American politician, born near Unionville, OH, on the 11th of May 1852. On graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University (1872) he became a newspaper reporter in Pittsburgh. He was admitted to the bar in 1874, and began practice at Indianapolis, IN, where he was made solicitor for the receiver of the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western railway. Henceforth he had much to do with railway affairs and became a railway financier. He attained a prominent place in state politics, being chairman of the Republican State Convention in 1892, 1898, and 1914. He was in charge of McKinley’s campaign in Indiana, preceding the National Convention in 1896; and the following year he was elected to the U.S. Senate, having been nominated by the Republicans over several prominent candidates, including Gen. Lew Wallace. He was chairman of the U.S. representatives on the British-American Joint High Commission for dealing with Canadian questions in 1898 and 1903, being re-elected to the Senate in the latter year. At the Republican National Convention in 1904 he was unanimously nominated for Vice-President with Theodore Roosevelt and was elected. In 1912 he had a large part in the making of the Republican platform. In 1916 he was again nominated by the Republicans for Vice-President but was defeated. He died at Indianapolis on the 4th of June 1918.
