GUSHING, CALEB. 



303 



In tlio interior peace reigns undisturbed, 

 and the pcoplo IKIVH been ablo to devote them- 

 u-Ufs to tliL-ir various industries without mo- 

 lestation or disturbance, and witb tbeir well- 

 known industry and zeal/' 



GUSHING, CALEB, a lawyer, soldier, and 

 statesman, was born at Salisbury, Mass., Jan- 

 uary 17, 1SOO, and died at Newburyport, Jan- 

 uary 2, 1879. He was a member of a family 

 that has been noted in Massachusetts from the 

 eurly colonial days. He graduated at Harvard 

 College in 1818, and afterward became a stu- 

 dent at the college for two years in moral 

 philosophy, mathematics, and law. After con- 

 tinuing the study of law for five years, he was 

 admittril to practice, and settled in Newbury- 

 port. While he rose rapidly in the legal profes- 

 sion, he did not neglect literature or abstain 

 from political pursuits. He was a frequent 

 contributor to the " North American Review " 

 and other periodicals. He was soon chosen a 

 member of the Lower House of the State Legis- 

 lature, and afterward was elected a Senator. 

 In 1829 he visited Europe, and was absent two 

 years. On his return to Massachusetts he pub- 

 lished an "Historical and Political Re view " of 

 European affairs consequent on the occurrence 

 of the French Revolution of 1830, and also his 

 " Reminiscences of Spain." He was again sent 

 to the Legislature for the years 1833 and 1834, 

 and finally elected to represent the district in 

 the Lower House of Congress. To this posi- 

 tion he was three times reelected, serving 

 r^ulurly until March 4, 1843. In 1840 the 

 Whig party triumphed by the election of Wil- 

 liam Henry Harrison of Ohio as President and 

 John Tyler of Virginia as Vice-President ; 

 while Martin Van Buren, the Democratic can- 

 didate, was defeated. After an administration 

 of thirty days President Harrison died, and 

 Vice-President Tyler became President. Henry 

 Clay, Senator from Kentucky, as the leader of 

 the Whigs, attempted to pass through Congress 

 certain measures forming a system of policy. 

 Among these was the charter of a United 

 States Bank. This measure was passed and 

 twice vetoed by President Tyler, who under- 

 took to compromise on a " Fiscal Agency." A 

 break in the party ensued, and Mr. Cushing 

 was one of the very few Northern Whigs who 

 continued to support the President, who nomi- 

 nated him for Secretary of the Treasury. The 

 Senate refused to confirm him. He was subse- 

 quently confirmed as Commissioner to China, 

 and made the first treaty between that coun- 

 try and the United States. On his return he 

 was elected a Representative in the Massachu- 

 setts Legislature, and in 1847 he raised a regi- 

 ment for the Mexican war and became its 



colonel, and was subsequently made brigadier- 

 general. In 1847, and again in 1848, he was 

 nominated by the Democrats for Governor, but 

 failed of an election. He continued to repre- 

 sent Newburyport in the Legislature until 1852, 

 when be was appointed Associate Justice of 

 the State Supreme Court. In 1853 he was ap- 

 pointed U. 8. Attorney-General by President 

 Pierce, and retained the office until 1857. 

 Again he became a member of the Massachu- 

 setts Legislature, and cooperated with the 

 Democratic party in its opposition to the anti- 

 slavery aggressions. In April, 1861, he ten- 

 dered his services to Governor Andrew "in 

 any capacity, however humble, in which it may 

 be possible for me to contribute to the public 

 weal in the present critical emergency." The 

 Governor, an ardent anti-slavery and war 

 champion, did not respond. His services were 

 often employed during the war in the depart- 

 ments at Washington, and in 1866 he was ap- 

 pointed Commissioner to codify the laws of 

 Congress. -In 1868 he was sent to Bogota to 

 arrange a diplomatic difficulty. President 

 Grant appointed him one of the American 

 counsel before the Tribunal of Arbitration that 

 was provided for by the treaty of Washington 

 for the settlement of the Alabama claims, 

 which met at Geneva in 1871 and concluded 

 its labors nine months later. The other coun- 

 sel were Mr. Waite, now Chief Justice of the 

 Supreme Court of the United States, and Mr. 

 Evarts. In 1873 General Cushing published a 

 volume entitled " The Treaty of Washington," 

 in which a history of the arbitration is given a 

 work written in his seventy-fourth year, but 

 showing no decline of mental power in the 

 author. The death of Chief Justice Chase, in 

 the spring of 1873, created a vacancy in the 

 highest judicial office in the country. At the 

 close of the year President Grant sought to 

 have the office filled by the appointment of 

 General Cushing, but the Senate evinced so 

 much reluctance to confirming the nomination 

 that lie declined it. Soon afterward he was 

 nominated and confirmed as Minister to Spain, 

 our relations with which had become exceed- 

 ingly critical, owing to circumstances that grew 

 out of the Cuban insurrection. Assnming this 

 arduous post in his seventy-fifth year, General 

 Cushing discharged its duties with ability and 

 fidelity, and to the entire satisfaction of the ap- 

 pointing power, and also of his country. He 

 arrived home in April, 1877. Notwithstanding 

 General Cushing's prominent career and many 

 public services, he was never popular. Neither 

 the Whig nor the Republican party really liked 

 him, and he was still further from being a 

 favorite with the Democrats. 



