Marsh Giddings (19 November 1816 – 3 June 1875) was a politician from the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, who was appointed as U.S. consul-general to India and later served as the governor of

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

from 1871 to 1875.

Early life

Giddings was born in

Sherman, Connecticut Sherman is the northernmost and least populous town of Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,527 at the 2020 census. The town was formed in 1802 from the northern part of New Fairfield. It is named for Roger Sherman ...

, to William and Jane (Ely) Giddings, who moved to

Kalamazoo County, Michigan Kalamazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 261,670. The county seat is Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo County is included in the Kalamazoo–Portage, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Kalamazoo County ...

when he was 13. In 1834, he entered Western Reserve college (which later became part of

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

), at

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...

, but did not finish. When he was 21 he was elected as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Richland Township, Kalamazoo County, Michigan Richland Township is a civil township of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,580 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, up from 6,491 at the 2000 census. The village of Richland ...

. In 1836, he married Louisa Mills.

Michigan politics

Giddings was elected as a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 U ...

from Kalamazoo County in 1849. He served as a probate judge in Michigan, 1860–68; a

Presidential Elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

for Michigan, 1864; a member of the Republican National Committee from Michigan, 1866–70; a delegate to Michigan state constitutional convention, 1867; and a delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan in 1868.

National politics

U.S. 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 ...

nominated Giddings to be consul-general of the United States at Calcutta, India, 1870 , as part of his patronage based ''

spoils system In politics and government, a spoils system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice in which a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends (cronyism), and relatives (nepotism) as a reward ...

''. Giddings was paid, but never left Michigan. Some biographical sketches indicate that Giddings declined to go to India due to concerns about his health. Grant then nominated Giddings as Governor of New Mexico Territory, after

Willard Warner Willard Warner (September 4, 1826 – November 23, 1906) was a brevet brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama after the war. Early life and career Warner was born in Gra ...

had declined that post. Giddings took up his duties at the end of August 1871, although he was not confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

until later that December.

New Mexico

Giddings was appalled by the violence and lawlessness in the territory. His first day in office he was confronted by a riot in Mesilla. When he requested troops to put down lawlessness in Cimarron, he was told that troops could be used in civil affairs only by a request from a U.S. Marshall or by orders from the president. The

Lincoln County War The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the pa ...

s started during his tenure, but he didn’t have the resources to suppress the lawlessness in southern New Mexico either. In January 1874 the best he could do was to offer a reward of $500 for the arrest of those cowboys who had shot up a Hispanic dance in

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

murdering four men, the seminal event starting the wars. Giddings died in office, and Territorial Secretary William G. Ritch acted as governor for about two months until the inauguration of

Samuel Beach Axtell Samuel Beach Axtell (October 14, 1819 – August 6, 1891) was an American jurist and politician. He is noted for serving as Chief Justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court, territorial Governor of Utah and New Mexico, and a two-term C ...

. Giddings was a Congregationalist, and even though he died in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

his body was shipped back to Michigan and he was buried at the Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo.

References

External links

"Marsh Giddings" ''Find-A-Grave listing''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giddings, Marsh 1816 births 1875 deaths Case Western Reserve University alumni Governors of New Mexico Territory Michigan state court judges Republican Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Politicians from Kalamazoo, Michigan American Congregationalists New Mexico Republicans 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges