Andrew Gregg Curtin (April 22, 1815/1817October 7, 1894) was a U.S.
lawyer and
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
. He served as the
Governor of Pennsylvania during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, helped defend his state during the
Gettysburg Campaign, and led organization of the creation of the
National Cemetery
The following is a partial list of prominent National Cemeteries:
Africa
Algeria
* El Alia Cemetery, Algiers
Burundi
* Mausolée des Martyrs de la Démocratie, Bujumbura
Ghana
* Asomdwee Park, Accra
* Burma Camp Military Cemetery, Accra
L ...
and the ceremony that included Abraham Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...
.
Early life
Curtin was born in
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in, and the county seat of, Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is approximately twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The bor ...
. Sources vary as to his birth date. Some list April 22, 1815; others list April 22, 1817. Curtin's gravestone uses the 1815 date.
His parents were Roland Curtin Sr., a wealthy Irish-born iron manufacturer from
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...
, and Jane (
née Gregg) Curtin, the daughter of
U.S. Senator Andrew Gregg
Andrew Gregg (June 10, 1755May 20, 1835) was an American politician. A Democratic-Republican, he served as a United States Senator for Pennsylvania from 1807 until 1813. Prior to that, he served as a U.S. Representative from 1791 until 1807. Fr ...
. His father, with Miles Boggs, established the Eagle Ironworks at
Curtin Village
Curtin Village, also known as Eagle Ironworks, is a national historic district located in Boggs Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The district includes eighteen contributing buildings and three contributing structures in Curtin.
History and ...
in 1810.
Curtin's family was prominent in Pennsylvania politics and in the Civil War. He was the great-grandson of
James Potter, the vice-president of Pennsylvania, and was the grandson of
Andrew Gregg
Andrew Gregg (June 10, 1755May 20, 1835) was an American politician. A Democratic-Republican, he served as a United States Senator for Pennsylvania from 1807 until 1813. Prior to that, he served as a U.S. Representative from 1791 until 1807. Fr ...
, also a prominent Pennsylvania politician. He was the uncle of
John I. Gregg and cousin of
David McMurtrie Gregg
David McMurtrie Gregg (April 10, 1833 – August 7, 1916) was an American farmer, diplomat, and a Union cavalry general in the American Civil War.
Early life and career
Gregg was born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He was the first cousin of fut ...
, both
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
generals in the Civil War. He was also a cousin of Col.
John I. Curtin John Irvin Curtin (June 17, 1837 – January 1, 1911) was a cousin of Pennsylvania governor Andrew Gregg Curtin. He led a regiment and then a brigade in the American Civil War.
Early life
Curtin was born at Eagle Forge, Pennsylvania. He was edu ...
.
He attended
Bellefonte Academy
Bellefonte Academy was a historic school building located at Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The original building was built in 1805, as a two-story, rectangular limestone building. It was enlarged between 1839 and 1845, with the additi ...
,
Dickinson College, and the
Dickinson School of Law
Penn State Dickinson Law, formerly Dickinson School of Law, is a public law school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is one of two separately accredited law schools of The Pennsylvania State University. According to Penn State Dickinson Law's 2019 ...
and was employed as a lawyer.
Career
Curtin first entered politics in the
1840 election, where he campaigned for
Whig presidential candidate
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
.
In 1855,
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
James Pollock appointed him as Superintendent of Public Schools.
[
]
Governor of Pennsylvania
With the collapse of the Whigs, Curtin switched to the newly formed Republican Party and successfully ran for governor of Pennsylvania in 1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...
. Curtin won re-election to the office in 1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
. In the 1860 presidential election, Curtin helped Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
win the Republican nomination.[
Curtin was a strong supporter of President ]Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
's policies in the Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, and Curtin committed Pennsylvania to the war effort.[ Curtin organized the ]Pennsylvania Reserves
The Pennsylvania Reserves were an infantry division in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Noted for its famous commanders and high casualties, it served in the Eastern Theater, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam ...
into combat units, and oversaw the construction of the first Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
military camp for training militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
. It opened in an agricultural school nearby Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
as Camp Curtin
Camp Curtin was a major Union Army training camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. It was located north of Pennsylvania's state capitol building on 80 acres of what had previously been land used by the Dauphin County Ag ...
on April 18, 1861, and more than 300,000 men were drilled there during 4 years. In the years that followed, Curtin became a close friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, visiting the White House several times in order to converse about the status of the war effort.
Curtin was very active during the Gettysburg Campaign, working with Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
Darius N. Couch and Major Granville O. Haller to delay Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
and prevent it from crossing the Susquehanna River. Major General George G. Meade
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. H ...
, a Pennsylvania officer whom Curtin had recommended for brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
and command of one of the Pennsylvania reserve brigades in 1861, defeated Lee in the Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...
.
After the Battle of Gettysburg, Governor Curtin was the principal force behind the establishment of the National Cemetery there. Through his agent, David Wills, Curtin procured the attendance of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
at the dedication of the cemetery. Governor Curtin was sitting with Lincoln on the platform on November 19, 1863, when Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address.
In his first term, Governor Curtin suffered a severe breakdown from the stresses of war. Secretary of State Eli Slifer handled governmental affairs during the increasingly frequent periods when Curtin was incapacitated. President Lincoln offered the governor a diplomatic position abroad, but he chose to run for reelection in 1863
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate states an official war goal. It proclaim ...
.
To coordinate Union war efforts, Curtin convened the Loyal War Governors' Conference on September 24 and 25, 1862, in Altoona. This event was one of his most significant contributions to the Union war effort. He formed the Pennsylvania State Agency in Washington, and another branch in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, to provide support for wounded soldiers on the battlefield and returned home. He also founded the state-funded Orphan's School to aid and educate children of military men who had died for the Union cause.
Soon after the war, Curtin was elected a 3rd Class Companion (i.e. honorary member) of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...
in recognition of his support for the Union during the war.
Later career
After the war, Curtin lost his party's Senate nomination to Simon Cameron
Simon Cameron (March 8, 1799June 26, 1889) was an American businessman and politician who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate and served as United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the Americ ...
, and was appointed Ambassador to Russia by President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
. Curtin later switched to the Democratic Party, and served as a Congressman from 1881 until 1887.
Personal life
On May 30, 1844, Curtin was married to Katharine Irvine Wilson (1821–1903), a daughter of Dr. William Irvine Wilson and Mary (née Potter) Wilson. Together, they were the parents of:
* Mary Curtin (1845–1927), who married George Fairlamb Harris.
* Martha Irvin Curtin (1848–1935), who married Captain Kidder Randolph Breese.
* Myron Stanley Curtin (1854–1857), who died young.
* Katherine Irvine Wilson Curtin (1859–1930), who married Moses Dewitt Burnet.
* Bessie Elliott Curtin (1865–1866), who died young.
He died at his birthplace of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and is buried there in Union Cemetery.[
]
Notes
References
* Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher
David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...
. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. .
*
Retrieved on 2009-03-23
External links
Life and Times of Andrew Gregg Curtin
(biography)
*
Curtin Clan Association Ancestry Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtin, Andrew Gregg
1810s births
1894 deaths
People from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
American Presbyterians
American people of Irish descent
Pennsylvania Whigs
Pennsylvania Republicans
Governors of Pennsylvania
Ambassadors of the United States to Russia
Dickinson School of Law alumni
People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War
19th-century American diplomats
Union (American Civil War) state governors
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Democratic Party governors of Pennsylvania
Republican Party governors of Pennsylvania
Burials in Pennsylvania
19th-century American politicians