Atterson Walden Rucker (1847-1924)

From Stone's History of Colorado, Vol. IV, 1918.

  Two-term U.S. Representative from Colorado Atterson Walden Rucker is another "old-guard" odd name political figure, this author having first located his name via a copy of "Who Was Who In America" way back in 2001! A native of Kentucky, Rucker would be an unsuccessful candidate for Kansas state attorney general in 1870 and later found his business and political fortune in Colorado. After a brief stint as a criminal court judge in Lake County in the 1880s he established a law practice near Denver, and after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives returned to the practice of law in that city.

  The son of James Willis and Elizabeth (Jones) Rucker, Atterson Walden Rucker was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky on April 3, 1847. While still in his youth Rucker and his family left their Kentucky home for Missouri and after settling in the town of Lexington, became a student in the public schools of that town and St. Louis. During the Civil War Rucker cast his lot with the Confederacy, enlisting in the 16th Missouri Infantry. Just fourteen years old at the time of his enlistment, he saw action at the First Battle of Lexington and the Battle of Carthage in 1861 and in 1862 was captured by Union forces and imprisoned in Springfield, Missouri.

  One of 27 Confederate prisoners confined at Springfield, Rucker was later interviewed by the Confederate Veteran periodical on his service, noting "I helped to dig the graves of twenty-four of my comrades", and that several months following his parole in November 1862 was the only one of the prisoners still alive. After his release, Rucker wasn't "exchanged back into the Confederate ranks" and returned home to Lexington. By 1867 he had decided to pursue a law degree, and after a period of study in Lexington was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1868. 

   In 1869 Atterson Rucker and his older brother Thomas left Missouri for Kansas, and in the latter portion of that year established a joint law practice in the village of Baxter Springs. Within a year of establishing himself as a lawyer in Kansas Rucker set his sights on a lofty goal: the Attorney Generalship of Kansas. Despite being just twenty-three years old, Rucker's name was put forward as the nominee at the Democratic state convention held in Topeka in September 1870. Rucker would ultimately lose that contest to Republican Archibald Williams (who served in office until 1875), but was not through politically, as he became a Democratic candidate for presidential elector in 1872.

   Atterson Rucker married in Baxter Springs in March of 1872/1873 to Celeste Caruth (1854-1906) to who he was wed until her death. The couple would have one daughter, Ethel Rucker Dorr (1874-1952), whose birthdate is curiously mistaken as 1871 on her gravestone in San Diego, California. In 1873 Rucker and his wife resettled in Kansas City, Missouri and resided here until their removal to Lake County, Colorado in 1879. Establishing a law practice in the still-young city of Leadville, Rucker was named judge of the criminal court of Leadville in 1880 and is recorded as having held that office only briefly, as the court was declared unconstitutional by an act of the state supreme court.

From the Fairplay Flume, October 16, 1908.

  In the mid-1880s, Rucker left Leadville and relocated near Denver, where he built up a substantial "productive country estate" that became known as Rucker's Ridge. The succeeding years saw him practicing law and farming in that area and would have a financial interest in several mining companies in the state. A founding member of the Colorado State Forestry Association and a member of the Grange, Rucker's time at the bar saw him make a specialty of irrigation law and water rights controversies, and by the early 20th century his name was touted as a candidate for high political office.

  With nearly four decades of law experience and wide repute in his region, Atterson W. Rucker was put forward as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor of Colorado in early 1908. After several weeks of press backing his candidacy, Rucker withdrew from the contest and threw his support to fellow Democrat John Franklin Shafroth, who later was elected to the governorship. After bowing out from the gubernatorial race, Rucker received the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the fall of that year, and throughout the campaign season, numerous advertisements booming his candidacy appeared in area newspapers. Acknowledged as "one of Colorado's foremost citizens", Rucker was further lauded by the Fairplay Flume in October 1908, which noted that:

"The voters of his district are interested materially in those matters that have been his great work in this state, and because of this Judge Rucker is eminently one of the best equipped men for the position of congressman to represent his district and state. If politics is business, there should be no hesitancy on the part of the voters or his district in placing their mark of approval after his name for the position."

From the Greeley Tribune, September 22, 1910.

  In November 1908 Rucker defeated two-term Republican incumbent Robert W. Bonynge by a vote of 60,643 to 57, 597. He took his seat in Congress in January 1909 and during the 1909-11 session was a member of the Committee on Insular Affairs. Just several months into his first term, Rucker, along with other members of the Insular Affairs Committee, undertook an extended fact-finding trip to the Philippines. During an excursion on Lake Lanao in that country, Rucker was severely injured when a ship's boom struck him during a storm, and those injuries proved so severe that they necessitated a stay at a hospital in Manila. 

