Graham Newell Fitch (December 5, 1809 – November 29, 1892) was a
United States representative and
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from
Indiana, as well as a
brigade commander in the
Union Army during the
American Civil War.
Early life and career
Born in
Le Roy, New York
Le Roy, or more commonly LeRoy, is a town in Monroe County, New York or Genesee County, New York, United States. The population was 7,641 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is named after one of the original land owners, Herman Le Roy. The ...
, he attended Middlebury Academy and
Geneva College
Geneva College is a private Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, in Northwood, Ohio, the college moved to its present location in 1880, where it continues to educate a student body of about 1400 traditional undergra ...
. He studied medicine and completed his medical course at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and commenced practice in
Logansport, Indiana, in 1834. He was a member of the
Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...
in 1836 and 1839 and was a professor of
anatomy at the
Rush Medical College in Chicago from 1844 to 1848, and at the
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
Medical College in 1878.
Fitch was elected as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to the
Thirty-first and
Thirty-second congresses, from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852 and resumed the practice of medicine. He was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy in the term beginning March 4, 1855, and sat from February 4, 1857, to March 3, 1861. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1860. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Printing (Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses).
Civil War service
After the Civil War erupted and President
Abraham Lincoln called for 100,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion, Fitch raised the
46th Indiana Infantry. He was its
colonel before being promoted to command of a brigade.
During the battles of
New Madrid and
Island Number Ten, Fitch commanded the 2nd Brigade of Brigadier General
John M. Palmer's infantry
division. He also participated in the capture of
Fort Pillow and
Memphis. Fitch later commanded the Union infantry forces at
Saint Charles in
Arkansas.
In late 1862, he resigned his commission because of injuries received in action.
Postbellum career
Fitch returned home and resumed the practice of medicine in Logansport. He died there in 1892 and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery.
Edwin Denby, Fitch's grandson, was a U.S. representative from
Michigan and
Secretary of the Navy.
References
Retrieved on 2008-11-05
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Graham N.
1809 births
1892 deaths
People from Le Roy, New York
Physicians from Indiana
Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives
Union Army colonels
People from Logansport, Indiana
People of Indiana in the American Civil War
Democratic Party United States senators from Indiana
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana
19th-century American legislators
People from Genesee County, New York
19th-century Indiana politicians