Nelson Holmes Van Vorhes (January 23, 1822 – December 4, 1882) was an American newspaperman and politician who served two terms as 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

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1875 to 1879.

Biography

Born in

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

, Van Vorhes moved to

Athens County, Ohio Athens County is a county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat is Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County. Because the original state university (Ohio University) was fo ...

, in 1832 and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Apprenticed to a printer for six years. He was editor and proprietor of The ''Athens Messenger'' 1844-1861. He served as member of the State House of Representatives 1850-1872 and served four years as speaker. Van Vorhes lost the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

for

Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...

as a Whig in 1853. Van Vorhes was elected probate judge in 1854, but resigned. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1858 to the Thirty-sixth Congress. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1860. He entered 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 ...

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 ...

in 1861 and was mustered out as

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 ...

of the 92nd Ohio Infantry in the Summer of 1863, when his health failed. His father was:

Abraham Van Vorhes Abraham Van Vorhes (December 2, 1793 – January 24, 1879; known commonly by his military rank as Major Van Vorhes) was an American politician, surveyor and pioneer. Pennsylvania and Ohio Born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Abraham ...

who also served in the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...

and Minnesota Territorial Legislature and his brother was: Andrew J. Van Vorhes who served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. Van Vorhes was elected 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 ...

to the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1878 to the Forty-sixth Congress. He died in

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

, December 4, 1882, and was interred in West Union Street Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-10-18 {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Vorhes, Nelson Holmes 1822 births 1882 deaths Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio state court judges 19th-century American newspaper editors Union Army colonels People from Washington County, Pennsylvania People from Athens, Ohio Ohio Whigs People of Ohio in the American Civil War American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American legislators Journalists from Ohio Journalists from Pennsylvania 19th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Military personnel from Pennsylvania