   After recovering from his injuries, Rucker returned to his duties in the United States and in 1910 won a second term in Congress, defeating Republican James C. Burger, 40,458 votes to 37,966. The 1911-13 session saw Rucker named to committees on Indian Affairs, Irrigation of Arid Lands, and Pensions, and in the latter part of 1911 was talked of as a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate, being described as a "man of weight among the national lawmakers" by the Colorado Transcript. 

  In the 1912 Democratic primary, Rucker was defeated in his bid for a third term, losing out to former Denver city supervisor George John Kindel. Kindel would go on to win the general election that November and served in Congress for one term. Rucker served out the remainder of his term and prior to leaving Washington in March 1913 was bolstered as a possible nominee for U.S. Minister to Cuba, but the idea appears to have been short-lived, as President Woodrow Wilson appointed William Elliott Gonzales to the post.

From the Fairmount, West Virginian, 1911.

  Following his return to Colorado Atterson W. Rucker returned to farming and in the latter portion of his life made a specialty of raising "pure-blooded Hampshire Down sheep", being remarked as having the only flock of its kind in the state. Rucker's livestock and wool interests saw him hold memberships in the National Wool Grower's Association, the Cattle Grower's Association, and the Farmer's Institute. He continued to practice law in Denver and, following an illness of two weeks, died at the St. Luke's Hospital in Denver on July 19, 1924, aged 77. Widowed in 1906, Rucker was cremated and his ashes later interred at the Littleton Cemetery in Littleton, Colorado.

From the Sterling Republican Advocate, July 24, 1924.

Kosciusko Kemper (1835-1910)

Portrait from the Souvenir Virginia Tercentennial of Historic Alexandria, 1907.

   The Strangest Names In American Political History continues its trek through Virginia, and a week following our write-up on Mottrom Dulany Ball we journey to Alexandria to highlight a prominent son of that city who would serve not only as its Superintendent of Schools but also as its Mayor for three terms....Kosciusko Kemper! A lifelong Virginian, Kosciusko Kemper was born in Warrenton, Virginia on June 18, 1835, being the son of William and Sarah (Humphreys) Kemper. 

  The possessor of one of the most unique first names this author has yet found, Kemper was bestowed the name "Kosciusko" in honor of Tadeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817), the famed Polish military engineer and officer who during the Revolutionary War served as a Colonel with the Continental Army. A popular figure during the Colonial era, Kosciuszko was later promoted to Brigadier General by the Continental Congress and later removed back to Poland, where in 1794 he led the Kosciuszko Uprising against Imperial Russian and Prussian forces. This uprising was unsuccessful in its attempt to free Poland from Russian dominance, and after being captured in November 1794, Kosciuszko was imprisoned until 1796, when he was pardoned by Russian Czar Paul I. Kosciuszko would relocate back to the United States in 1798 for a short period and gained a firm friend in Thomas Jefferson, whom he later entrusted as his executor after completing his will. 

   Kosciusko Kemper's early education took place in private schools and his family would later reside in Charlottesville for a time. In 1851 he enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he would study until 1858. Here Kemper would meet the woman who would be his wife for nearly forty years, Iraetta (IraEtta) Garrett (1838-1896). The couple wed in February 1859 and their union would see the births of seven children, Edward Hudson (born 1866), William Garrett (born 1868), Charlotte (born 1871), Sarah Richards (born 1872), Eliza Garrett (born 1874), Lewis Magnus (born 1876) and Kosciusko Jr. (1877-1929). 

  Following his graduation from the University of Virginia, Kemper entered into a career in education, a theme that would be prominent throughout the remainder of his life. He and his elder brother Delaware are recorded as having "bought out a school" in Alexandria, and both later were affiliated with the Beaufort, South Carolina Female Seminary, with Delaware Kemper serving as its president. Kosciusko Kemper taught school and studied law until the outbreak of the Civil War, and entered into the Confederate Army, being commissioned as a Captain in the First Regiment, South Carolina Artillery. His service in that unit would see him at Fort Sumpter following its capture and he later saw action with General Joseph E. Johnston at Salisbury, South Carolina. Kemper attained the rank of First Lieutenant and served until his discharge at the war's conclusion.

Kemper as he appeared in the Alexandria Gazette, January 26, 1910.

