Smedley Darlington (December 24, 1827 – June 24, 1899) was an American politician who served 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 ...

member of the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Ho ...

from 1887 to 1891.

Biography

Darlington was born in

Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania Pocopson Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,582 at the 2010 census. History There are indications that Pocopson Township was once named Kennet Township (not to be confused with Kennett T ...

on December 24, 1827, the son of son of Richard and Edith (Smedley) Darlington. He attended the common schools and the Friends' Central School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He taught at Friends’ Central School for several years, and while teaching he made stenographic reports of sermons, lectures, and speeches for the newspapers of Philadelphia. He established a school in

Ercildoun, Pennsylvania Ercildoun, population about 100, is an unincorporated community in East Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The hamlet was founded by Quakers and was an early center of the abolitionist movement. In 1985 the entire ...

. First known as Ercildoun Seminary, it was later called Darlington Seminary, and Darlington operated it as an academy for boys during its first three years, then converted it to a school for girls. Darlington Academy remained open for 12 years. He enlisted in 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 ...

as a private and was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain in Beaumont’s Independent Company of Cavalry, Pennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Militia. He was discharged with the company on September 24, 1862. He moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1864. After the war, Darlington became active in banking and investment brokering, and owned interests in several financial institutions and corporations. He was an early entrant into the petroleum industry in the 1880s, and maintained an office in Oil City, Pennsylvania from which he managed his involvement. In 1885, he founded the Chester County Guaranty Trust & Safe Deposit Company, and he served as its president until 1897. Darlington was a delegate to the

1872 Liberal Republican convention An influential group of dissident Republicans split from the party to form the Liberal Republican Party in 1870. At the party's only national convention, held in Cincinnati in 1872, ''New York Tribune'' editor Horace Greeley was nominated for Pres ...

and the

1896 Republican National Convention The 1896 Republican National Convention was held in a temporary structure south of the St. Louis City Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri, from June 16 to June 18, 1896. Former Governor William McKinley of Ohio was nominated for president on the firs ...

. In 1886, he was elected as a Republican to the

50th Congress The 50th 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, 1887, ...

. He was reelected to the 51st Congresses in 1888. Darlington served as a Representative from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1891 and was not a candidate for renomination in 1890. Darlington died in West Chester on June 24, 1899. His funeral took place at his home, "Faunbrook" on June 26, and he was buried at

Oaklands Cemetery Oaklands Cemetery is a rural cemetery founded in 1854 in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located at 1042 Pottstown Pike and is approximately in size. Description and history The Oaklands Cemetery was founded in respo ...

in West Chester. In 1851, Darlington married Mary Edwards Baker. They were the parents of 11 children, four of whom died in infancy. Their daughter

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

became the first woman to practice law in Chester County. His daughter Maud became the wife of Thomas S. Butler, who also served in Congress, and the mother of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler. He was the second cousin of Congressmen

Edward Darlington Edward Darlington (September 17, 1795 – November 21, 1884) was a three term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from the Anti-Masonic Party. His cousins Isaac Darlington and William Darlington were also both member ...

, Isaac Darlington, and

William Darlington William Darlington (April 28, 1782 – April 23, 1863) was an American physician, botanist, and politician who served as a Democratic-Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 181 ...

Photos

File:Smedley Darlington House.JPG, Darlington's house in West Chester File:Smedley Darlington Grave in Oaklands Cemetery, West Chester, Pennsylvania.jpg, Darlington's Grave at Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester, Pennsylvania

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
Smedley Darlington
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Darlington, Smedley 1827 births 1899 deaths Burials at Oaklands Cemetery Union Army officers Pennsylvania Liberal Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War