James Reed Hallowell (December 27, 1841 – June 24, 1898) was a prominent Kansan,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and railroad-businessman. Hallowell unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1890, losing to Populist Jeremiah Simpson. He was known throughout the West by the soubriquet "Prince Hal", and for a variety of comments made by Simpson about Hallowell's "silk socks".

Personal life

Col. Hallowell was born to a well-established Quaker family in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 73rd-most populous county in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,55 ...

. When he was young, Hallowell came to

Parke County, Indiana Parke County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Wabash River. The county was formed in 1821 out of a portion of Vigo County. According to the 2010 census, the population was 17,339, an increase of 0.6% from 17,241 ...

where his father was engaged in the milling business. As a boy he was self-helping, enterprising, and was a student at

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

when 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 ...

broke out. Hallowell married Semantha Montgomery (1848-1930), the daughter of Issac Harrod Montgomery of Linden. His only son, Montgomery Hallowell, practiced law in Chicago.

Politics

Hallowell served in the

Kansas House of Representatives The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...

in 1876 and then served in the

Kansas State Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

1877 and 1879. He won election to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1878 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 ...

, but

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

refused to seat him, because Kansas was only entitled to three seats in the House.

Silk socks controversy

In 1890, Republicans issued opposing Populist leader Simpson a debating challenge. Hallowell, the Republican candidate, was one of the most popular men and the best speaker in the state. During the debate, Simpson famously characterized Hallowell as an elitist. He later wrote, "When my turn came I tried to get hold of the crowd. I referred to the fact that my opponent was known as a 'Prince.' Princes, I said, wear silk socks. I don't wear any." According to historian O. Gene Clanton, Simpson "won the respect and admiration of his colleagues in the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, regardless of party," and his performance in

"was, from beginning to end, principled, consistent, and commendable". Simpson's comments quickly gained national attention, with many stories in explanation of the comments varying. Louis F. Post of ''The Public: A Journal of Democracy'' wrote that "many absurd stories in explanation of this epithet have been told in print. The true one, also, has often been told. The term "silk stocking" had been applied by the

Populists Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

to the Republicans. Alluding to this in his debate, Simpson said in substance: "Mr. Hallowell talks for silk stocking folks, but I am talking for farmers, and they've been made so poor by silk stocking laws that they can't afford even socks". During one alleged encounter,

Simpson Simpson most often refers to: * Simpson (name), a British surname *''The Simpsons'', an animated American sitcom **The Simpson family, central characters of the series ''The Simpsons'' Simpson may also refer to: Organizations Schools *Simpso ...

mocked Hallowell's fine clothes and silk stockings, to which Prince Hal wrinkled his nose and said silk was preferable to dirty men who wore no socks at all. From that point forward Simpson campaigned as "Sockless Jerry," spinning his lack of hosiery into the elusive political gold of authenticity. ''

The Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jour ...

'' described the race as one pitting sober adults against a childish mob. "The opposing candidates are opposites in every way. Colonel Hallowell is a brilliant, experienced and competent man who would add strength to the Kansas delegation; Jerry Simpson is an ignorant, inexperienced lunkhead … who would disgrace the state in congress; scarcely able to read and write, unacquainted with public affairs, without experience as a legislator, raw, boorish, ndfanatical with the fanaticism of sheer ignorance". The editor of ''

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

'', a few weeks after the election wrote "we expected our man to wipe the floor with Simpson, but Simpson wiped the floor with our man".

Death and legacy

Hallowell died in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana, June 24, 1898 of complications relating to

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

. The funeral of Col. James R. Hallowell occurred on a Sunday afternoon in the residence of Mrs. Laura Doubleday on West Main Street, and the service was attended by a large number of citizens and soldiers from Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Indiana. The G.A.R carried out the service, and the funeral was conducted by Chaplain J. B. Hamilton, of Bloomington, who was chaplain of the 31st regiment. He is the namesake of

Hallowell, Kansas Hallowell is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the community and nearby areas was 101. History Hallowell was a station on the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway. D ...

.''Proceedings of the Bar Association of the State of Kansas'', Kansas Bar Association: 1899, Biographical Sketch of James Hallowell Reed, pp. 19-20

Notes

External links