Horatio Bisbee Jr. (May 1, 1839 – March 27, 1916) was an American attorney and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

Early life and education

Bisbee was born on May 1, 1839 in

Canton, Maine Canton is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,125 at the 2020 census. Located beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is a summer recreational area. History Canton Point was the site of Rockemeka, village of the A ...

. Bisbee began attending Tufts College in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, but halted his studies in 1861 when the

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

broke out. Bisbee enlisted 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 ...

with the 5th Massachusetts Militia as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

until July 1861, when he was appointed as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 9th Maine Infantry. He eventually rose to the ranks of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and later

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. Bisbee retired from the army in March 1863 and returned to Tufts College, graduating later that year.

Political career

Bisbee moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in late 1863 and was admitted into the

Illinois Bar The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is among largest voluntary state bar associations in the United States. Approximately 28,000 lawyers are members of the ISBA. Unlike some state bar associations, in which membership is mandatory, ISBA memb ...

in 1864. After the end of the war in 1865, Bisbee moved to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

and established his law practice there. In 1869, President

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 ...

appointed Bisbee as the

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Northern District of Florida. In this position, Bisbee, 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 ...

, made acquaintance with several high-profile Floridians, including Governor Harrison Reed and lawyer

Joseph E. Lee Joseph E. Lee (September 15, 1849 – March 25, 1920) was a lawyer, judge, federal official, and Republican politician in Florida. He served six years in the Florida House of Representatives and one term in the Florida State Senate and was als ...

, who was one of the most prominent black Republicans in Florida at the time. In 1872, Bisbee was temporarily appointed as the eleventh

Florida Attorney General The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The attorney general serves as the chief legal officer of the state and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's t ...

by Reed. He stepped down when lawyer J. P. C. Emmons was chosen to permanently fill the position. During his appointment, he was still serving as a U.S. Attorney. He resigned as U.S. Attorney in 1873.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1876, Bisbee was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida's recently created 2nd congressional district. Bisbee defeated Democratic incumbent

Jesse J. Finley Jesse Johnson Finley (November 18, 1812 – November 6, 1904) was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida, following the reco ...

by just three votes. Finley successfully contested the election and was seated on February 20, 1879, less than a month before the term expired. As Finley was not seated until after the election of 1878, Bisbee was technically still the incumbent leading into that election. Bisbee was defeated by Democratic Lieutenant Governor Noble A. Hull by just 22 votes. Bisbee successfully contested the election, taking the seat on January 22, 1881, a month and a half before the term expired. During the 1880 elections, Hull, the technical incumbent going into the election, did not seek reelection. Bisbee and Finley again ran as the Republican and Democratic nominees. Finley won, but the election was contested by Bisbee. On June 1, 1882, Bisbee was declared the winner, meaning he would be the incumbent entering the 1882 election. In the 1882 election, Bisbee won a decisive and undisputed victory over Finley. Bisbee ran for reelection in 1884, losing to Charles Dougherty, the former

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitutional responsibilitie ...

. After this loss, Bisbee retired from politics, returning to private practice.

Personal life

At some point after his retirement, Bisbee married Charlotte Randolph. They had a daughter, Florence, in 1885. Bisbee and his wife returned to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

leaving their daughter in Jacksonville with her husband and his family.

Death and burial

Bisbee died in

Dixfield, Maine Dixfield is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2020 census. The town motto of Dixfield is "The Only One", because it is the only town in the world to claim that name. Dr. Elijeh Dix, a substantial l ...

on March 27, 1916. He is buried with his wife, who died twelve years later, in Dixfield's Greenwood Cemetery.

Electoral history

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisbee, Horatio Jr. 1839 births 1916 deaths People from Canton, Maine Tufts University alumni People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida Florida Attorneys General 19th-century American politicians United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Florida