Charles Bingham Penrose (October 6, 1798 – April 6, 1857) was a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

attorney and politician. He served as Speaker of the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ...

Solicitor of the United States Treasury The Solicitor of the Treasury position was created in the United States Department of the Treasury by an act of May 29, 1830 , which changed the name of the Agent of the Treasury. Function The Solicitor of the Treasury served as legal advisor to th ...

, and the first

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury A United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to U.S. statute, there are eight Assista ...

during President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

's administration.

Family and early life

Charles Bingham Penrose was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on October 6, 1798 to a prominent Old Philadelphian family. His father, Clement Biddle Penrose, was Chairman of the Board of Land Commissioners for the

Louisiana Territory The Territory of Louisiana or Louisiana Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1805, until June 4, 1812, when it was renamed the Missouri Territory. The territory was formed out of the ...

under President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, and the neighborhood of Penrose, St. Louis is named in his honor. Penrose's mother, Anne Howard ''née'' Bingham, was a member of the Anglo-Irish branch of the Bingham family (see

Earl of Lucan Earl of Lucan is a title which has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland for related families. History Patrick Sarsfield was one of the senior commanders of James VII & II (deposed in 1688) in battles in Ireland with William of ...

and

Baron Clanmorris Baron Clanmorris, of Newbrook in the County of Mayo, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 6 August 1800 for John Bingham. He was a descendant of John Bingham of Foxford in County Mayo, whose brother Sir Henry Bingham, 1st Baro ...

). His grandfather, Charles Bingham of

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. W ...

, Ireland, was a captain in the Volunteers of Ireland, a British Provincial military unit raised for Loyalist service during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. Bingham was divorced from Penrose's grandmother, Loyalist New Yorker Anna Howard, later Lady Hay through her second marriage to Sir Thomas

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

, 5th Baronet of Alderston. Penrose's mother was thus the half-sister of Sir James Douglas Hamilton Hay, the 6th baronet. Penrose's paternal grandmother, Sarah Biddle, was a member of the prominent Biddle family who, after the death of her first two husbands, went on to marry Bernese

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

Rudolph . His great-uncles included

Clement Biddle Colonel Clement Biddle (May 10, 1740 – July 14, 1814) was an American Revolutionary War soldier. Life Biddle was born May 10, 1740, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Biddle (1707–1789) and Sarah Owen (1711–1773). He was the younger ...

, Owen Biddle Sr., and

General James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, ...

. Penrose studied law and attained admission to the bar in 1821, afterwards establishing a practice in Carlisle. He married a cousin, Valeria Fullerton Biddle. She was a granddaughter of early American clergyman and patriot Elihu Spencer, niece of lawyer

Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (1746 – October 8, 1793) was an American lawyer from Princeton, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777. He later served as Attorney General for the state of Pennsylvan ...

, and grand-niece of 7th Vice-President of Pennsylvania Charles Biddle and his brothers Edward and Nicholas.

Political career

A member of the Whig party who was identified as an Antimason, in 1833 Penrose was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate. He was reelected to a second term and served as Speaker of the Senate in 1838 and 1841. In 1841 Penrose was appointed Solicitor of the Treasury in the

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 ...

administration. In March 1849 he was appointed the first

, serving under William Morris Meredith. After leaving his Treasury position during the

administration in 1849 Penrose relocated to Philadelphia, where he continued to practice law. In 1856 Penrose was again elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, this time as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, and he served until his death. During his second tenure in the State Senate, Penrose was accused of using bribes to arrange the election of

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 ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, but nothing was proved and he was not charged with wrongdoing.

Death and legacy

Penrose died of pneumonia in

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 ...

on April 6, 1857. He is buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in Philadelphia. Another man of the same name, who died in 1875, is also buried at that same cemetery, and may be the commissary officer, Captain Charles B. Penrose, who accompanied President Abraham Lincoln as he toured City Point shortly before the fall of Richmond, Virginia. Several of Penrose's grandsons became notable within their fields. His namesake

Charles Bingham Penrose Charles Bingham Penrose (February 1, 1862 – February 28, 1925) was an American gynecologist, surgeon, zoologist and conservationist, known for inventing a type of surgical drainage tubing called the Penrose drain. He was a professor at the U ...

was a Philadelphia gynecologist who became widely known for his surgical skill.

Boies Penrose Boies Penrose (November 1, 1860 – December 31, 1921) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After serving in both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature, he represented Pennsylvania in the United ...

became a U.S. Senator.Boies Penrose entry
Encyclopaedia of Contemporary Biography of Pennsylvania, Volume 3, 1898, page 79 Grandsons R.A.F. Penrose and

Spencer Penrose Spencer Penrose (November 2, 1865 - December 7, 1939) was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He made his fortune from mining, ore processing, and real estate speculation in Colorado and other parts of the West. He founded the Utah Copper ...

also achieved distinction, the former for his geologic surveys and entrepreneurial activity in Texas, Arkansas and Colorado as well as founding of the

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a children's hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with its primary campus located in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia in the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The ...

, the latter for founding many mining and financial companies in Colorado as well as the Pike's Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross. The naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird, first named curator and Secretary of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, was his nephew.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penrose, Charles B. 1798 births 1857 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Whigs 19th-century American politicians Pennsylvania Republicans Pennsylvania state senators Pennsylvania lawyers Presidency of William Henry Harrison Presidency of John Tyler United States Department of the Treasury officials Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)