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Adams, Charles Francis (1835-1915), railroad official, civic leader, and historian  

John F. Stover

Adams, Charles Francis (27 May 1835–20 March 1915), railroad official, civic leader, and historian, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Charles Francis Adams (1807–1886), a diplomat and politician, and Abigail Brown Brooks. He was the grandson of John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) and great-grandson of ...

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Cover Adams, Charles Francis (1835-1915)
Charles Francis Adams, Jr. During his Civil War service. Courtesy of the Library of Congress (LC-B8171-7390).

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Depew, Chauncey Mitchell (1834-1928), public speaker, railroad president, and U.S. senator  

Jon C. Teaford

Depew, Chauncey Mitchell (23 April 1834–05 April 1928), public speaker, railroad president, and U.S. senator, was born in Peekskill, New York, the son of Isaac Depew, a shipowner, merchant, and farmer, and Martha Mitchell. After graduating from Peekskill Academy in 1852, Chauncey entered Yale where he forsook the Democratic faith of his father and sided with the antislavery forces of the newly created Republican party. After receiving his diploma in 1856, young Depew began the study of law in the office of a Peekskill attorney and was admitted to the bar in 1858. That same year he was a delegate to the Republican State Convention, and in 1862 and 1863 he served in the New York state legislature, becoming a leader of the GOP caucus during his second session. In 1863 he was elected New York’s secretary of state, a post he held for two years. Throughout this period he developed a reputation as a campaign speaker who could sway a crowd in support of the Republican cause. In an age when oratorical skill was a prerequisite to political success, his gift for speaking proved an invaluable asset....

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Cover Depew, Chauncey Mitchell (1834-1928)
Chauncey Mitchell Depew. Courtesy of the Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-90755).

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Short, Robert Earl (1917-1982), businessman, political activist, and sports franchise owner  

Kenneth W. Rose

Short, Robert Earl (20 July 1917–20 November 1982), businessman, political activist, and sports franchise owner, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Robert Lester and Frances Niccum. His father, a brewery driver, fireman, union official, and Democratic alderman in the city’s fourth ward, had his son distributing political literature at age nine. By the time Short graduated from North High School in 1936, he was interested in a career in law and politics. He received his bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Thomas in 1940, studied law at several universities, and served in the U.S. Navy before earning a law degree from Georgetown University in 1947. He then served as assistant to the U.S. district attorney, both in Washington, D.C. (1947–1948) and in Minneapolis (1949–1950)....

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Wilkeson, Samuel (1781-1848), shipowner, iron founder, and manufacturer  

R. Beth Klopott

Wilkeson, Samuel (01 June 1781–07 July 1848), shipowner, iron founder, and manufacturer, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the son of John Wilkeson and Mary Robinson, farmers. Samuel Wilkeson’s early years, after only two weeks of formal education, were devoted solely to working on his father’s farm. In 1902 at age twenty-one he left the family farm and married Jane Oram, who subsequently bore all of Wilkeson’s six children....