Hananiah Darlington Pugh (1829-1913)

Portrait from the Lansing State Journal, January 6, 1913.

  Several oddly named postmasters of major U.S. cities have been found this year, and the name of Hananiah Darlington Pugh is by far the strangest. A Civil War veteran and former county superintendent of the poor, Pugh served as U.S. Postmaster of Lansing, the capital city of Michigan, being appointed by President Cleveland. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 6, 1829, Hananiah Darlington Pugh was the son of Meredith Darlington (1807-1866) and Jane (Stuart) Pugh (1811-1885). 

  Little information could be located on Pugh's formative years or education, and in 1854 married Mary Elizabeth Berry (1837-1890), with who he had 13 children. A veteran of the Civil War, Pugh served as captain of Co. I, 47th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry which was organized in Toledo in August 1861. Pugh's service extended three years, and was honorably discharged in October 1864. 

  Following his discharge Pugh removed to Lansing, Michigan, where in 1865 he purchased a tannery from the Lederer brothers, which he operated for four years. Pugh first entered Lansing politics in the late 1860s. He served on the board of aldermen in 1868 and 1870, and in 1875 was named as clerk of the state supreme court. Pugh served four years and at the end of his term unearthed a treasurer trove of historical documents while moving his office records, including papers signed by territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair, future U.S. President William Henry Harrison, and the oaths of office of Governors William Hull and Lewis Cass. 

  Pugh stepped down as clerk in January 1879, having been elected as Ingham County superintendent of the poor. He continued in that office until at least 1881, and in August 1886 was appointed by President Cleveland as U.S. Postmaster at Lansing. His term extended nearly three years, and was succeeded by Seymour Foster in June 1889. 

  Widowed in 1890, Pugh removed from Lansing a few years following his wife's death and settled in Corunna in Shiawassee County. Following his resettlement he remarried and died in Corunna on January 4, 1913, aged 82. He was survived by his wife and several children and was returned to Lansing for burial at the Mt. Hope Cemetery.

From the Owosso Times, January 10, 1913.