   At war's end Kemper removed back to Alexandria and for four years served as president of the Alexandria Academy, a school for women. He was admitted to the state bar in 1874 and in that same year took office as Mayor of Alexandria, filling out the unexpired term of William Norris Berkley, who had been named as U.S Postmaster at Alexandria. In 1875 Kemper was elected to a term of his own as Mayor and was defeated the following year by J.B. Johnson. Kemper won a third term as mayor in 1877 and served until 1879, when he was defeated by another oddly named man, Courtland Hawkins Smith. Following his last term as mayor Kemper continued to be politically active in Alexandria, serving as its City Attorney for a decade, as well as its Superintendent of Public Schools from 1893-1909. During the first Cleveland administration (1885-89), Kemper was selected by former Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston (then serving as U.S. Commissioner of Railroads) to serve on his staff.

    A Mason of prominent standing in Virginia, Kosciusko Kemper was initiated into the Washington-Alexandria Lodge No. 22 in March 1875 and in the succeeding years attained high rank in that fraternity, serving as Grand Master of the Washington-Alexandria Lodge from 1888-1890 and a Grand Junior Deacon of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. In 1906 he became Grand Master of Masons in Virginia and was also active in Confederate veteran circles, being a past commander of the Robert E. Lee Camp.

    A longstanding member of the Second Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Kemper was for many years a Sunday school superintendent and in 1883 became a church elder. After decades of prominence in Alexandria public life, Kosciusko Kemper died at age 74 on January 26, 1910, at the home of his daughter in Washington, D.C. He had been predeceased by his wife Iraetta in 1896 and both were interred at the Saint Paul's Cemetery in Alexandria. 

   On May 6, 2017, I was lucky to track down Kemper's gravesite at the aforementioned cemetery, and some photos from that excursion conclude his profile here. This author must state that the St. Paul's Cemetery (and the other cemeteries surrounding it) are some of the most picturesque I've yet seen, with some stones dating back to the early 1810s. Numerous instances of ivy-covered trees and crypts abound, along with wrought-iron gated family plots and intriguing gravestone shapes and designs. Interred at the neighboring Presbyterian Cemetery (located a few hundred yards away from Kemper) is the man who defeated him for Mayor in 1879, Courtland Hawkins Smith (1850-1892), who will have his own article posted here in the coming days.

Kosciusko Kemper in Masonic dress, portrait courtesy of aw22.org.

Kemper's obituary from the Washington Herald, January 27, 1910.

A visit with Kosciusko Kemper at the St. Paul's Cemetery

  St. Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery and the surrounding areas (located in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex) are home to some of the most impressive trees I've seen, as illustrated by the below photographs. Wrapped in century old vines and ivy, this particular tree has to be one of the oldest and largest in the Alexandria area!

I'm dwarfed by its size!!

Hinche Parham Mabry (1829-1884)

Portrait courtesy of Find-A-Grave.

  Today marks a return to the Lonestar State to highlight another unusually named Texas state representative, Hinche Parham Mabry. A two-term member of the house from Cass and Titus County, Mabry would go on to serve in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and following his military service served as a member of the Texas State Constitutional Convention and briefly as a District Court Judge.

   A native of Georgia, Hinche Parham Mabry was born in Carroll County on October 27, 1829, being the son of Hinche and Linnie Williams Mabry. Afforded a limited education as a child, Mabry enrolled at the University of Tennesee at Knoxville in the late 1840s and in 1851 relocated to Jefferson, Texas. He began reading law shortly after his resettlement and in 1854 married to Sarah Abigail "Abbie" Haywood, with whom he would have three sons, Woodford Haywood (born 1855), Bob (born 1867), and Hinche Parham (born 1877).

  Admitted to the Texas bar in 1856, Mabry entered the political life of Texas in that year when he successfully contested the election of representative J.C. McAlpin and took McAlpin's seat in the Texas legislature in July 1856. He served until November of the following year and in November 1859 won a second term in the statehouse. During this term (1859-61) Mabry chaired the committee on Enrolled Bills and also held seats on the committees on Federal Relations, Internal Improvements, the Judiciary, and the Penitentiary. 

   During his last year as a state representative, Mabry saw the dawn of the Civil War and, although opposed to secession, cast his lot with the Confederacy. In May 1861 he served amongst the ranks of a volunteer expeditionary force that took command of Forts Washita and Arbuckle located in the Indian Territory. In the following month, he joined the newly organized Third Texas Cavalry and shortly thereafter was promoted to Captain of Co. G in that regiment. 

