March 9, 1861; The Charleston Mercury
We give below brief sketches of those members of the Cabinet of LINCOLN, with whose history many of our readers may not be familiar:
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.
Hon. Salmon P. Chase is a native of New Hampshire, born in 1808, and at an early age emigrated to Ohio, but living there after a year’s residence, graduated at Dartmouth College, N. H. and studied law in Washington city under the celebrated William Wirt. He sustained himself during the years of his professional studies by imparting instruction to a select school for boys. He was admitted to the bar at Washington in 1829, and in the following year returned to Cincinnati and entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he soon rose to eminence. He was subsequently elected a member of the United States Senate, and upon the expiration of his Senatorial terms, he was put in nomination for Governor of Ohio and elected. He was again put in nomination for Governor, and was again elected to that position. Recently he was a second time elected to the United States Senate, and took his seat at the called session on Monday.
SECRETARY OF WAR.
Hon. Simon Cameron served an apprenticeship to the printing business at Harrisburg, and subsequently worked as a journeyman in Washington city. In 1821, when a young man, he declined the offer of a nomination for Congress; in 1828 was Adjutant General of Pennsylvania; in 1831 he was appointed by General Jackson a Visitor to West Point; and in 1838 he again declined a nomination for Congress. For many years he has been prominently identified with the works of internal improvement in Pennsylvania, and for twenty seven years was Cashier of the Middletown Bank in that State. He was also formerly President of the Lebanon Valley Railroad company; and President of the Commonwealth Insurance Company.
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.
Hon. Gideon G. Welles, is a native of Connecticut, and a well known contributor to the partisan press. He formerly held the office of Postmaster of Hartford, under Mr. Van Buren Administration, and left the office soon after the election of Gen. Harrison in 1840. During a part of Mr. Polk Administration he occupied an important position in the Navy Department. Like many other prominent Northern Democrats, Mr. Welles disagreed with his party on the subject of the repeal of the Missouri compromise. The territorial question being the chief one at issue, he became identified with the Republican part soon after its organization, and has since been one of its leaders, taking a prominent part in its Conventions, State and national. He was a delegate from the State at large to the Chicago Convention, and constituted one of the Committee to proceed to Springfield with official notice of Mr. Lincoln nomination. He was also one of the Presidential Electors.
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.
Hon. Caleb B. Smith is well known in Indiana, and is reported to be possessed of a vigorous intellect, and considerable administrative tact and ability. He has been frequently a Whig member of Congress, and was commissioner on Mexican claims. He is now a Republican of moderate views.
POSTMASTER GENERAL.
The Hon. Montgomery Blair is a son of Francis P. Blair, one of the editors of the Globe, the organ of Gen. Jackson during his administration. For several years past he has resided with his father, in Montgomery county, Maryland. He graduated at West Point, went to the State of Missouri, practiced law in St. Louis, was made judge and was appointed by President Pierce Solicitor of Claims, from which place he was removed by President Buchanan. Judge Blair is now in the prime of life, and a warm Republican. He is son in law of the late Hon. Levi Woodbury, of New Hampshire, and brother of Frank P. Blair, jr., Congressman elect from the St. Louis district.
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
Hon. Edward Bates was born in Goochland county, Va., in 1793, and in the war of 1812 served as a volunteer at Norfolk. About 1814 he set out for St. Louis, and crossed the Mississippi for the first time on the 29th of April. Here he studied very diligently in the office of Rufus Eaton, a Connecticut man, and some time a delegate in Congress from Missouri Territory. Mr. Bates came to the bar in the winter of 1816-17, and practiced with fair success as a beginner. In 1853 he was elected Judge of the Land court of St. Louis county, and after serving in the office about three years he resigned and returned again to the practice of the law. He acted as President of the River and Harbor Improvement convention which sat at Chicago and in 1852 acted as president of the Whig National Convention which met at Baltimore. In 1850 he was appointed by President Fillmore and confirmed by the Senate Secretary of War, but declined the appointment for personal and domestic reasons. Mr. Bates was complimented with the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1858 by Harvard College. Some years before he had been honored with the same degree by Shurtleff College, Illinois.