Omar Dwight Conger (April 1, 1818July 11, 1898) 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 ...

and

U.S. Senator 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 powe ...

from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. Conger was born in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

, and moved with his father, the Rev. E. Conger, to

Huron County, Ohio Huron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,565. Its county seat is Norwalk. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1815. Huron County is included in the Norwalk, OH ...

, in 1824. He pursued academic studies at the

Huron Institute {{No footnotes, date=January 2022 The Huron Institute was a school located in Milan in the U.S. state of Ohio, in what was then Huron County. The Huron Institute owed its existence to the extensive revivals of religion in the churches of Huron ...

Milan, Ohio Milan ( ) is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Erie County, Ohio, Erie and Huron County, Ohio, Huron counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,367 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is best known as the birt ...

, and graduated from Western Reserve College (now

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 ...

) in

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 ...

, in 1841. He engaged in mineral explorations of the

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

copper and iron regions in connection with the Michigan State Geological Survey 1845–1847. He engaged in the practice of law in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

, in 1848 and was elected judge of the St. Clair County Court in 1850. He was a member of the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

1855–1859, and served as President pro tempore in 1859. He was a member of the State military board during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, holding the rank of colonel. He was 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 in 1864 and a member of the State constitutional convention in 1866. He 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

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 ...

for the

41st United States Congress The 41st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869, ...

and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1869 until March 3, 1881. He represented

Michigan's 5th congressional district Michigan's 5th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The district is represented by Republican Tim Walberg. Predecessors From 1873 to 1993, the 5th was based in the Grand Rapids a ...

from 1869 to 1873 and became the first person to represent the 7th district from 1873 to 1881. Conger was re-elected to the House for the

47th Congress The 47th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1881, ...

in the general election on November 2, 1880. He was subsequently elected by the Michigan Legislature to 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 ...

on January 18, 1881. Conger served the remainder of his term in the House for 46th Congress and resigned from the House for the next term to serve in the Senate.

John T. Rich John Treadway Rich (April 23, 1841 – March 28, 1926) was an American politician serving as a U.S. Representative and the 23rd governor of Michigan. Early life in Pennsylvania, Vermont and Michigan Rich was born in Conneautville, Pennsylvania, ...

was elected in a special election April 4, 1881, to fill the vacancy in the House. While in the House, Conger served as chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the State Department in the 42nd Congress, and the Committee on Patents in the

43rd Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

. Conger was elected in 1880 as a Republican to the

and served from March 4, 1881, to March 4, 1887. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1886. He served as chairman, Committee on Manufactures in the

, the Committee on the Revision of the Laws in the 48th Congress, and the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads in the 49th Congress. After leaving Congress, he engaged in the practice of law in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and died in

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States cens ...

. He is interred in Lakeside Cemetery,

. Conger also played an important role in the establishment of the American Red Cross. On May 12, 1881, Clara Barton, who became the first president of the organization, organized a meeting at Sen. Conger's home. The 15 people present at this meeting include Barton, Conger, and Rep. William Lawrence (R, OH). Senator Conger is the namesake for

Fort Conger Fort Conger is a former settlement, military fortification, and scientific research post in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It was established in 1881 as an Arctic exploration camp, notable as the site of the first major northern polar r ...

, the pioneering Arctic outpost established by Augustus Greeley's 1881 expedition and named by the explorer, along with Conger Sound, in gratitude for the senator's support. Conger's legacy can also be seen in the street names in

. The two streets closest to the lake are named Omar Street and Conger Avenue, and are just a few blocks away from Lakeside Cemetery where he is interred. Additionally, there was a short-lived settlement established in

the Thumb The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...

called " Omard", which was named in honor of the senator using his first name "Omar" and his middle initial "D". The Library of Congress lists a single published work by Conger in its catalog. This is the 15 page pamphlet titled ''A Plain Review'', published in Washington, D.C., in 1892. Its subject is French spoliation claims. The call number there is E321 .C74. His grandson was also named Omar Dwight Conger and graduated from Harvard University before being killed in San Diego during World War II.

References

The Political Graveyard

Chapter VI – Michigan's Congressional Delegation
''Michigan Manual 2003–2004''

Bibliography

* Rubenstein, Bruce A. 'Omar D. Conger: Michigan's Forgotten Favorite Son.' ''Michigan History'' 66 (September/October 1982): 32–39.

External links

* Senator, {{DEFAULTSORT:Conger, Omar Dwight 1818 births 1898 deaths Burials in Michigan People from Cooperstown, New York Michigan state court judges Republican Party Michigan state senators Case Western Reserve University alumni Michigan lawyers People from Port Huron, Michigan People from Milan, Ohio People of Michigan in the American Civil War Republican Party United States senators from Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers