Tunis Van Doren Hoagland (1813-1872), Teunis Garret Bergen (1806-1881)

From "The City of New Brunswick; Its History, Its Homes, Its Industries", 1908.

  Tunis Van Doren Hoagland was a 19th-century carpenter who had fleeting involvement in politics in 1858 when he became mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey, being elected to fill a vacancy. While there is a dearth of resources on Hoagland's life, the sources that do exist mention him as a leading figure in his city, and in addition to his mayoralty served as keeper of the New Jersey State Prison at Trenton. A lifelong Garden State resident, Hoagland was born of Dutch extraction in Somerset County, New Jersey on July 3, 1813, the son of Henry and Gertrude (Van Liew) Hoagland.

  Descended from a long-established Dutch family, Tunis Hoagland's early life remains largely unknown. Before embarking on a career in carpentry he worked briefly as a clerk in a grocery store, and later followed in his father's stead and learned carpentry. He would go into business for himself, and at the time of his death in 1872 was "said to have been the best master carpenter and architect this city as ever had." Hoagland's 1872 obituary in the New Brunswick Daily Times further details that "he planned and built the whole row of houses in Paterson street to Elm row", which he later sold for "a moderate profit for himself." This same obituary notes other homes in the city that bore his handiwork, and that by 1858-59 he had "relinquished the business."

  Tunis V.D. Hoagland married Anna Eliza White (1815-1868) in 1835. The couple's thirty-three-year union saw the births of fifteen children, several of whom died in childhood. At the time of his death in 1872, only five of Hoagland's children survived him.

   By the 1850s Hoagland had become active in the civic life of his region, and in 1851, he and several other New Brunswick citizens were founding organizers of the Willow Grove Cemetery Association. This was followed by Hoagland's involvement in the organizing of the New Brunswick Water Company, which was incorporated in 1858. After retiring from the carpentry trade Hoagland's business dealings included a blind and sash factory, and a grist mill--The Girard Mills--located in the Spring Street area of the city. Additionally, Hoagland ventured into the production of mineral paints (perennis brown), which proved popular in the South until "war broke up the business." Hoagland is also remarked as a director of the Mutual Life Insurance Company, a trustee of the Lancastrian School, and an honorary member of Protection Engine Co. No. 5.

  Tunis Hoagland first entered politics in the 1850s, being affiliated with the Know-Nothing movement, and after backing a then-popular liquor law, ran unsuccessfully for the New Jersey State Assembly in 1855/56. His political fortunes changed in 1857 when John Bayard Kirkpatrick, the Democratic mayor of the city, resigned due to clashes with the board of aldermen, then predominantly Know-Nothing. Kirkpatrick's resignation necessitated a special election, with four candidates vying for the mayoral chair. Hoagland, backed by a loose coalition of Republicans and Know-Nothings, won the race "by a 40 majority."

  Hoagland's mayoral tenure proved brief (1857-58), and he was succeeded by Peter C. Onderdonk. He reemerged on the political scene in 1862 when he was appointed Keeper of the State Prison at Trenton. His brief time in office saw him undertake an extensive revision of the prison, and following this repair work could boast of a prison surplus of $13,000. Hoagland later drew the ire of contractors who "killed his reelection for the succeeding year", and was subsequently bribed with "a note and $500 to quiet him." Proving to be made of the sterner stuff, Hoagland would turn over the money to the New Jersey State Library.

  In the latter period of his life, Hoagland engaged in the manufacture of printers ink and was a mercantile tailor before retiring in the late 1860s. Widowed in 1868, he made one last run at public office in 1869, hoping to be named Collector for Middlesex County. He was defeated and later changed his political affiliation to Democrat. The last months of Hoagland's life were marked by a long decline in health, and he died at his home on December 4, 1872, aged 59. He was interred alongside his wife at the Willow Grove Cemetery in New Brunswick.

From Reed's History of Kings County, New York, 1683-1884.

  A long-tenured figure on The Strangest Names In American Political History, Teunis Garret Bergen's name was first located by this author via the online Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress back in 2002. The only "Teunis" to win election to Congress, Bergen served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York and had been a three-time delegate to the state constitutional conventions of 1846, 1867, and 1868. Born in Brooklyn on October 6, 1806, Teunis Garret Bergen was the son of Garret and Jane (Wyckoff) Bergen.

  Descended from a family with its roots in New York extending back to the 1630s, Bergen worked the family farm in Gowanus during his youth and attended the Erasmus Hall Academy in Flatbush. Readying himself for a career in farming, Bergen studied surveying, "in which he soon became proficient." He married Elizabeth Roelof Van Brunt (1807-1890) in December 1827, and the couple's fifty-three-year union produced at least seven children: Gertrude (1831-1865), Jane (1832-1919), Garret (1833-1893), Elizabeth (1837-1893), Johanna (1839-1913), Van Brunt (1841-1917), and Lemma (1844-1846).

  Early in his life, Bergen joined the "Kings County Troop" of the New York State National Guard, and through the succeeding years attained the ranks of captain, ensign, adjutant, lieutenant colonel, and colonel in the 241st Regiment. He began treading the political waters with his election as township supervisor of New Utrecht and served 23 years in office (1836-1859). For four years (1842-46) he was chairman of the Kings County Board of Supervisors, and in 1846 was elected a Kings County delegate to the state constitutional convention. He would again serve as a delegate to the conventions of 1867-68 and was a member of the committees on Canals and Indians. Additionally, Bergen would attend multiple democratic state conventions after beginning his political career.

  Elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1860, Bergen journeyed to Baltimore and during the convention proceedings "vigorously opposed the resolutions of that body which caused the breach between the Northern and Southern Democratic party." In 1864 he announced his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 2nd district and that November was elected, defeating Union Republican Samuel Maddox by a vote of 13,630 to 8,829. He served one term and wasn't a candidate for renomination in 1866.

  After leaving politics Teunis Bergen focused his efforts on writing history and genealogy, and between 1866 and his death he authored numerous works, including: "The Bergen Family" (1866), "The Genealogy of the Van Brunt Family" (1867), and portions of "A Register of the Early Settlers and Freeholders of Kings County, N.Y., from Its First Settlement by Europeans to 1700." A founder of the Long Island Genealogical Society, Bergen also held membership in the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and in 1878 published "A Genealogy of the Lefferts Family, 1675-1878."

  Teunis G. Bergin continued residence in New Utrecht until his death from pneumonia on April 24, 1881, aged 76. He was survived by his wife Elizabeth, and both were interred at the famed Green-wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. 

Jeromus Johnson (1775-1846)

Portrait courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.

   Two-term U.S. Representative Jeromus Johnson can rightly be labeled as an "old guard" oddly named political figure, as I discovered his name via the Congressional Bioguide database way back in the summer of 2000. In the eighteen years since becoming aware of Mr. Johnson, he stands as the only "Jeromus" I've found, and other than a few brief biographical lines on the Congressional Bioguide and Wikipedia, Johnson's life largely remains obscure. The son of Capt. Barent Johnson (1740-1782), a state militia captain, and the former Anne Remsen (1745-1792), Jeromus Johnson was born in Wallabout, New York on November 2, 1775. He was a student in the Wallabout schools and during his youth moved to New York City. In 1802 he married Mary Carpenter (1782-1863) and would have at least one daughter, Mary Carpenter Johnson (died 1849).

   After his removal to New York City Johnson plotted his future and the succeeding years saw him attain prominence in several business endeavors in the city, including service as a trustee for the Seaman's Bank for Savings, being a director of the Merchants Fire Insurance Company and had a hand in establishing "the first horse-drawn omnibus line from Manhattan to Brooklyn." From 1805-1812 Johnson operated a distillery in Hudson, New York, devoted to the manufacture of rum from imported molasses. 

   Long active in Democratic political circles in the city, Jeromus Johnson was remarked as  "sort of a pillar in Tammany" and following his election to the New York State Assembly in 1821 chaired the assembly committee responsible for the North River and Fulton Bank charters. A staunch Tammany man and Jacksonian Democrat at the time of his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1824, Johnson served two terms in Congress (1825-1829) and chaired the Committee on Public Expenditures. As a cog in the largest political machine in New York City, Jeromus Johnson proved to be susceptible to political patronage, and as two of his contemporaries (Benjamin F. Butler and Jesse Hoyt) noted in their retrospective of the city political scene:

"Mr. Van Buren knew his man, and he baited a political hook with an appraiser's office; hung it up in the ceiling of the House of Representatives to make Jeromus vote straight when he went to congress. Jerome kept his eye upon the bait--was in due time nominated an appraiser, though he had been a conservative and voted for the Tallmadge pledge"

   Indeed; one year following his final term in Congress, Jeromus Johnson was named as Appraiser of Goods for the Port of New York in 1830, an office he would fill through the administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. Following his retirement in 1840, Johnson retired to his estate in Goshen, Orange County, New York, where he died on September 7, 1846, aged 70. He was survived by his wife Mary and both were interred in the Johnson family cemetery, a private graveyard located on the grounds of their estate.

From the American Republican and Baltimore Clipper, Sept. 14, 1846.

Anning Smith Prall (1870-1937)

Portrait courtesy of the Library of Congress.

  Six-term U.S. Representative Anning Smith Prall received a brief mention in April 8th's profile on Esli Lyle Sutton, the man whom Prall defeated for a seat in Congress in 1926. A lifelong New Yorker, Prall was a past member of the New York City Board of Education and city tax commissioner before his years in Congress. Further political honors came his way following his leaving the house, as he was appointed by then-President Franklin Roosevelt to the Federal Communications Commission.

  The son of William and Josephine Rebecca Prall, Anning S. Prall was born at Port Richmond, Staten Island on September 17, 1870. His early education occurred in Staten Island and in the early 1890s enrolled at New York University. He would later enter into the employ of the New York World newspaper, where he worked as a reporter. In 1896 he left that paper and entered the Richmond County clerk's office, where he served as chief clerk for several years. Prall married in January 1892 to Jane Beaver and had two sons, Anning Mortimer and Bryan.

   In 1907 Anning Prall began a decade-long affiliation with the Staten Island Savings Bank's Mortgage and Loan Department, being the director of its real estate division. Twelve years later he was elected as President of the New York City Board of Education, defeating incumbent president Arthur S. Somers. Despite having no previous experience in state educational matters, Prall took to the job with vigor, outlining an extensive plan to increase teacher's salaries and hire only "aggressively loyal Americans" to teach in New York City schools. Promising to try and curb the influence of radicalism in the city schools, Prall remarked that:

"We should not retain in our classrooms for one moment minds so corrupted by radical doctrines that they cannot be aggressively loyal Americans, who are reverent and sympathetic expounders of a democracy which is the most effective government the world has ever devised to ensure all men life, liberty and pursuit of happiness."

Anning Prall as he appeared in the New York Tribune, May 14, 1919.

   Prall's tenure as school board president extended until 1921 when he resigned to join the City Board of Taxes and Assessment. Regarded as "a real estate expert" during his time on the board, Prall served there until 1923,  and in that year entered into national politics for the first time, due to the death of ten-term Congressman Daniel Riordan (1870-1953). 

   A representative from Long Island since 1905, Riordan died in office on April 23, 1923, and following his death, a special election was held to fill his vacant seat in Congress. As the Democratic nominee to fill the vacancy, Prall's opponent in that election was Republican Guy O. Walser, a lawyer based in Staten Island. On election day that year, it was Prall who won by a wide margin, besting Walser by a vote of 28,215 to 9,972. Taking his seat at the start of the January 1924 session, Prall won a second term in November 1924 and two years later triumphed over Richmond County lawyer Esli L. Sutton to win a third term. 

