Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I spotlight a classic assertion of Republican patriotism and decency. Summer 1863, Illinois Republicans invited Abraham Lincoln to Springfield. Though he could not leave Washington at so critical a time, the President did send a letter, on August 26th. He knew it would be reported nationwide. James Conkling, host of the event and an old friend, read it to the crowd. An observer noted that the letter "will live in history side by side" with the Emancipation Proclamation. "It meets the fears of the timid and the doubts of the reformer. It proves that the Proclamation and the policy resulting from it are the most conservative, both of liberty and of our form of government." President Lincoln wrote: "There are those who are dissatisfied with me. To such I would say: You desire peace; and you blame me that we do not have...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Archibald Carey, born in Georgia, August 25th 1868. His father, a Republican state legislator, had been enslaved. The talented youth attended Atlanta University, then became a teacher and Methodist preacher. He supported William McKinley for president. His ministries were at churches in Atlanta and Jacksonville before relocating to Chicago in 1898. Carey chaired the state's 50th anniversary celebration of emancipation and served as chaplain of an Illinois regiment during World War I. Several times he helped elect a Republican mayor of Chicago and chaired the city's civil service commission. Carey was delegate to the 1924 Republican National Convention. His son, Archibald Jr., delivered a memorable address at the 1952 Republican National Convention. Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor Clinton Cobb, born along the North Carolina coast, August 25th 1842. He studied law after attending the state university, then focused on merchandising. During the Civil War, Cobb managed to avoid enlisting in the rebel military until Union troops occupied the area.  July 4th 1867, he was one of only two white people on stage for a local Independence Day celebration. In 1868, this young Republican won first of three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Cobb chaired the Freedman's Bureau committee and opposed the Ku Klux Klan. Receiving his vote were Yellowstone National Park and the 1875 Civil Rights Acts and other  GOP achievements. 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 t...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor James Wickersham, born in Illinois, August 24th 1857. He practiced law at Springfield before moving to Washington territory in 1883. The ambitious Republican was a local judge, then Takoma city attorney, then state representative.  In 1900, President William McKinley appointed him one of three federal judges for the Alaska territory. Wickersham went on to serve as congressional delegate, from 1909 to 1921 and from 1931 to 1933. His foremost accomplishment was passage in 1912 of a federal law establishing a territorial legislature. He also deserved credit for the University of Alaska and Mount McKinley National Park (now Denali National Park and Preserve) and naming the second city for Vice President Charles Fairbanks. "No other man has made as deep and varied imprints on Alaska's heritage, whether it be in politics, government, commerc...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor James Redpath, born August 24th 1833. Age fifteen, he immigrated from Scotland, settling in Michigan. He worked as a printer while writing anti-slavery articles for local newspapers. This intrepid journalist toured the South to report on slavery for the New York Tribune . In 1855, Redpath moved to Missouri and reported on clashes between Democrats and abolitionists. The founding convention of a nationwide GOP, at Pittsburgh in February 1856, named him the state’s first Republican National Committeeman. During the Civil War, he was a correspondent with Union forces. Peace restored, Redpath was appointed public school superintendent for Charleston, South Carolina. There he organized one of the first Memorial Day celebrations, on May 1st 1865. Several years later, he established a professional speakers bureau. Back to Basics for the Re...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I salute Thomas Ford, born in Virginia, August 23rd 1814. The farmer studied law and moved to Ohio. He was an infantry captain during the Mexican War. Ford came to prominence with a resounding denunciation of slavery at Philadelphia in 1855. Later that year, the Ohio GOP nominated him for lieutenant governor. He was elected, along with Salmon Chase for governor. After his term, the U.S. House of Representatives named him its official printer. Outbreak of civil war, Ford enlisted as colonel with  the 32nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. September 1862, he was courtmartialed and dismissed from the army for disastrous command decisions at the Battle of Harpers Ferry. President Lincoln nominated him for ambassador to Ecuador – likely as a favor to Chase – but the Senate did not confirm.  Back to Basics for the Republican Party is my civil rights history...