Donn Piatt (June 29, 1819November 12, 1891) was an American journalist, military officer, and public official. Born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Piatt attended schools in Ohio and began contributing to newspapers as a young man. He started his career as a lawyer and was briefly a judge in the early 1850s. He represented the United States as a diplomat in Paris for about a year starting in 1854. Piatt served as an officer in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

from 1861 to 1864. After the war, he held a seat in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

for a single term. He then moved east—first to New York, then to Washington, D.C. He began a journalism career in Washington, founding a newspaper and contributing to others. After retiring from journalism around 1880, Piatt returned to Ohio and wrote works of fiction and plays.

Early life and education

Donn Piatt was born on June 29, 1819, in

, Ohio, to Elizabeth (Barnett) and Benjamin M. Piatt, a judge. In 1827, the family moved to a large home outside

West Liberty, Ohio West Liberty is a village in Logan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,805 at the 2010 census. History West Liberty was laid out in 1817. In 1833, West Liberty contained five stores, two taverns, one tannery, a merchant mill, a sa ...

, called Mac-o-chee, later the site of one of the

Piatt Castles The Piatt Castles are two historic houses near West Liberty in Logan County, Ohio. The houses were built by brothers Donn and Abram S. Piatt in the 1860s and 1870s, designed in a Gothic style. The houses are located and east of West Liberty. ...

. Donn attended schools in

Urbana, Ohio Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is t ...

, and an institution called the Athenaeum in Cincinnati, now

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...

. He studied at the Athenaeum for three years. According to his biographer Charles Grant Miller, Piatt had to leave the Athenaeum after throwing his mathematics teacher out of a window. By age 20, Piatt had published articles in ''

The Catholic Telegraph ''The Catholic Telegraph'' is a monthly magazine published by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati primarily for its 500,000 congregants. The archdiocese covers 19 counties in Ohio, including the Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas. Or ...

'' and the '' Ohio Statesman''. His father was a staunch Whig but Donn grew to favor the Democratic Party in that campaign. He started his first newspaper, the ''Democratic Club'', during the

1840 United States presidential election The 1840 United States presidential election was the 14th quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, October 30 to Wednesday, December 2, 1840. Economic recovery from the Panic of 1837 was incomplete, and Whig nominee William Henry Har ...

. The first issue was printed in West Liberty on May 21, 1840.

Legal work and diplomacy (1840s–1850s)

Donn Piatt at Thirty-Five - Donn Piatt - His Work and His Ways - 1893

After a visit to Washington, D.C., in late 1841, Piatt began practicing law in Cincinnati in a firm with his brother Wykoff and brother-in-law N. C. Read. He became a judge of the court of common pleas in

Hamilton County, Ohio Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the third-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cincinnati. The county i ...

, on April 3, 1852. Soon after, on April 5, 1854, President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

commissioned him the secretary of the American

legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, minister. Ambassadors diplomatic rank, out ...

in Paris. Piatt returned to the United States in fall 1855. In the late 1850s, Piatt edited and contributed to several newspapers including the small ''Mac-a-cheek Press'', which Donn founded with his brother Abram S. Piatt. Donn's cousin

John James Piatt John James Piatt (March 1, 1835February 16, 1917) was an American poet. Early life and education John James Piatt was born on March 1, 1835, in James' Mills, Dearborn County, Indiana, to Emily (Scott) and John Bear Piatt. The town was later cal ...

, a poet, became the ''Press'' editor sometime in 1858 or 1859. Donn contributed to several other papers including the Louisville ''Journal'' (later ''

The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Ne ...

'') and ''Ohio State Journal'' (later ''

The Columbus Citizen-Journal ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' was a daily morning newspaper in Columbus, Ohio published by the Scripps Howard company. It was formed in 1959 by the merger of ''The Columbus Citizen'' and ''The Ohio State Journal''. It shared printing facilit ...

'') around this time.

Civil War (1861–1864)

Piatt was an officer of the

in the

. On April 30, 1861, he was commissioned a captain of the 13th Ohio Infantry Regiment and became a major on November 4, 1862. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on January 1, 1863, becoming the chief of staff to

Robert C. Schenck Robert Cumming Schenck (October 4, 1809 – March 23, 1890) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War, and American diplomatic representative to Brazil and the United Kingdom. He was at both battles of Bull Run and took part in Jack ...

. At some point around June 1863, when Schenck was away from his post attending to business in Boston, Piatt ordered

William Birney William Birney (May 28, 1819 – August 14, 1907) was an American professor, Union Army general during the American Civil War, attorney and author. An ardent Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, he was noted for encouraging thousands ...

to recruit a brigade only of enslaved people. Piatt had unsuccessfully tried to convince Schenck to give this order, which Schenck refused to do, so Piatt waited until Schenck left him in charge to issue the order himself. 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 ...

was going to

cashier A retail cashier or simply a cashier is a person who handles the cash register at various locations such as the point of sale in a retail store. The most common use of the title is in the retail industry, but this job title is also used in the ...

