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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Thomas A. Hendricks |
| Address |
Indianapolis, Indiana , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
September 07, 1819
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| Died | November 25, 1885
(66 years)
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| Contributor | U Ole Polecat |
| Last Modifed | RBH
Apr 15, 2015 01:58am |
| Tags |
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| Info | HENDRICKS, Thomas A(ndrews) - Democratic politician from Indiana and 21st US Vice President.
Hendricks was born near Zanesville, Ohio, on 9/7/1819, the son of John and Jane (Thompson) Hendricks. John Hendricks had served in the Pennsylvania legislature before moving to Ohio. The family moved to Madison IN in 1820, and during their residence there Thomas Hendricks's uncle William Hendricks was elected Governor of Indiana (he served 1822-1825). The family relocated to Shelby County IN in 1822.
Hendricks graduated from Hanover (Indiana) College in 1841. While there, he devoted a considerable amount of time to learning the intricacies of oratory. From this time forward, he was often called upon to open public gatherings of various types.
He studied law with his uncle in Chambersburg Pa. and was admitted to the bar in Shelbyville IN, 1843. He married Eliza C. Morgan in 1845; they had only one child, who died in infancy.
Served in the Indiana State House 1848 as a Democrat; declined to run for a second term.
Served as a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention, 1850-1851. He and Schuyler Colfax were the youngest delegates. Hendricks played a major role in the debates.
Hendricks served in the U.S. House as a Democrat, 1851-1855. He served as chairman of the Committee on Mileage and the Committee on Invalid Pensions. During the debates over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Hendricks announced his support of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise due to his support of popular sovereignty. Due to this vote, he was defeated for re-election in 1854.
President Pierce appointed Hendricks as Commissioner of the General Land Office, a position he held from 1855 to 1859. During this time, Hendricks lived in Washington DC.
Hendricks returning to Shelbyville IN in 1859 and then to Indianapolis in 1860.
Indiana Democrats nominated him for Governor (1860). He made a strong run but was defeated by Henry S. Lane, the Republican.
Hendricks served as U.S. Senator, 1863-1869. He was elected after Indiana Democrats gained control of the legislature in 1862. In the latter part of his term, Hendricks was the Democratic floor leader in the Senate. His national reputation thus established, Tammany Hall sponsored him for US President at the Democratic National Convention of 1868.
Indiana Democrats, having lost control of the legislature, nominated Hendricks for Governor again in 1868. They sought to regain control in order to retain Hendricks's seat in the U.S. Senate. The election was closely contested, but Hendricks was defeated by a margin of 921 votes.
Hendricks next served as Governor of Indiana, 1873-1877. Following his nomination by Indiana Democrats in 1872, Hendricks was endorsed by the nascent Prohibition Party, which helped catapult him to victory over the resurgent Indiana Republican ticket.
His election was one of the few bright spots for the Democratic Party in 1872. After the party's candidate for President died before the electoral vote was cast, many Democrats called on the Presidential Electors to cast their votes for Hendricks. Altogether, 42 Electors voted for Hendricks.
In 1875, Hendricks began to lay the groundwork for a campaign for US President. Moderate Indiana Democrats did not believe he could win a national campaign and worked against him. Hendricks placed a respectable second during the presidential balloting and was then nominated for US Vice President. Hendricks worked for the victory of the ticket in 1876. During the course of the dispute in early 1877, Hendricks became a vocal critic of Tilden's approach to the difficulty. Hendricks wrote an article denouncing the Electoral Commission and saying that he had been humiliated when he was nominated for Vice President instead of President (though he had not expressed this earlier).
During the Hayes administration, Hendricks focused his energy on his law career. He worked in a firm that included Abram W. Hendricks, Oscar B. Hurd, and former Gov. Baker.
Hendricks again ran for the Democratic nomination for President in 1880. This time, the Indiana delegation was united behind Hendricks, but he had less support from other states after his denunciation of Tilden three years earlier. When asked by a reporter if he was finished with politics, Hendricks reported that he would not be finished with politics until he was in his grave.
Hendricks was again nominated for Vice President at the Democratic National Convention of 1884. He had hoped to be chosen as the Presidential nominee; after not allowing his name to be presented on the first ballot, he entered on the second ballot and placed a respectable third. As in 1876, his nomination for VP was nearly unanimous. Although he had been a national leader of the Democratic Party, he had not met Grover Cleveland before the convention.
Hendricks served as the 21st Vice President (1885). The Cleveland-Hendricks ticket won a narrow victory in the 1884 election, and they were inaugurated on 3/4/1885. During the spring and summer of 1885, Hendricks took on the role of handing out spoils positions to Democrats in his favor, keeping Indiana Democrat Joseph McDonald out of the cabinet and out of the diplomatic corps. Another controversial role he played was choosing who to hold the post of Postmaster of Indianapolis.
Hendricks died while serving as Vice President, before Congress assembled in late 1885. He had returned home from a visit to Chicago and felt somewhat ill for one day, succumbing to at 5:00 p.m. on 11/25/1885 in his home in Indianapolis.
As news of his death spread, well wishers began to come to the Hendricks residence to express sympathy with his widow. Uniformed guards were placed at the gate to limit the visitors, as the throng was as large as 8,000 people. His casket was taken to the county court house, just six blocks from his residence. An estimated 65,000 people filed past his casket. He was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery on 12/1/1885. President Hayes attended the funeral, but President Cleveland did not. Although he always had a high regard for VP Hendricks, Cleveland succumbed to Congressional pressure to stay in DC after news of death threats spread.
New York Times 11/26, 30; 12/1-2/1885 |
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