302 



FORNEY, JOHN W. 



At the legislative session in June, a compromise 

 was effected between the Whigs and Independ- 

 ents, by which Anthony Colby, of New Lon- 

 don, the candidate of the former, was elected 

 Governor ; Mr. Fogg, Secretary of State ; and 

 John P. Hale, United States Senator for six 

 years. At the election in March, 1847, the 

 Democrats chose two of the four Representa- 

 tives to the Thirtieth Congress. In July, at a 

 special election, Amos Tuck, of Exeter, former- 

 ly a Democrat, and James Wilson, of Keene, 

 who had left the Whig party, were triumphant 

 over their Democratic competitors. The com- 

 bination to elect Tuck and Wilson to Congress 

 completed, in New Hampshire, the work of 

 forming a new party, which had begun when 

 Mr. Hale was chosen to the Senate in 1846. 

 This coalition was, in fact, the Republican 

 party, first in the field in New Hampshire, and 

 nine years before like combinations in other 

 States assembled in convention in Philadelphia 

 in 1856. 



In November, 1855, the subject of this 

 sketch was appointed Reporter of the Su- 

 preme Court, and Leld this office until his 

 resignation in June, 1859. He was a promi- 

 nent member of the convention that nominated 

 Abraham Lincoln for President, and was Sec- 

 retary of the National Executive Committee 

 which conducted the first campaign with that 

 candidate. Mr. Lincoln offered Mr. Fogg the 

 position of Commissioner of Patents, which was 

 not accepted; and afterward, in 1861, he re- 

 ceived the appointment of Minister to Switzer- 

 land. From this mission he was recalled in 

 1865, and, in his letter to Secretary Seward, 

 dated Berne, June 22, 1865, he complained 

 that he was allowed only five weeks in which 

 to vacate that important place, without having 

 been previously notified of his intended re- 

 moval. After his return from Europe, he re- 

 sumed his residence in Concord ; and in Au- 

 gust, 1866, was appointed by Governor Smythe 

 to fill the vacancy in the United States Sen- 

 ate caused by the resignation of Hon. Daniel 

 Clark, of Manchester, who had been appointed 

 United States Judge. The later years of Mr. 

 Fogg were clouded by some disappointments, 

 among which was his failure to retain the place 

 of leading editor to " The Independent Dem- 

 ocrat," after that journal formed a coalition 

 with the Concord "Daily Monitor." From 

 this time he withdrew from politics, and be- 

 came a quiet supporter of Republican candi- 

 dates, not always voting his party ticket in 

 full. Mr. Fogg was actively connected with 

 the New Hampshire Historical Society, was a 

 trustee of Bates College, and in his religious 

 belief a Unitarian. 



FORNEY, JOHN W., born in Lancaster, 

 Pennsylvania, September 30, 1817; died in 

 Philadelphia, December 9, 1881. At the time 

 of his death Colonel Forney was editor of the 

 " Progress," in Philadelphia". At an early age 

 he gave evidence of talents that made him one 

 of the most distinguished journalists and poli- 



ticians of the United States. He began life as 

 a shop-boy in a village store, but, being ambi- 

 tious, gave up that work and found employ- 

 ment in the printing-office of the Lancaster 

 " Journal." He applied himself easily to type- 

 setting, and by his great industry and good 

 behavior secured the confidence and esteem of 

 his employer. In his twentieth year he was 

 able to purchase the Lancaster " Intelligencer," 

 a strong Democratic paper, and such was his 

 success that in 1840 he bought the "Journal," 

 united it with his former purchase, and pub- 

 lished both under the title of " Intelligencer and 

 Journal." Lancaster County was then the 

 stronghold of the Whig party, and Mr. For- 

 ney acquired a wide-ppread reputation for the 

 ability and consistency with which he advo- 

 cated Democratic principles. In 1845 Presi- 

 dent Polk appointed him Deputy Surveyor of 

 the Port of Philadelphia. He disposed of his 

 paper, removed to that city, and commenced 

 the duties of his office. Soon after his arrival 

 he bought a half share in the old " Pennsylva- 

 nian," then the leading Democratic organ of 

 the State. His connection with this paper 

 lasted till 1853. Two years previous to that 

 date he was elected Clerk to the House of Rep- 

 resentatives, and removed to Washington. For 

 a long time he was presiding officer of the 

 House, and officiated during the exciting strug- 

 gle for the election of Speaker in 1855 and 

 1856. When the contest was ended, a reso- 

 lution was unanimously carried, thanking Mr. 

 Forney for the ability and impartiality with 

 which he had presided over the deliberations 

 of the House. He subsequently became one of 

 the editors of the Washington "Union," and 

 held the position until 1856. When James 

 Buchanan was nominated for President, Mr. 

 Forney was immediately elected chairman of 

 the Democratic State Central Committee of 

 Pennsylvania, and by his energy and talent 

 contributed greatly to the election of President 

 Buchanan. In January, 1857, Mr. Forney 

 was a candidate for the United States Senate. 

 Although very popular in his native State, and 

 receiving the support of not only many of the 

 newspapers, but of the President himself, who 

 wrote a letter to a personal friend in the Legis- 

 lature in which he said, " When asked, I have 

 always said that I preferred Mr. Forney, and I 

 should esteem it a friendly act toward myself 

 for any person in or out of the Legislature to 

 support him " ; and in spite of his obtaining a 

 large majority in the caucus nomination on the 

 first ballot, Mr. Forney by various means was 

 defeated. After his defeat he returned to 

 Philadelphia, and retired for a time into pri- 

 vate life. 



In August, 1857, he began the publication 

 of the " Press," an independent Democratic 

 newspaper in Philadelphia. Having exhausted 

 his funds in the political campaign, he pur- 

 chased the type on credit, and having no ma- 

 chine, the paper was printed for months in the 

 office of the " Sunday Dispatch." The " Press " 



