Nevada Northrop Stranahan (1861-1928)

 

Portrait from Prominent and Progressive Americans, Vol. II, 1904.

  "Mr. Stranahan's career is distinguished by a series of success achieved by few men of his age...such achievements speak louder than words, and as an expression of regard for his attainments from the people of Oswego County must ever be a gratification of Mr. Stranahan. In the prime of manhood and with a wide experience of finance, he is eminently fitted to cope with the duties of the Collector of the Port."

  Such was the character assessment of Nevada Northrop Stranahan, one of the more unusual names on the New York political stage at the turn of the 19th century. Stranahan served multiple terms in both houses of the New York legislature, was District Attorney of Oswego County, and in 1901 was named as Collector of the Port of New York. The son of Smith and Lucelia Higgins Stranahan, Nevada Northrop Stranahan was born in Granby, Oswego County, New York on February 27, 1861. The origins of Stranahan's first name remain unknown but is believed to be connected to the like-named state, which had come into existence as a U.S. territory around the time of his birth.

  Stranahan's youth was spent on his family's farm and he was a student in schools local to his hometown, including the Valley Seminary. Deciding upon a career in law, Stranahan enrolled at the Columbia College Law School in the early 1880s and in 1884 was admitted to the state bar. Stranahan married in April 1885 to Elsie Merriman, who predeceased him in 1922. The couple were wed for nearly forty years and had one daughter, Louise. 

  After being admitted to the bar Stranahan established his law practice in Fulton, New York, and made his first foray into politics in September 1889 when he was nominated for the state assembly at the Oswego County Republican convention. He was elected that November and after taking his seat in January 1890 was named to the committees on Claims and Privileges and Elections. He was renominated for a second term in August 1890. He was acknowledged by both the Syracuse Standard and Buffalo Courier as a "faithful, competent member" and "one of the most talented young men of the county."

From the New York Red Book, 1892.

  Stranahan won a second term that November and in January 1891 was named to the committees on Codes and Gas and Electricity. He won a third term in late 1891 "with an 825 plurality" over two opponents and throughout the 1892 session authored several pieces of legislation, including "authorizing towns and villages to establish free baths", a bill to prevent diseases in peach trees, and a bill for holding town meetings in Oswego County. The New York Red Book also notes that Stranahan took "front rank as a debater", and during his term held the additional post of vice president of the Fulton and Oswego Falls Railroad.

  After his third term in the assembly, Stranahan was elected as Oswego County District Attorney, serving from 1893 to 1895, during which time "he filled that place to the satisfaction of the county." Stranahan continued his political ascent in 1895 when he was elected to the state senate "by a majority of 9,839" over Democratic nominee William Baker. During the 1896 term, he chaired the committee on Cities and served on the committees on Privileges and Elections, and Taxation and Retrenchment. He won a second senate term in November 1898, polling 16,270 votes, and again chaired the committee on cities. Stranahan coasted to a third term in the Senate in November 1900 when he defeated Democrat Charles Remick by a vote of 18,295 to 10,332. The 1901-02 session saw him chair the committee on cities for a third time and also continued on the Finance and Taxation and Retrenchment committees.

From the Mt. Vernon Argus.

  Late in his third senate term Nevada Stranahan's name was put forward as a possible successor to George R. Bidwell, the retiring Collector of the Port of New York. A coveted federal office, the New York Port Collector had charge of the collection of import duties on foreign goods that entered the United States via the port of New York. In November 1901 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Stranahan to that post, with his duties to begin in April 1902. Stranahan's succession to that office was met with wide praise by newspapers of the time, with the Troy Times describing him as "one of the ablest and most honorable men in the legislature." Further character praise was given by the Brooklyn Eagle, which remarked:

"He is a politician, whose integrity, liberality and honorableness, as well as whose learning and public service, entitle him to be called a statesman. He is in thorough sympathy with his party on the line of its best intents. He is a scholarly and cultivated gentleman."

  In 1902 Stranahan resigned his senate seat and formally entered into the collector's office on April 1. His tenure extended until December 1907 when he resigned due to health concerns, and in the latter part of that year undertook a trip to Europe in the hope of regaining his health. Following his resignation his service was lauded by Treasury Secretary George Cortelyou, who noted:

"It was with great reluctance that the department accepted this resignation, and only upon his instistance. He retires from this office to the great regret of all, and with the acknowledged reputation of having been one of the best collectors that New York has ever had."

  Stranahan continued residency in New York until 1911, and in March of that year announced that he and his family would be moving to Great Britain, in the hope of bettering his health. On March 29, 1911, he and his wife were feted with a farewell dinner by the citizens of Fulton, and shortly thereafter left for Europe. Little is known of his time in Great Britain. Widowed in 1922, Stranahan resided at the home of his daughter Louise in Peterborough following his wife's death and died in that city on July 6, 1928, aged 67. He was later interred alongside his wife at the Winwick Churchyard, Winwick, Cambridgeshire, England.

From the New York Tribune, April 5, 1902.

From the Brooklyn Times Union, July 12, 1928.