   In the fall of 1861 Mabry and another companion, Captain Alfred Johnson, made a narrow escape in Springfield, Missouri while that city was under the control of Gen. John C. Fremont. Entering the city on foot patrol, Mabry and Johnson entered the home of a widow with whom both were familiar, to obtain information. While at the home the two were surrounded by a number of Union troops, several of whom grabbed Mabry to get him to surrender. Mabry managed to escape by killing two of his pursuers with a Bowie knife, while Captain Johnson (who was inside the home) used a revolver to kill several more officers stationed in the back of the home. Both Mabry and Johnson were wounded during this skirmish but managed to make an escape from the area under cover of night.

   After a period of recuperation, Hinche P. Mabry returned to the battlefield and saw action at the Battles of Elkhorn and Iuka. Severely wounded at the latter battle, Mabry was taken prisoner and in late 1862 was released in a prisoner exchange in Vicksburg. After stints as commander of the Texas Cavalry Brigade and later a rag-tag brigade made up of units from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas, Mabry was stationed at Yazoo City, Mississippi, where in 1864 he and his men captured the federal gunboat "Petrel". His later period of service saw him serve alongside Gen. Nathan B. Forrest and in June 1865 "signed his parole at Shreveport".

   Returning home to Texas, Mabry recommenced with the practice of law and in 1866 was elected as a delegate to the Texas State Constitutional Convention to be held at Austin. For a short period, he also served as Judge for Texas' Eighth Judicial district but was later replaced by "Federal Military authorities" after a year of service. Sources also note that Mabry was affiliated with a Ku Klux Klan offshoot group called the "Knights of Rising Sun" and for a time resided in Canada, having escaped there due to being implicated in the "Stockade Case", an act of reconstruction violence that claimed the lives of George W. Smith (a former Texas Constitutional Convention delegate) and two innocent black men. 

  Mabry's later life saw him practice law in Jefferson, Texas with David Browning Culberson (1830-1900), a former Texas state representative and senator. Mabry moved to Fort Worth, Texas around 1879 and resided there until the early 1880s. Having taken an interest in silver mining in Mexico, he spent considerable time in that country during the early part of that decade but spent his final days in Sherman, Texas. While visiting Sherman in early March 1884 Mabry was injured in the foot due to an accidental pistol discharge, the wound later being compounded by blood poisoning, resulting in his death on March 21, 1884. Mabry was later interred at the Oakwood Cemetery in Jefferson, Texas.

Mabry's obit from the March 22, 1884 edition of the Fort Worth Gazette.

Olinthus Ellis (1840-1905)

Portrait courtesy of Find-A-Grave.com

   Hailing from Lavaca County, Texas, Olinthus Ellis is yet another example of an oddly named member of the Texas State Legislature (and believe me, there are many!!) A one-term member of the Texas Senate, Ellis was also a veteran of the Confederate Army and an attorney based in the cities of Hallettsville and Uvalde.

   Although a resident of Texas for a good majority of his life, Olinthus Ellis wasn't born in the Lonestar State; his birth instead occurring in Henry County, Kentucky on May 5, 1840. One of nine children born to James Parrish Ellis and the former Jane Berryman, Ellis' early life and education remain uncertain, and he is recorded as having been a "bookkeeper in Louisville" until the dawn of the Civil War. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate Army and after relocating to Texas joined the ranks of Co. C. of the 13th Texas Volunteer Infantry. Ellis would later be promoted to sergeant major of the 8th Regiment Texas Infantry, serving under General John G. Walker.

   Olinthus Ellis served with the 8th Regiment Texas Infantry until the conclusion of the war, and after the hostilities sought out his brother Volney, a lawyer in Hallettsville, Texas. He followed in his brother's stead and after a period of study was admitted to the Texas bar in 1865. Ellis began the practice law in Hallettsville soon afterward and two years later married to Martha Ann "Mattie" Dibrell (1844-1879), with whom he would have three children: Elizabeth (1868-1929), Ben Dibrell (1873-1943), and Katy (1876-1880).

   Several years after establishing himself in Hallettsville Olinthus Ellis made his first move into politics, becoming a candidate for the Texas Senate from the 25th district in 1873. He would win election to that body and took his seat at the start of the 1874-76 session. His time in the senate saw him chair the committee on the Militia, as well as serving on the following committees: Blind Asylum, Comptroller and Treasurer's Accounts, Immigration, the Judiciary, Mexican Border Troubles, the Penitentiary, Retrenchment and Reform, Roads, Bridges and Ferries and State Affairs.

Portrait from the 1874 Texas legislative composite.