  Prall would serve a further three terms in Congress and would serve on the committee on Banking and Currency during his twelve years in the house. Towards the end of his time in Congress Prall was involved in a serious automobile accident that also injured U.S. Senator Robert F. Wagner. In a Schenectady Gazette write-up on the incident, Prall and Wagner had been on their way to Canada on a fishing trip when Wagner swerved his car to avoid hitting an oncoming truck. Their vehicle ended up driving over a twenty-foot embankment before finally coming to rest "on its side in an Adirondack mountain brook". Both politicians were injured in the accident, with Prall himself sustaining a "compound fracture of one leg."

Prall taking the oath of office shortly before his FCC service.

   Following a hospital stay recuperating from his injuries, Prall resumed work in Congress. During his years on Capitol Hill Prall had gained a firm friend in President Franklin Roosevelt, who in January 1935 appointed him to the Federal Communications Commission. Prall would advance to the post of Chairman of that commission and during his two-year tenure was acknowledged as a staunch defender of "freedom of speech over the airwaves." Utilizing his previous service on the NYC Board of Education, Prall also saw radio as a powerful educational tool, one that if used wisely could spread positive "democratic propaganda" throughout the country, if not the world. As Prall himself stated at an FCC conference in 1936, radio could:

"Spread the ideas and ideals of America, can 'sell' America to Americans, and thus forge a weapon of national unity that no other agency can create."

 Anning Smith Prall died while still chairman of the FCC on July 23, 1937, having succumbed to a heart attack at his summer home in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. He was survived by his wife and two sons and was later interred in the Prall family plot at the Moravian Cemetery at New Dorp, Staten Island. Far from a forgotten political figure, Prall was later honored by having Intermediate School 27 on Staten Island named after him, being known as the Anning S. Prall Intermediate School.

From the Ogdensburgh Journal, July 23, 1937.

Pius Louis Schwert (1892-1941)

From the Buffalo News, October 6, 1938.

    Two-term U.S. Representative Pius Louis Schwert is profiled today, and it is worth noting that previous to political service he was a professional baseball player, playing for the New York Highlanders, later to be known as the New York Yankees. A popular figure in his home state, as well as the U.S. Capitol, Schwert's promising political career was curtailed by his death while in office in March 1941.
  Pius Louis Schwert was born in the village of Angola, New York on November 22, 1892, the son of Julius and Louise Ahlers Schwert. Distinguished in his own right, Julius Schwert was at various times a business owner, town treasurer, town clerk, and eventually deputy sheriff of Erie County, New York. Pius Schwert attended schools local to the Angola area and eventually graduated from the Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York. He later enrolled at the famed Wharton School of Commerce in Philadelphia, graduating from there in 1914. 
   While attending college in Pennsylvania, Schwert gained prominence as a stand-out ball player on the varsity team. He eventually made the All-American college team, and after leaving college went on to the Major Leagues. In 1914 he joined up with the New York Highlanders (later known as the Yankees) and played with the team for two seasons. Sources also denote Schwert as playing for professional teams in Jersey City and Newark, but dates aren't known for his time with those clubs. Schwert left the major leagues in 1916 and became an ensign in the Navy, being stationed at the Bremerton Navy Yard in Washington state during WWI. During his service he "had charge of submarine and ammunition depot payrolls", and continued with his baseball career during his Navy service, playing on a Naval District team.  In the succeeding years, Schwert looked back with fondness on his time in baseball, and reflected on its "power of fellowship" after entering politics, remarking:

"It was to the advantage of a young man in college to discover that when men unite for a common cause, whenever they feel the sense of fellowship and comradeship drawing them together, whenever they fight with their backs to the wall, a power comes into play that is greater than the strength of the individuals."

              Pius Schwert (1892-1941), as he looked during his tenure on the NY Highlanders, ca. 1915.

   At the conclusion of his naval service, Schwert returned to Angola and operated a general store for a short period. In 1921 he was named as the President of the Bank of Angola, serving in this position until 1931. In his first year as bank president Schwert had a brief return to the baseball diamond, playing twenty games as catcher for the Buffalo Bisons. Pius Schwert married in New York in February 1923 to Hattie Elizabeth Schwert. The couple were wed for eighteen years and would be childless.  