Piatt for this decision but decided not to after

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

and

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

intervened. Schenck resigned from the army in December 1863, after which Piatt asked to be relieved from duty. Piatt formally resigned from the army in July 1864.

Politics and journalism (1865–1880)

In fall 1865, Piatt was elected to the

as a Republican. He left after one term. About 1868, Piatt moved east—first to New York and then to Washington, D.C. He was initially the Washington correspondent for the ''Cincinnati Commercial'' (later the ''

Cincinnati Commercial Tribune The ''Cincinnati Commercial Tribune'' was a major daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio formed in 1896, and folded in 1930.(3 December 1930)OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN CINCINNATI QUITS; Commercial Tribune Stopped by McLean Interests After Political Shift in ...

'') and then, with

George Alfred Townsend George Alfred Townsend (January 30, 1841 – April 15, 1914) was an American journalist and novelist. He worked as a war correspondent during the American Civil War. Townsend wrote under the pen name "Gath", which was derived by adding an "H" ...

, founded a new paper called the ''Capital''. Its first issue appeared on March 12, 1871. Piatt edited ''Capital'' from 1871 to 1880. Beginning in May 1871, he edited a humor section of ''The Galaxy'' titled "Club Room", taking over from

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

. In his contributions to ''Capital'', Piatt made fun of clergy including John Philip Newman, critiqued politicians including

Zachariah Chandler Zachariah Chandler (December 10, 1813 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman, politician, one of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. He was mayor of Detroit, a four-term sen ...

, mocked

John Bingham John Armor Bingham (January 21, 1815 – March 19, 1900) was an American politician who served as a Republican representative from Ohio and as the United States ambassador to Japan. In his time as a congressman, Bingham served as both assist ...

, and alleged that

Vinnie Ream Lavinia Ellen "Vinnie" Ream Hoxie (September 25, 1847 – November 20, 1914) was an American sculptor. Her most famous work is the statue of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in the United States Capitol rotunda. Ream's '' Statue of Sequoyah' ...

was hired to make statues for her personal beauty and not her artistic talent. He reserved special ire for

nouveaux riches ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

in Washington society.

Writing and retirement (1880–1891)

Piatt retired from active work in the newspaper business after a doctor told him his wife's health would improve in a country retreat. The two went back to Mac-o-chee. In retirement, he wrote three plays in rapid succession: ''Lost and Won''; ''A Hunt for an Heiress''; and ''Jane Shore, a King's Love''. Only ''Jane Shore'' was produced;

Clara Morris Clara Morris (1846-9 – November 20, 1925) was an American actress. Early life Actress Clara Morris was born in Toronto, the eldest child of a bigamous marriage. Sources disagree on the year of her birth, writing it as any of the years from 18 ...

starred in an unsuccessful New York production. He wrote another play after ''Jane Shore'' flopped, about the

Burr conspiracy The Burr conspiracy was a plot alleged to have been planned by Aaron Burr in the years during and after his term as Vice President of the United States under US President Thomas Jefferson. According to the accusations against Burr, he attempted to ...

, but it was not published in his lifetime. In February 1887, he published a collection of newspaper articles about Civil War figures as ''Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union''. In ''Memories'', Piatt wrote negatively about

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 ...

and

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

. Apparently from Mac-o-chee, Piatt began editing ''Belford's Monthly'', a magazine "embracing a liberal political policy in addition to literary features of the highest excellence", in summer 1887. Its first issue was released in June 1888. A novel titled ''The Reverend Melancthon Poundex'', based on a short story he published in ''Capital'' as "The Minister's Wooing", was published posthumously in 1893. Shortly after the

first inauguration of Grover Cleveland The first inauguration of Grover Cleveland as the 22nd president of the United States took place on Wednesday, March 4, 1885, at the East Portico of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the 25th inauguration and marked the comm ...

in 1885, a post office was established at Mac-o-chee with Piatt as the postmaster.

Personal life

On a visit to Mac-o-chee,

James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...

wrote a poem about Piatt. In 1881, Piatt built one of the

at the Mac-o-chee site. Piatt married Louise Kirby in 1847, after which the two went back to Mac-o-chee for three years. Louise died in 1864 and Piatt married her sister Ella in July 1866. He died on November 12, 1891, at Mac-o-chee, after catching a "severe cold" en route back from a meeting of the

Literary Club of Cincinnati The Literary Club of Cincinnati is located at 500 East Fourth Street, across from Lytle Park in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The club occupies a two-story Greek Revival house which was built in 1820, on the site of the home of William Sargent, secr ...

Publications

* ''An Infamous Record'' (unpublished, 1870s) *''Life in the Lobby: A Comedy in Five Acts'' (Washington, D.C., 1875) *''Memories of the Men Who Saved the Union'' (1887) * ''The Lone Grave of the Shenandoah and Other Tales'' (Chicago, 1888) * ''Poems and Plays'' (Cincinnati, 1893) * ''The Reverend Melancthon Poundex: A Novel'' (Chicago, 1893) * ''General George H. Thomas: A Critical Biography'' (Cincinnati, 1893) *''Sunday Meditations'' (Cincinnati, 1893)

Citations

Works cited

* *