   Tragedy struck Olinthus Ellis in 1879 when his wife Mattie died at the age of 35. A few years following her passing Ellis removed to Uvalde, Texas and following his resettlement remarried to Sarah Grace Oglesby (1855-1919), their union producing a further five children: Jane Berryman (died in infancy in 1884), Olin Oglesby (1884-1968), Paul Roscoe (1892-1960), Juliet (died aged one in 1897) and a son who died in infancy in 1898.

   Ellis's later life in Uvalde saw him continue to practice law, and in the early 1890s took as a junior law partner a young lawyer named John Nance Garner (1868-1967), later to gain nationwide distinction as both Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and as Vice President of the United States under Franklin Roosevelt (1933-1941). Ellis died shortly after his 65th birthday on May 11, 1905, and was subsequently interred at the Uvalde Cemetery.

McDowell Reid Venable (1836-1907)

Portrait courtesy of ancestry.com

   Virginia native McDowell Reid Venable relocated to California after serving in the Confederate Army and in the years following his removal established a reputation as one of San Luis Obispo County's prominent citizens. A one-term member of the state assembly from California's 73rd district, Venable had earlier served terms as San Luis Obispo County judge.

  Born in September 1836 in Charlotte County, Virginia, McDowell Reid Venable was the son of Richard and Magdalena Venable. He would attend the common schools of that county and later studied at the Hampden-Sidney College. Venable would also begin law studies at the University of Virginia, but no notice has been found as to his possible date of graduation. At the dawn of the Civil War Venable enlisted in the Confederate Army at Yorktown, Virginia. He was later mustered into the Virginia Branch Light Artillery and on September 17, 1862, was wounded in the hip at the Battle of Antietam. Following recovery, he served as a First Lieutenant in the Confederate Engineer's Corps, stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana.

  Following the completion of his military service, Venable resided in Texas for a short time before removing back to Virginia. He would begin the practice of law here and after two years decided to pull up stakes once again, this time relocating to California. Arriving in 1868, Venable first settled in San Jose, but after a year moved to San Luis Obispo, where he would reside for the remainder of his life. 

  Within a few years of his removal to California McDowell R. Venable had become a prominent member of the San Luis Obispo community. In addition to operating a law practice in that city, he was elected as County Judge in 1872, continuing in that role until that office was abolished in 1880. 1872 proved to be a highly important year in Venable's life, as he married to Alice Watkins (1845-1885). The couple were married for thirteen years and had five daughters: Catherine, Alice, Edna, Magdaline, and Reida. In the same year as his marriage, Venable was named as part of the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention being held at Baltimore, Maryland. 

   In 1886 Venable returned to public life when he received the nomination for the California State Assembly and won the election that November. Taking his seat at the start of the 1887-89 session, he chaired the committee on the whole during his tenure and also held seats on the committees on Constitutional Amendments, Corporations, Judiciary, and Ways and Means.

   Outside of his legislative service, McDowell Reid Venable cultivated a reputation as one of San Luis Obispo's leading civic leaders, serving at various times as president of the school board and president of the San Luis Obispo Board of Trade. In 1888 he helped in the establishment of the Commercial Bank of San Luis Obispo and subsequently was named to the posts of both director and president. He would serve in the latter capacity until he died in San Luis Obispo on April 12, 1907, after "several weeks illness." Widowed in 1885, both Venable and his wife Alice were interred at the San Luis Cemetery in San Luis Obispo.

                                                                 From the Los Angeles Herald, April 13, 1907.

Zwingle Whitefield Ewing (1843-1909)

From "The Immortal Six Hundred; a Story of Cruelty to Confederate Prisoners of War" 1911.

    Certainly one of the oddest named men to be elected to public office in Tennessee,  Zwingle Whitefield Ewing was viewed as one of that state's distinguished Confederate veterans. Following his military service, Ewing went on to a noteworthy career in the public forum, being an attorney, college professor, college trustee and two-term state senator, serving as senate speaker. His tenure as speaker of the Tennessee Senate also saw him occupy the office of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee, as the post of speaker is the first in the line of succession to the Tennessee Governorship.

   The seventh of eight children born to Lile A. (1809-1853) and Rebecca Ann Leeper Ewing (1809-1877), Zwingle W. Ewing was born in 1843 in Pulaski, Tennessee. His unusual first name "Zwingle" is believed to be a corruption in the spelling of "Zwingli", the last name of 15th century clergyman Huldrych Zwingli, the founder of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland. Research has shown that Ewing's first name is sometimes spelled as "Zwingli", which lends even more credence to the probability of his being named in honor of this prominent European scholar and religious worker, who met his end in the Second Kappel War in Zurich in October 1531. 