  After leaving the Bank of Angola in 1931 Schwert resided in Buffalo and was named manager of the Masonic Service Bureau, "in which he assisted many unemployed to find jobs." He first entered politics in 1933 with his candidacy as Erie County clerk and was elected to that post in November 1933 "by 7,000 votes." He was reelected in 1935 and served until 1938 when he announced his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Hoping to succeed his old friend James M. Mead (who had recently been elected to the U.S. Senate), campaign notices for Schwert appeared in newspapers throughout Western New York, and in an October 1938 announcement Schwert's time as county clerk and his character were praised by the Springville Journal, which notes:

"As County Clerk, Mr. Schwert has proven that he is not a "Yes" man. He stands up for his rights. He has fought for his employees. He believes in serving the people of the community and would continue to serve and "fight for" the people of the 42nd district, if elected to represent that district. He will cater to no one group or individual but will work for all regardless of race, creed, or color. For proof of his loyalty any of his employees will testify in his behalf."

  In that year's congressional election, Schwert was opposed by John Cornelius Butler (1887-1953). When the votes were tallied, Schwert managed a nearly 3,000-vote win over Butler, 39,287 votes to 36, 326.

                                            From "Evans and Angola", by Cheryl Delano, 2009.

  Taking his seat at the start of the 1939-40 session, Schwert was named to the committees on War Claims and World War Veterans Legislation. He was reelected to Congress in November 1940 and on this occasion defeated his Republican opponent Edward F. Moss by a wide margin, 64, 250 votes to 44, 866. 

  An active club man in addition to politics, Schwert's memberships in civic groups and fraternal clubs are also noteworthy. A former vice president of the New York State County Clerk's Association in 1938, Schwert held the presidency of the Southwestern Association of Volunteer Firemen, was a past district commander of the Second Erie Masonic District, and was commander of the Newcomb-Long Post No. 928 American Legion.

  Schwert was only a few months into his second congressional term when tragedy struck on March 11, 1941. On that particular day, Schwert had just concluded giving a speech at a dinner party at the Hotel Annapolis in Washington, D.C.  Noting that he planned to run for Mayor of Buffalo, Schwert had just returned to his seat when he suffered a fatal heart attack at age 48 and died in the arms of U.S. Senator James Michael Meade of New York. Schwert's unexpected death "came as a distinct shock" to his friends and fellow congressmen, and shortly afterward his body was returned to Angola and interred in the Forest Avenue Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Hattie, who died in 1967 and was interred alongside her husband. In the days following his passing Schwert's brief career in politics was praised by his friend, James Michael Mead, who in a moving memorial remarked:

"Possessed of a pleasing personality and an edifying humilty, he made friends from every walk of life, and their number as well as loyalty increased and multiplied with the passing years. He was my neighbor, my colleague, and above all my sincere friend. My deepest sympathy goes forth to his wife  and to the members of his family." 

From the Tampa Bay Times, March 13, 1941.

                                      Schwert's death notice from the Troy, NY Times Record.

   Earlier today (February 5, 2012) I managed to make a visit to Pius L. Schwert's gravesite in Angola and after some searching discovered the quiet, well-kept Forest Avenue Cemetery on the outskirts of the town. Schwert's gravestone is located between that of his father and mother (as well as his wife, Hattie) and it indeed mentions his service in Congress from 1939 to 1941. An American Legion marker and flag indicate his service during the First World War. Some photos from that visit have been posted below.

                         With the SNIAPH Book at the gravesite of Congressman Pius Louis Schwert.

Arphaxed Loomis (1798-1885)

                                  The Honorable Arphaxed Loomis, who finally has a picture!!!!!
  
  One of the best things about this project is the sheer amount of digging and research that goes into finding more about some of these infinitely obscure politicians. The man profiled today, U.S. Representative and Judge Arphaxed Loomis, has been on the "Strangest Names In American Political History" list for over ten years, but all the while one thing was sorely lacking--a photograph of the man. While numerous other obscure politicians (such as Epaphroditus Champion and Ner Middleswarth) eventually had pictures of themselves come to light, one thing remained consistent...Loomis's apparent facelessness. Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that I'd probably never see a portrait of this oddly named man and chalked it up to the possibility that Loomis might have had an aversion to photography, hence why I hadn't found a picture of him yet.

