William Cumback (March 24, 1829 – July 31, 1905) was an American lawyer and Civil War veteran who served one term 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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1855 to 1857.

Biography

Born near Mount Carmel, Indiana, Cumback attended the common schools and was graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

. He taught school two years. He studied law at the

Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest continuously running law school in the United States — after Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Yale — and the first in ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Greensburg, Indiana Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Decatur County, Indiana. The population was 11,492 at the time of the 2010 census. History Greensburg was laid out in 1822. The founder, Thomas Hendricks Sr.'s wife being a native of Greensburg, Pen ...

, in 1853.

Congress

Cumback was elected as an Indiana People's Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856. He resumed the practice of law.

Civil War

He was appointed a

paymaster A paymaster is someone appointed by a group of buyers, sellers, investors or lenders to receive, hold, and dispense funds, commissions, fees, salaries (remuneration) or other trade, loan, or sales proceeds within the private sector or public secto ...

in the Army and served throughout 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 ...

. He served as member of the State senate in 1866. The 16th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana in 1868.

Later career and death

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election 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 ...

in 1869. President U.S. Grant nominated Cumback as the U.S. Minister to Portugal in 1870 but he declined the appointment. He served as a United States revenue collector from 1871 to 1883. He also served as a trustee of

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 ...

Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylv ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for governor in 1896. He died in

, July 31, 1905. He was interred in South Park Cemetery.

Legacy

William Cumback is the namesake of the community of

Cumback, Indiana Cumback is an unincorporated community in Daviess County, Indiana, in the United States. History A post office was established at Cumback in 1881, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1905. The community was named for William Cu ...

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumback, William 1829 births 1905 deaths People from Franklin County, Indiana Indiana Whigs Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Lieutenant Governors of Indiana Indiana state senators People of Indiana in the American Civil War United States Army paymasters People from Greensburg, Indiana Miami University alumni DePauw University people 19th-century American politicians Members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni Indiana lawyers