Roscoe Conkling American politician. Date of Birth: 30.10.1829 Country: USA

1. Rosco Conkling: A Political Titan and Controversial Figure
2. Early Life and Education
3. Early Political Career
4. Civil War Service and Return to Congress
5. Presidential Candidate and Reconstruction Legislator
6. Stalwart Leader
7. Resignation and Defeat
8. Legacy and Controversies

Rosco Conkling: A Political Titan and Controversial Figure

Rosco Conkling, a prominent American politician from New York, served as a United States Representative and Senator. He was a leading member of the "Stalwart" faction within the Republican Party.

Early Life and Education

Born on October 30, 1829, in Albany, New York, Conkling was the son of Alfred Conkling, a member of the House of Representatives and a federal judge. At the age of 17, he began his legal studies in Utica, New York. He later married Julia Catherine Seymour, the sister of Democratic Governor of New York, Horatio Seymour.

Early Political Career

Conkling first gained political prominence in 1848 while advocating for Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore. He was admitted to the bar in 1850 and served as Oneida County District Attorney the same year.

In 1858, Conkling was elected Mayor of Utica. He went on to represent the Republican Party in the 36th and 37th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1859, to March 4, 1863. As Chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia, he opposed his party's financial policies in 1862, delivering a speech against the provisions of the Legal Tender Act. He was joined in this opposition by his brother, Frederick Augustus Conkling, also a Republican Congressman at the time.

Civil War Service and Return to Congress

From 1863 to 1865, Conkling served as Judge Advocate of the War Department, investigating alleged fraud in the recruitment service in western New York. In 1864, he defeated Francis Kernan to return to the 39th and 40th Congresses, serving from March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1867. As a Congressman, he worked on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, which drafted the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Conkling was re-elected to the 41st Congress but did not take his seat. During the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, he emerged as a presidential spokesman and a leading Republican in the Senate.

Presidential Candidate and Reconstruction Legislator

In 1873, Grant offered Conkling the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but he declined. Conkling played a significant role in drafting and promoting Reconstruction legislation in Congress, including the second Civil Rights Act. He chaired the Senate's Committee on the Revision of the Laws of the United States, the Committee on Commerce, and the Committee on the Judiciary.

Under President Rutherford B. Hayes, Conkling sought to remove Chester A. Arthur, General George H. Sharpe, and A.B. Cornell from their positions.

Stalwart Leader

In October 1877, nominations for their successors were presented to the Senate. Senator Conkling used his influence to block the president's efforts, refusing to allow the new nominees to be confirmed. He succeeded in doing so until January 1879, when President Hayes and Secretary John Sherman moved to confirm the nominations despite Conkling's opposition.

In early 1880, Senator Conkling became the leader of a movement to support General Grant's bid for a third presidential term. He enjoyed a close relationship with Grant, unlike the other two leading Republican candidates. Conkling had feuded with Sherman, whom he had clashed with during the Hayes administration, and James G. Blaine was his bitter enemy for both political and personal reasons that spanned 24 years.

Resignation and Defeat

During the inauguration of President James A. Garfield, Conkling presented the president with a list of individuals he wished to see appointed to federal offices in New York. However, Garfield appointed Blaine as Secretary of State and William Windom as Secretary of the Treasury, ignoring Conkling's suggestion of Levi P. Morton. Garfield also nominated William H. Robertson as Collector of Customs for the Port of New York, despite Conkling's open opposition.

In protest, Conkling resigned along with his ally, Senator Thomas C. Platt. Conkling confidently expected to be re-elected by the New York legislature but was defeated in a special election after a nearly two-month battle between competing Republican factions. Following this defeat, Conkling resumed his law practice in New York City. He declined an appointment to the Supreme Court in 1882.

Legacy and Controversies

Conkling died on April 18, 1888, following a walk in a blizzard in New York City. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica. His statue stands in New York City's Madison Square Park. The village of Roscoe in Sullivan County, New York, with a population of 597 (as of 2000), is named after him.

Outside political circles, Conkling had a reputation as a rake and a womanizer. He was rumored to have been involved in an affair with Kate Chase Sprague, the daughter of Salmon P. Chase and the wife of William Sprague IV. According to one widely publicized account, Mr. Sprague caught his wife in the act of adultery with Conkling in the Spragues' summer house and chased Conkling with a shotgun.