   That remained my firm belief until today when I decided it was time to write an article on the man, his unique name, and his numerous political accomplishments. In a last-ditch effort to find a portrait of Mr. Loomis, I culled through Google Books once more and stumbled across a book I couldn't remember looking through. The work in question was "Descendants of Joseph Loomis In America: And his Antecedents In the Old World", originally published in 1875, but revised in 1908.

  After finding the name "Arphaxad Loomis" (you'll notice the spelling variation there) listed in the illustrations section at the beginning of this book, I promptly jumped five feet in the air and then did my best impression of Michael Jackson's famous "moonwalk." After years of searching, a picture has finally been found of this curiously named New York congressman, and it now adorns the top of the article you're now reading. With that lengthy introduction out of the way, we'll now take a look at the life and political exploits of Mr. Loomis.

  Arphaxed Loomis was born in Winchester, Connecticut on April 9, 1798, one of ten children born to Thaddeus (1761-1839) and Lois Griswold Loomis (1769-1826). Bestowed the unusual name Arphaxed upon his birth, this name stems from the biblical name "Arphacshad" or "Arphaxad". This biblical figure was a grandson of Noah, and its translation can be read as "one who releases."Arphaxed moved to the town of Salisbury, New York with his family when he was three years old, spending the majority of his adolescence helping with the family farm. He would attend the Fairfield Academy and at age twenty he began the study of law, studying under William I Dodge of Johnstown. He continued studies in the office of Ford and Bucklin in Watertown, and after a period of tutelage under several other prominent attorneys was admitted to the state bar in 1822.

   In 1825, Loomis moved to Little Falls, New York, and soon established a law practice. He married in October 1831 to Ms. Ann Todd (1807-1879), and this union eventually produced eight children. In 1831 Loomis was elected as President of the Village of Little Falls and was returned to this office in 1832, 1833, and 1836. In addition to his tenure as village president, Loomis was later appointed as Herkimer County judge in 1835, holding this position until 1840. 
   During his tenure as a judge, Loomis was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1836, taking his seat in January of the next year. During his congressional service, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Patents and later sat on the Committee for Private Land Claims.  He served in Congress until 1839 and wasn't a candidate for renomination. His tenure in the House of Representatives was Loomis's only service in government at the national level, and from 1840 onward the only political offices he held were those in his home state.

   After returning to New York, Loomis was elected to the New York State Assembly from Herkimer County in 1841 and 1842 and chaired the judiciary committee during the latter session. He would win another assembly term in 1853. Loomis was also a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1846, where he served as a member of the judiciary committee.

        Loomis' name listed amongst fellow members of the NY State Assembly. Also listed is Othniel  

          Looker, who later became Governor of Ohio in 1814.

    In one of his last acts of political service, Loomis was named as a delegate to the New York State Democratic conventions of 1861 and 1863. The "Descendants of Joseph Loomis in America"  work mentioned earlier makes special note of the hearing problems that plagued Loomis from 1818 onward. It states that these problems "grew gradually so that his extreme deafness caused him to retire practically from public life in 1857." While this malady probably caused him some consternation, it did not curtail Loomis' lifespan, as he lived quite a long life by 19th-century standards, dying on September 15, 1885, at age 87. He was subsequently buried in the Church Street Cemetery in his hometown of Little Falls, New York. Memorialized as one of Herkimer County's standout lawyers and citizens, Loomis was:

"A model of public and private integrity. His public duties and trusts engaged his devoted an paramount attention. There was never a suggestion that he neglected any public duty. His eminent services in reforming the Constitution and laws, to which so much of his life was given, were preformed with as deep as sense of obligation as that which he felt in discharging the duties he owed to clients or the public in other capacities."

                     Arphaxed Loomis's obituary from the Sept. 23, 1885 Morrisville, NY Madison Observer.