Frank Hatton (April 28, 1846 – April 30, 1894) was an American politician and newspaperman. He was a

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 ...

veteran of 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 ...

, served as United States Postmaster General, and later edited ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''.

Early life

Hatton was born in

Cambridge, Ohio Cambridge is a city in and the county seat of Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. It lies in southeastern Ohio, in the Appalachian Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains 74 miles east of Columbus. The population was 10,635 at the 2010 census. I ...

on April 28, 1846, a son of Richard Hatton and Sarah (Green) Hatton. He was raised and educated in

Cadiz, Ohio Cadiz ( ) is a village in Cadiz Township, Harrison County, Ohio, United States located about 20 miles from Steubenville. The population was 3,353 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Harrison County. History Cadiz was founded in 1803 a ...

and apprenticed to his father, who was a printer and newspaper publisher.

Civil War

Though he was only 16 years old, in 1862 Hatton enlisted for the

as a private in Company C, 98th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. His unit served primarily with the Army of the Cumberland, and Hatton took part in numerous engagements including the Battle of Atlanta. In 1864, he was commissioned as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

and he served with the

184th Ohio Infantry The 184th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 184th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 184th OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 184th Ohio Infantry was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio Sept ...

before being mustered out at the end of the war. After the war, Hatton was an original 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 addition, he was also one of the organizers of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in Ohio.

Early career

After the war, Hatton worked in the newspaper business in Mount Pleasant, Iowa and later in

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

. A Republican who was active as a member of the

Stalwart Stalwart is an adjective synonymous with ''"strong"''. It may also refer to: Relating to people: * Stalwart (politics), member of the most patronage-oriented faction of the United States Republican Party in the late 19th century In ships and mil ...

faction, he served as Burlington's Postmaster, and held several party positions, including Chairman of the Iowa Republican Party's Central Committee.

Political career

In 1881, Hatton was a candidate for several federal appointments at the start of the

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

administration. Garfield died that summer and in October, Hatton was appointed First Assistant Postmaster General during

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

's presidency. In 1884 he was promoted to Postmaster General when incumbent

Walter Q. Gresham Walter Quintin Gresham (March 17, 1832May 28, 1895) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and of the United States Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit and previously was a United State ...

became Secretary of the Treasury. Hatton worked unsuccessfully to nominate President Arthur for a full term at the

1884 Republican National Convention The 1884 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Exposition Hall in Chicago, Illinois, on June 3–6, 1884. It resulted in the nomination of former House Speaker James G. Blaine from Maine for presiden ...

. The nomination was won by

James G. Blaine James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830January 27, 1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative ...

, who went on to lose the general election to Democrat

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. Hatton left office at the end of Arthur's term and returned to the newspaper business.

Later career

Hatton was part-owner and editor of ''

'' until April 24, 1894, when he was stricken with a massive

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

while working at his desk. Hatton experienced complete paralysis, and was transported to a hospital, where his condition continued to decline.

Death and burial

He died on April 30, 1894, a week after his stroke and two days after his 48th birthday. He was interred in Rock Creek Cemetery in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Family

In 1867, Hatton married Elizabeth J. Snyder (1844-1944) of Mount Pleasant Iowa. They were the parents of a son, Richard Hatton (1872-1939).

Legacy

The town of Hatton, North Dakota was founded in 1882, and is named for Frank Hatton.

References

External links

Frank Hatton
a
American President: A Reference Resource
by The Miller Center
Frank Hatton
at '' Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'', Volume 3 *
North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State
', by

Federal Writers' Project The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal program. It ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatton, Frank (US politician) 1846 births 1894 deaths Union Army officers 19th-century American newspaper editors Politicians from Burlington, Iowa People from Cambridge, Ohio People from Cadiz, Ohio United States Postmasters General The Washington Post people Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery Arthur administration cabinet members Ohio Republicans Iowa Republicans American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Journalists from Ohio