Ochmig Bird (1813-1878)

   Multi-term Indiana state legislator Ochmig Bird was a native of the Keystone State, his birth occurring in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania on March 19, 1813. His early education took place in the state of his birth and at age 23 he relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bird married in 1840 to Anne Suttenfield (1821-1879). Two children were eventually born to this couple, James Ochmig (1841-1906) and Eliza Jane (1851-1911).
   After his resettlement in Indiana, Bird set about establishing himself as both an engineer and railroad builder. He is also listed as being a prime mover in the construction and development of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and was "prominently identified with its enterprise for about a quarter of a century." In 1842 Bird was elected to his first public office, that of surveyor for the city of Ft.  Wayne. Throughout the succeeding years, the name of Ochmig Bird became familiar to voters in the aforementioned city, as he was elected to the Ft. Wayne city council (serving 1851-1852), and as Allen County treasurer (serving 1856-1860).
   Acknowledged as an "earnest and enthusiastic Democrat all his life", Bird was elected to the first of three terms in the Indiana house of representatives in 1849. During the 1849-51 session, Bird sat as a member of the committee on Canals and Internal Improvements, and a decade later was re-elected to the house, serving two more terms from 1862-66. These terms saw Bird named to three new committees, those being Banks, Railroads, and Ways and Means.
  The election year of 1868 saw Bird elected to the state senate and from 1868-69 sat on the committees on Legislative Apportionment, Military Affairs, and the State Library. He would resign in mid-1869 and in 1871 was elected to another term in the Senate, where he served until November 1874. A longstanding member of the Masonic lodge in his city, Bird died aged 64 on January 21, 1878, in Ft. Wayne and was later interred in the Lindenwood Cemetery in that city. His wife Anne survived him by one year, dying in October 1879 at age 58. The rare portrait of him shown above was discovered in the Pictorial History of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, published in 1917. This work also memorialized Bird's services to Ft. Wayne as ones of "lasting value", and that he:

"Was a man of practical mind, the type of citizen to represent the people at a time when many important public questions forced themselves on the state and county authorities."