My Memories Of Eighty Years

MY MEMORIES OF EIGHTY YEARS BY CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS 1924 COPYRIORT, 1921, 1022, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER 8 SONS Printed in the United States of Amerla TO MY WIFE MAY PALMER DEPEW THIS BOOK GREW FROM HER ENCOURAGEMENT FOREWORD For many years my friends have insisted upon my putting in permanent form the incidents in. my life which have interested them. It has been my good fortune to take part in history-making meetings and to know more or less intimately people prominent in world affairs in many countries. Every one so situated has a flood of recollections which pour out when occasion stirs the memory. Often the listeners wish these transcribed for their own use. My classmate at Yale in the class of 1856, John D. Champlin, a man of letters and an accomplished editor, rescued from my own scattered records and newspaper files material for eight volumes-My secretary has selected and compiled for publication two volumes since. These are principally speeches, addresses, and contribu tions which have appeared in public Several writers, without my knowledge, have selected special matter from these volumes and made books Andrew D, White, Senator Hoar, and Senator Foraker, with whom 1 was associated for years, have published full and valuable autobiographies. I do not attempt anything so elaborate or complete Never having kept a diary, I am dependent upon a good memory, I have vil viii FOREWORD discarded the stories which could not well bo published until long after I have joined the majority. I trust and earnestly hope there is nothing rn those recollections which can offend anybody, li lias boon my object so to picture events and narrate stories as to illumine theperiods through which I have passed for eighty-eight years, and the people whom I have known and mightily enjoyed, C M, I X CONTENTS PAGE L CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 3 II. IN PUBLIC LIFE 17 II L ABRAHAM LINCOLN .., .. 52 IV. GKNJKUAL GRANT . . 67 V. ROSCOK CONKLING . 75 VL HORACE GRKELKY 87 VIL RirrmuiKOKD B. HAYES AND WILLIAM M. EVARTS 99 VIII. GKNHRAL GARFIELD . . 107 IX. CHESTER A. ARTHUR, . . 116 X. GKOVER CLEVELAND, f 124 XL BF. NJAMXN OAHKISON 129 XIL JAMES G-ELAINE, 141 XI I L WILLIAM McKiNLEY ., .., , . 147 XIV. THEODORE ROOSEVELT ., ., . 158 XV. UNITED STATES SENATE, 175 XVL AMBASSADORS AND MINISTERS .., , , 191 XVI L GOVERNORS OF NEW YORK STATE . . ., 209 ix x CONTENTS FAC. K XVIIL FIFTY-SIX YEARS WITH THE NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY . ........ 2- XIX. RECOLLECTIONS FROM ABROAD ...... XX. ORATORS AND CAMPAIGN SPEAKERS ..... XXL NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONVENTIONS 339 XXII. JOURNALISTS AND FINANCIERS ....... VJ4 XXIIL ACTORS AND MEN OF LETTERS ...... 3 K XXIV. SOCIETIES AND PUBLIC BANQUETS ..... 3 4 INDEX ...... . 41 MY MEMORIES OF EIGHTY YEARS I CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH It has occurred to me that some reminiscences of a long life would be of interest to my family and friends. My memory goes back for more than eighty years. I recall distinctly when about five years old my mother took me to the school of Mrs. Westbrook, wife of the well-known pastor of the Dutch Reformed church, who had a school in her house, within a few doors. The lady was a highly educated woman, and her husband, Doctor Westbrook, a man of letters as well as a preacher. He specialised in ancient history, and the interest he aroused in Roman and Greek culture and achievements has con tinued with me ever since. Thevillage of Peeks kill at that time had between two and three thousand inhabitants. Its people were nearly all Revolutionary families who had settled there in colonial times. There had been very little immigration either from other States or abroad acquaintance was universal, and in the activities of the churches there was general co-operation among the members. Church at tendance was so unanimous that people, young or old, who failed to be in their accustomed places on Sunday felt the disapproval of the community...