  Goodspeed's Biographical Appendix of Giles County, Tennessee notes that "Z.W." Ewing's early life centered upon farm work during the summer months and school during the winter. In 1859 he entered into study at the Lewisburg Male Academy and in the following year enrolled at the Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, studying there until the dawn of the Civil War. Ewing would enlist in Co. H. of the 17th Tennessee Infantry in 1861 and rose through the ranks during his service, eventually being promoted to second lieutenant. Ewing would see action during the Siege of Petersburg and was taken prisoner at South Petersburg in 1864, being taken to Fort Delaware following his capture. 

   Within a few weeks of Ewing's capture, Union forces began to barrage Charleston, South Carolina with cannon fire, even going as far as to fire upon "non-military" portions of the city. Due to this indiscriminate fire, Confederate forces began to position Union prisoners in these areas, believing that Union artillery wouldn't fire upon areas where they knew that their men would be in harm's way. After becoming aware of the Confederate Army's positioning of these Union prisoners, Union forces began a period of retaliation, one which was highlighted in Ewing's death notice in the Confederate Veteran serial published in 1910. As the Veteran noted in its Index, Volume XVII, the Union Army took:

"Six hundred prisoners from Fort Delaware, among whom was Major Ewing, and placed them where they were directly exposed to the Confederate guns. These were kept there three months half starved and less then half clad."

  These six hundred men were placed on Morris Island, near the entranceway to Charleston Harbor. For a period of forty-five days, Ewing and his fellow servicemen were used as human shields between the Union forces and the Confederate gunners at neighboring Fort Sumter. The soldiers were eventually removed to Fort Pulaski by the Union Army in October 1864 and experienced further harsh treatment, having to subsist on meager portions of food, mentioned as being hardtack, moldy cornmeal and soured onion pickles. 
   On March 12, 1865, the remaining prisoners were returned to Fort Delaware. Over half of the "Immortal Six Hundred" (as the men were later known) had died over the previous months of illnesses like dysentery and scurvy, while others had starved. Z.W. Ewing was one of the lucky few who had survived their horrid treatment, and after being released from captivity returned home to Tennessee. He would resume his education in 1866 when he enrolled at the University of Virginia and in 1868 began a stint as Principal of the Richmond Academy in Richmond, Tennessee. 
   In 1870 Ewing spent time in Europe traveling and studying "the German language", returning stateside in 1871, and in that year married Harriet P. Jones, with whom he would have one daughter, Marietta. In the same year as his marriage, Ewing earned his law degree and took on the position as a professor of Latin at Giles College, remaining here until 1872. 
   Throughout the 1870s Ewing practiced law in Pulaski and became active in state politics in the middle of that decade, serving as the chairman of the Tennessee State Democratic Convention of 1876. In 1877 he was named as a Tennessee state railroad assessor and in November 1878 was elected to represent Tennessee's 15th district in the State Senate, serving during the 1879-81 term. Ewing was returned to the senate in the November 1886 election and during the 1887-89 term served as Senate Speaker. His time in this position also saw him serve as Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee, as the post of Senate Speaker is first in line of succession in the event of the death or removal of Tennessee's Governor.
  Both before and after his time in state government Ewing maintained a lengthy connection with the University of Tennessee, serving on that school's board of trustees from 1883 until his death. In addition to his being a trustee, Z.W. Ewing was a past president of the People's National Bank of Pulaski, a past president of the State Bivouac of Confederate Veterans, and a member of both the Masonic and Knights of Pythias Lodges. Ewing continued in the practice of law until poor health necessitated his retirement. He died at age 65 in Pulaski on August 9, 1909, and was later memorialized in the Confederate Veteran as having been one of Tennessee's most "useful and influential citizens", as well as:

"A lawyer of great ability, and his whole life was characterized by devotion to his state and her people and the keeping of a clean legal record that had never a spot or stain."

From the Atlanta Constitution, August 10, 1909.

Ibzan William Middlebrook (1837-1899)

                                          From the Personnel of the Texas State Government, 1889 edition.

