348 



FENTON, REUBEN E. 



FINANCIAL REVIEW OF 1885. 



then I sent to the makers in all haste for 

 another, then another, and another." The 

 book was repuhlished in the United States, 

 where also it had a phenomenal sale. It has 

 been translated into French, German, Italian, 

 Swedish, Spanish, and Dutch. Its great suc- 

 cess was followed up by a rapid publication of 

 other stories and a volume of poems, most of 

 them probably written before u Called Back," 

 all of which have been republished in New 

 York. Their titles are : u Dark Days," " Bound 

 Together," " Carriston's Gift, and other Tales," 

 "A Family Affair," "Slings and Arrows," and 

 "A Cardinal Sin." "Called Back" was 

 dramatized and placed on the stage, both in 

 England and in the United States. Mr. Fargus 

 was the author of several popular songs, in- 

 cluding " Some Day," and he left still another 

 posthumous novel, not yet published. He had 

 gone to Italy in pursuit of health when he died. 



FENTON, REUBEN E,, an American states- 

 man, born in Carroll, Chautauqua County, 

 N. Y., July 1, 1819; died in Jamestown, N. Y., 

 Aug. 25, 1885. His early education and chief 

 training were obtained at Pleasant Hill and 

 Fredonia Academies, in his native county. He 

 was admitted to the bar in 1841, and began 

 practice in Jamestown; but not finding the 

 law congenial with his taste and expectations, 

 he engaged in mercantile pursuits, and in a 

 few years acquired a moderate fortune. Mean- 

 while he took active interest in politics, and 

 in 1843 was elected supervisor of the town of 

 Carroll, which office he held for eight years, 

 and was chairman of the board for three years. 

 His political affiliation was with the Demo- 

 cratic party at this time, and his personal 

 popularity was evident from his holding of- 

 fice so steadily in a district that was strongly 

 Whig. 



In 1852 Mr. Fenton was elected to Congress, 

 and during his first term the Nebraska-Kansas 

 fight was waged in that body. Mr. Fenton 

 was very active in this contest, and was one of 

 the forty-four Northern Democrats that voted 

 against the further extension of slavery. The 

 result of the stand taken by him proved inju- 

 rious to his prospects for re-election, and when, 

 in 1854, he was nominated by the Whigs and 

 Democrats against the Know-Nothing candi- 

 date, he was defeated. 



The Republicans of his district nominated 

 Mr. Fenton for Congress in 1856, and he was 

 elected by an overwhelming majority. Dur- 

 ing this Congress he served on the Commit- 

 tee on Land Claims. He was re-elected for 

 three terms in succession by a large majority 

 at each flection. During all the time of his 

 service in ^the national legislature Mr. Fenton 

 was prominent in the committee-work of the 

 House. He was chairman successively of the 

 Committee on Invalid Pensions and the Com- 

 mittee on Claims, and was also a member of 

 the Committee of Ways and Means. On the 

 outbreak of the civil war he eloquently and 

 heartily supported the cause of the Union, and 



stood firmly by President Lincoln and his Cab- 

 inet in their war measures. 



Mr. Fenton's activity and energy in Congress 

 tended materially to increase his reputation in 

 his native State, and in 1864 he was unani- 

 mously nominated by the State Convention for 

 Governor of New York. Although his oppo- 

 nent was Horatio Seymour, one of the most 

 popular leaders of the Democracy, his zeal, in- 

 dustry, and skill in conducting the canvass led 

 to his election as well as to that of the entire 

 Republican ticket. He was inaugurated Gov- 

 ernor at the opening of the year 1865; his ad- 

 ministration was eminently successful, and he 

 was re-elected by an increased majority. His 

 second administration was equally satisfactory 

 with his first, and in 1868 he was elected to 

 succeed Edwin D. Morgan as United States 

 Senator, and served from 1869 to 1875. The 

 only public trust held by him after leaving the 

 Senate was that of chairman of the United 

 States Commission at the International Mone- 

 tary Conference, in Paris, in 1878. 



The latter years of Mr. Fenton's life were 

 no less active than those that had preceded. 

 He traveled largely in his own country, and 

 took up his residence in Jamestown. He be- 

 came President of the First National Bank in 

 that village, and zealously and actively pro- 

 moted the interests of the community among 

 whom he lived. Besides looking after the edu- 

 cational welfare of Jamestown, Mr. Fenton pro- 

 jected the bringing of two new railroads into 

 the village, and was one of the main contribu- 

 tors toward establishing there a Swedish or- 

 phanage. He also served a term as president 

 of the village. His last public address was 

 made on the occasion of Gen. Grant's funeral, 

 when a memorial service was held in Walnut 

 Grove, his place of residence. Although ap- 

 parently in excellent health, he was stricken 

 down by heart-disease, while in his office at 

 the bank. He left a wife, two married daugh- 

 ters, and one son. 



FINANCIAL REVIEW OF 1885. At the close 

 of this year the feeling was far more encourag- 

 ing than it had been at any corresponding 

 period since 1881. The iron industries exhib- 

 ited unmistakable signs of recovery; business 

 enterprises were in a very satisfactory state, 

 and the losses by failure had been compara- 

 tively few ; the industrial situation was more 

 settled, capital and labor enjoying harmonious 

 relations; wars between the important rail- 

 road lines of the country had ended, and peace- 

 ful assurances had been sealed by formal com- 

 pacts ; confidence was almost universally ex- 

 pressed in a wise administration of the political 

 affairs of the country ; the crops of the year 

 had, with the solitary exception of winter 

 wheat, been abundant; the experience of the 

 previous six months had shown that trade 

 needed but a gentle stimulus to make it active, 

 and that speculation was generally on a health 

 basis, and the nation was at peace with all 1 

 world. While we had made this progress to- 



