elmira, 

 N. Y., July 25, 1872. In early life he emi- 

 grated, with his parents, to Wisconsin, where 

 he chose the profession of the law. His devo- 

 tion to the interests of the State marked him 

 as a fitting representative of that growing Ter- 

 ritory, and he was accordingly chosen, by a 

 large majority, as a member of the Territorial 

 Convention, in 1847, which framed a constitu- 

 tion that is now, in its essential elements, the 

 fundamental law of the State of Wisconsin. 

 In 1856 he was chosen Governor by a very 

 large majority, and from that period became 

 identified with the West as one of its repre- 

 sentative men. Before his term of office ex- 

 pired, the signs of war began to thicken. The 

 Legislature had convened on the 10th of Jan- 

 uary, 1861, and there was much concern 

 among its members as to the policy which 

 should be pursued by the State. Wisconsin, 

 always Democratic previously, had given 

 20,000 majority for Abraham Lincoln, in No- 

 vember, 1860. The message of Governor Ran- 

 dall said that the election of Mr. Lincoln was 

 legal ; that the Government was one of the 

 people ; and that immediate action should be 

 taken to place the State on a war-footing. 

 Notwithstanding this message, the Legisla- 

 ture, on the 15th of April, 1861, passed a res- 

 olution to adjourn on the 17th. On that mem- 

 orable 15th of April, President Lincoln issued 

 his proclamation calling for troops. An emer- 

 gency had arisen to which the Governor was 

 fully equal. He had the trains stopped which 

 were on the paint of leaving Madison, heedless 

 of threats of penalties "for obstructing the 

 mails of the United States." He was deter- 

 mined, if within his power to do so, to keep 

 the flying representatives to their duty. His 

 endeavors failed, however, and the only re- 

 source was to call an extra session of the 

 Legislature, which did not convene until the 

 10th of June. In the mean time, the Governor 

 " took the responsibility," and caused 23,000 

 men of Wisconsin to be placed in the field ; and 

 the Legislature responded fully to the interests 

 of the people as expressed through the Gov- 

 ernor, going even beyond him in their endeav- 

 ors, by providing for five regiments in addition 

 to those already raised. Upon retiring from 

 the gubernatorial chair, in 1861, he was nomi- 

 nated by President Lincoln as minister to 



VOL. XII. 45 A 



Rome, which appointment was duly confirmed 

 by the Senate. Though he filled that position 

 but a short time, his record was a good and 

 honorable one. Having resigned his diplo- 

 matic mission, and returned to his home, he 

 devoted himself to the duties of his profes- 

 sion until he was appointed First Assistant 

 Postmaster-General, in 1862. In July, 1866, 

 he was nominated, by President Johnson, 

 Postmaster-General, and served in that capa- 

 city till March, 1869. Since the close of that 

 Administration, he had devoted himself to the 

 duties of his profession, having taken up his 

 residence in Elmira in 1869. 



READ, THOMAS BUCHANAN, an American 

 poet and painter, born in Chester County, Pa., 

 March 12, 1822 ; died in New York City, May 

 11, 1872. His tastes for art were manifest at 

 a very early age, and, having removed to Cin- 

 cinnati, he became the pupil of Clevenger, the 

 sculptor, when but seventeen years of age, in- 

 tending to make that his profession for life. The 

 departure of this artist for Europe, soon after, 

 changed his plans, and he turned his attention 

 to painting, in which he soon acquired a repu- 

 tation, although, in after-life, he occasionally 

 indulged in the practice of sculpture as an 

 amateur among the fruits of which was an 

 admirable portrait-bust of General Sheridan. 

 In 1841 he removed to New York, and, soon 

 after, to Boston, where he occupied himself 

 chiefly in portrait-painting. Establishing him- 

 self in Philadelphia, in 1846, he occasionally 

 turned aside from his brush to indulge in his 

 fine poetic tastes, an3, the following year, 

 published his first volume of poems, which 

 was succeeded by a volume of " Lays and Bal- 

 lads," in 1848. He also edited "The Female 

 Poets of America, with Portraits, Biographical 

 Notices, and Specimens of their Writings," 

 which has passed through many editions. In 

 1850 he visited Europe, passing a year in Flor- 

 ence, and, soon after his return, published 

 "The Pilgrims of the Great St. Bernard: a 

 Prose Romance ; " and, in 1852, an illustrated 

 edition of his poems, with additions. Subse- 

 quent editions of these followed. In 1853 he 

 again went to Italy, and resided some years in 

 Florence and Rome ; but, since 1858, he had 

 divided his time mostly between Philadelphia 

 and Cincinnati, practising his favorite profes- 

 sion with increasing reputation and success. 

 In 1855 he brought out his most elaborate 

 poem, "The New Pastoral," written while in 

 Italy, and consisting of thirty-seven sketches 

 of rustic and domestic life. He was also the 

 author of " The House by the Sea," a poem, 

 1856; "Sylvia; or, the Lost Shepherd," 1857; 

 "Rural Poems," the same year; "A Voyage 

 to Iceland," etc., 1857; "Complete Poetical 

 Works," 1860; "The Wagoner of the Alle- 

 ghanies," 1862; "A Summer Story, Sheridan's 

 Ride, and other Poems," 1865; and "Good 

 Samaritans," a poem, 1867. The productions 

 of his pencil were characterized by vividness 

 and delicacy of execution. Among the most 



