Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Thomas Browne, born near Dayton, April 19th 1829. He moved to Indiana, then studied law and was elected county prosecutor. While a state senator, this young Republican denounced Democrat sympathies for the Confederacy. Browne helped recruit the 7th Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War and enlisted as captain. His regiment battled through Mississippi, Kansas, Missouri. Gallantry merited promotion to colonel. President Ulysses Grant named him U.S. Attorney for Indiana. Browne resigned after three years to run for Governor. He was delegate for the 1876 Republican National Convention. That year, Browne won first of seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Receiving his vote were the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Land-Grant Colleges Act and the Forest Reseve Act. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I lament the murder of Abraham Lincoln by a Democrat actor. April 18th 1865, the President’s body lay in state at the White House. He wore the suit from his second inaugural. Throughout the day, twenty-five thousand mourners walked past the open coffin. The honor guard was comprised of Union Army soldiers who had been wounded in battle. The somber scene contrasted with a gala reception held in the same room just days before. "One of the most remarkable features of the day is the universality of the mourning. Old and young, rich and poor — all sexes, grades and colors — united in paying their homage." An aide to the Great Emancipator observed: "We never shall know his like again." Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Demo...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor José Mascarel, born in France, April 18th 1816. He joined the merchant marine at age eleven and the navy at twenty-one. While captain of a commercial ship during the 1840s, he disembarked at California and decided to remain. A friend described him as "giant...with a great grizzly grip." During the Civil War, Mascarel supported the Union cause and opposed Democrat secessionists. May 1864, this Republican patriot won election to the Los Angeles city council. Twelve months later, he was elected mayor. Mascarel later won six more terms on the city council. Throughout his career, he prospered with investments in banking and commerce. His farm is now part of Hollywood. Colleagues praised him for "clear-cut and eminently practical views, strong convictions and a sound judgment in business matters." Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is m...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I highlight the first-ever Virginia Republican Convention. To prepare the state for its first postwar election, Unionists established a state GOP central committee. March 1867, chairman Lysander Hill and five other committeemen issued a call for the first Virginia Republican convention. It took place at Richmond's First African Baptist Church, on April 17th. One hundred sixty of two hundred ten delegates were former slaves. Led by Baptist preacher James Hunnicutt, the convention adopted a platform calling for legal equality of the races and adherence to congressional Republican Reconstruction policies. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of th...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Jerome Chaffee, born in upstate New York, April 17th 1825. He moved to Michigan, then Missouri, then Kansas, before settling in Colorado just before the Civil War. He was one of the first residents of Denver. Mining investments made him a wealthy man. In 1861, Chaffee was elected, as a Republican, to the opening session of the territorial legislature and served as its speaker. In 1870, he won first of two terms as congressional delegate. Six year later, Colorado was admitted to the Union and the state's three electoral votes gave GOP nominee Rutherford Hayes a one-vote margin of victory. The first state legislative session elected him a U.S. Senator. He later served as state party chairman. His daughter married Ulysses Grant Jr. Chaffee County is named for him. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the boo...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I commemorate the Wheeler Compromise. For months, the Louisiana state government had been deadlocked. Both political parties claimed the governorship and majorities in the legislature. April 16th 1875, Democrats accepted a settlement proposed by Republican Congressman William Wheeler. Alas, eleven African-American Republican legislators were unseated, giving the Slavery Party control of the state house. Fortunately, the state senate would be under Emancipation Party control. Democrats also agreed that the Republican Governor could remain in office.  Wheeler went on to be the next Vice President of the United States, during the Rutherford Hayes administration. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about th...