   The Lonestar State yields another oddly named political figure in one Ibzan William Middlebrook, a resident of Colorado County who served as a state representative in the Texas Legislature during that body's 21st legislative session. While his first name "Ibzan" is truly unusual, it has its origins in the Bible, being the name of one of the Judges of Israel featured in the Book of Judges. Why Middlebrook was bestowed this odd name has been lost to history, and his name also has a variation in spelling, being listed on his gravestone as "Ibsam William Middlebrooks", presumably a spelling error on the part of the gravestone carver.
    Born in the county of Chickasaw in Mississippi on November 28, 1837, Ibzan W. Middlebrook was the first born child of nine born to  James Bird Middlebrook and his wife Mariah Bray (1815-1874). He received his schooling in the "private schools of that state" and later relocated to Texas with his family. The Personnel of the Texas State Government reports that Middlebrook worked at farming during the 1850s and is also recorded as being the manager of the estate of a "Mrs. Hardeman" in Bastrop County.
    Shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War Ibzan Middlebrook enlisted for service amongst the ranks of the Confederacy, becoming an orderly sergeant. The Personnel of Texas notes that Middlebrook saw action at the Battles of Elkhorn, Corinth, Mississippi, and Iuka, and in the closing months of the war was taken prisoner, spending the remainder of the hostilities at Fort Delaware. After being released at the conclusion of the war, Middlebrook returned to Texas and later removed from Lavaca County to Colorado County, where he engaged in lumber manufacturing for many years, subsequently amassing a substantial fortune through "lumber yards in different localities."
   On January 3, 1869, Ibzan Middlebrook married in Columbus, Texas to Hattie Cunningham, who eventually gave birth to five children: Earl Sloan (1869-1914), Ibbie (1871-1945), John Moore (1873-1938), Ray (1875-1950) and Percy Cunningham Middlebrook (1879-1963). 
  In the mid-1870s Middlebrook made his first move into politics, winning election to the Texas State House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1876. Representing the counties of Colorado and Lavaca, Middlebrook was returned to the legislature in 1888 and during his second term chaired the house committee on Claims and Accounts, while also holding a seat on the committees on Internal Improvements, Mining and Minerals, Penitentiaries, Public Buildings and Grounds, Roads, Ferries and Bridges, and State Institutions of Learning. In his last full year of legislative service (1890), Middlebrook was named as a member of the Texas State Penitentiary Board, also serving as an inspector of convict camps for a five-year term.

                                                    From the Legislative Reference Library of Texas website.

    After leaving the legislature Middlebrook returned to his business dealings and in 1891 he and his brother Oscar joined in a partnership to purchase several thousands of acres of land which was eventually harvested for its timber, this acreage eventually saw the erection of a sawmill and a cattle ranch. Middlebrook also continued activity in politics, being elected as the Mayor of Columbus, Texas, serving in office until his death on July 5, 1899, at age 61. He was later interred at the Columbus, Texas Odd Fellows Rest Cemetery and was survived by his wife Hattie, who followed her husband to the grave in January 1917 at age 69.

Decimus et Ultimus Barziza (1838-1882)

Portrait from the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, April 1963.

   This wonderfully named political figure is Decimus et Ultimus Barziza, a 19th-century Texas resident who gained distinction as a soldier, author, lawyer, and member of the Texas State House of Representatives. When I first stumbled across this intriguingly named man several years ago, there were very few resources online that mentioned him at any great length. I'm pleased to report that the above fact has now changed, and one of these newly discovered resources (an archived April 1963 edition of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly) gives an excellent overview on Barziza's short life and how he received his odd name.
   The story behind Barziza's unique name begins in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was born on September 4, 1838. He was the son of an Italian immigrant and Viscount named Filippo Ignacio Barziza and his Canadian wife, Cecilia Amanda Bellett. Decimus's father settled in Williamsburg, Virginia around 1820 and thereafter had a family that consisted of 9 children. In 1838 a tenth child was born, and after doing some celebrating with friends, Filippo realized that he had no idea what to name his newborn son. A friend who was with him humorously suggested the name of "Decimus et Ultimus" (which literally translates to "tenth and last" in Latin) and the elder Barziza decided to bestow that very name upon his son!
   Young Decimus studied at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and graduated from here in 1857. He removed to Texas with three of his brothers shortly after leaving college and once settled, began the study of law at Baylor University. He earned his law degree in 1859 and shortly thereafter moved to Owensville in the hopes of opening a law practice.
  Barziza's career as a lawyer was put on hold at the outbreak of the Civil War. Soon after the hostilities broke out, he joined up with the Confederate Army and served with the Fourth Texas Infantry. He later became a first lieutenant and served under the command of Gen. John Bell Hood. Barziza eventually became a Captain under Hood and saw action at the Battles of Manassas and Gettysburg. On July 2, 1863, he was wounded at the latter battle and was captured by the Union Army, spending the next few months as a prisoner of war in a camp hospital in Ohio. In 1864, Barziza and a number of other Confederate prisoners were being transferred by train to Point Lookout, Maryland, when he made good his escape by leaping through one of the train's windows.
  In the weeks following his escape, Barziza gradually made his way to Canada and would eventually manage to sneak back into the United States. After resettling in Texas in 1865, he published a memoir of his wartime experiences, entitled The Adventures of a Prisoner of War, and Life and Scenes in Federal Prisons: Johnson's Island, Fort Delaware and Point Lookout. One should also note that Barziza didn't publish these memoirs under his own name, but rather under the pseudonym "An Escaped Prisoner of Hood's Texas Brigade".

            This 1870s portrait of Barziza appears on the Legislative Reference Library of Texas website.

   In the years following the war, Barziza established his law practice and within a few years became known as one of the leading attorneys in his area. He made his first jump into politics in 1873, winning election to the Texas State House of Representatives from Harris County. Barziza proved to be busy as a first-term legislator, being named to the committees on Asylums, Commerce and Manufactures, Congressional Districts,  Constitutional Amendments, Education, Internal Improvements, Judicial Districts, State Affairs, and the Texas Central Railroad. He would also chair the committee on Public Lands and Land Office. Barziza was reelected to the legislature in 1876 and served until August 2nd of that year when he resigned his seat due to a clash with the House's majority party over a piece of legislation. 
  Barziza continued with his law practice in the years following his stint in the legislature and was also one of the founders (and later chairman) of the Houston Land and Trust Company. In 1878 he name was boosted by the Houston Age as a potential candidate for Lieutenant Governor, but nothing came of it. He died of an undisclosed illness in Houston, Texas on January 30, 1882, at age 44, and was subsequently buried in the Glendale Cemetery in Houston.
  

    This Ripley's Believe It Or Not write up on Barziza was published in 1965 in the Albuquerque Journal.

Fetter Schrier Hoblitzell (1838-1900)

                               Hobitzell as he appeared in the 1882 edition of Public Men of Today.


   The life of Maryland congressman Fetter Schrier Hoblitzell is highlighted today, and in this author's opinion his unique name makes an excellent tongue twister (just try saying his full name three times fast!) Born in Cumberland, Maryland on October 7, 1838, Fetter S. Hoblitzell was the son of William and Henrietta Hoblitzell. His education began in the primary schools of Cumberland County and he later graduated from the Alleghany Academy located in that county.
   In the late 1850s, Hoblitzell turned his attention to the study of law and would receive his law degree in 1859. Shortly thereafter he established his practice in Baltimore, but his career as a lawyer was put on hold due to his enlisting for service in the Civil War. Siding with the Confederacy, Hoblitzell joined the First Maryland Regiment of Infantry as a private and later served amongst the ranks of the 3rd Regiment, Virginia Local Defense Infantry.
   Fetter Hoblitzell married on October 28, 1862, taking as his wife Julia Truehart. The couple wed in Richmond, Virginia, and are believed to have remained childless through the entirety of their marriage. Resuming his law practice after leaving the Confederate Army, Hoblitzell was soon bitten by the political bug and in 1870 launched a successful campaign for the Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore's 3rd legislative district. He would win reelection to this body in 1876 and 1878, and in the latter year was chosen as its speaker. His stewardship of the house proceedings garnered him praise from his fellow delegates, with the Public Men of To-Day noting that:

"He won golden opinions from every quarter for his able, intelligent and energetic discharge of the delicate duties of his position."

   During his tenure in the house of delegates, Hoblitzell also was a trustee of the St. Mary's Industrial School in Baltimore, serving in that capacity for six years. In 1880 Fetter Hoblitzell was "chosen without opposition" to be the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 3rd district, and in November of that year won handily against Republican nominee Joshua Horner, Jr, besting him by over three thousand votes. Hoblitzell took his seat in March of 1881 and would win re-election to Congress in 1882, defeating Republican candidate Thomas F. Lang by over 4,000 votes. 

   During his two terms in the House Hoblitzell sat on the committee on Railways and Canals. After his second term, he returned to Maryland, where in 1888 he was named as Baltimore city counselor. Fetter Schier Hoblitzell died at his Baltimore home on May 2, 1900, after having been ill for several months prior. The 61-year-old former Congressman was later interred at the Loudon Park Cemetery in his native Baltimore. He was survived by his wife Julianna, who died in 1935 at age 92.

An obituary for Hoblitzell was published in the Washington D.C. Evening Times, May 3, 1900.