Hugh Reid Belknap (September 1, 1860 – November 12, 1901) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Biography

He was born in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

on September 1, 1860 to William W. Belknap. Belknap attended the public schools,

Adams Academy Adams Academy was a school that opened in 1872 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had many years before established the Adams Temple and School Fund. This fund gave of land to the peopl ...

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, and

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

. At the age of eighteen he entered the service of the

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

Co. and worked in various capacities until he retired in 1892 to become superintendent of the South Side Rapid Transit Railroad of

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

. He successfully contested 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 ...

the election of

Lawrence E. McGann Lawrence Edward McGann (February 2, 1852 – July 22, 1928), born in Dooghcloon, near Attymon, County Galway, Ireland, was a U.S. Representative from Illinois from 1891 to 1895. He was a Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_ma ...

to the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was reelected to the Fifty-fifth Congress and served from December 27, 1895, to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898 to the Fifty-sixth Congress. He resided in Chicago until 1901. In March 1899, Belknap was appointed a Volunteer Paymaster in the U.S. Army. Two years later he was appointed a major in the regular Army. In July 1901, Belknap (accompanied by his wife) sailed for the Philippines. He started on his first pay trip within two weeks after arriving in Manila. His first stop was at Calamba (on the island of Laguna), where he became ill and required surgery. Word was immediately sent to Major Elijah W. Halford, Chief Paymaster, and his wife. Upon Major Halford's arrival, Belknap told him: "Major, I have two requests to make. I want you to be kind as possible to my poor wife, whom I must leave far away from her home and among strangers. And I want you to pray for me." Belknap died the next day, November 12, 1901, from intestinal problems. He was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belknap, Hugh Reid 1860 births 1901 deaths American people of Norman descent Politicians from Chicago Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people 19th-century American railroad executives United States Army officers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Illinois