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Home My WebLink AboutDeclaring March 23 of Each Year Schuyler Colfax Day RESOLUTION 4226-1. Passed by the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana January 14, 13 20 Attest: +:: .► �#Z� ' . _ City Clerk ��Attest .�.��1� ♦ President of Common Council Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana January 15, 201:3' City Clerk Approved and signed by me 71)rl HA'l2 / 15- 20 l 3 . Mayor :W R1,Y lX�� MCA6'1: S? l5 ,. A - RESOLUTION NO. l LLJa (,3 A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND,INDIANA, DECLARING MARCH 23RD OF EACH YEAR AS SCHUYLER COLFAX DAY IN SOUTH BEND,INDIANA,IN RECOGNITION OF HIS PUBLIC SERVICE CAREER,HIS DETERMINED DEDICATION TO CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE PASSAGE OF THE 13TH AMENDMENT Offierael the South Bend Common Council notes that on March 23, 1823, Schuyler Colfax was born in New York City, five (5) months after his father, Schuyler Colfax, Sr. died of tuberculosis, and notes that his grandfather fought closely with George Washington in the American Revolution; and 61fi i , Schuyler Colfax attended public schools until the age of ten (10), when he was forced to leave school and work as a retail clerk to help support his mother, his grandmother and himself; and ��eerea4, in 1834, Schuyler Colfax's mother, Hannah Stryker Colfax and his step-father, George W. Matthews were married, and they moved to Indiana in 1836 where Schuyler Colfax began working in his step-father's store and at a village post office to help support his mother; and Wren, it is reported that Schuyler Colfax would sit on barrels while working, and would read newspapers and borrowed all books possible to educate himself. At the age of 16 years he wrote articles and sent them to Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune, who published his writings about the Indiana legislature and Indiana politics. This resulted in a close friendship between them which lasted the rest of their lives; and Were in 1841, Schuyler and his mother and step-father moved to South Bend when his step- father was elected as the Whig candidate to be the St. Joseph County Auditor and hired young Schuyler as his deputy. At the age of 19, Schuyler was hired by the Indiana Whigs to serve as editor of The South Bend Free Press, a paper he later purchased in 1845 and renamed it The Saint Joseph Valley Reporter which Harriet Beecher Stowe later called it a"morally pure paper"; and Ofcereaa, in 1848, Schuyler Colfax served as a delegate to the Whig Convention. In 1849, he led the opposition to a provision in the new Constitution for the State of Indiana which barred African- Americans from settling in the state or from purchasing property; and Offrdrr.S anti-slavery Whigs like Schuyler Colfax sought to build a new party which eventually merged as the Republican Party and he worked to have a "firm anti-slavery plank in their platform" when he arrived as a new Congressman in the House of Representatives in 1855; and Of/Twee/4 Schuyler Colfax served as the Chairman of the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads where he was known for battling southern representatives over the slavery issue and where it was reported that "Mr. Colfax took an active part in the debate, giving and receiving hard blows with all the skill of an old gladiator"; and went on to travel widely speaking at countless Republican and anti-slavery events which helped unify the party for the 1860 Presidential election; and 60rwreek1, on January 1, 1863, Schuyler Colfax was present at the White House when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation; and Ofifereeut in December 1863, Schuyler Colfax, who had become a widower earlier that year and had no children, was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives, where he earned the titled as the "most popular Speaker since Henry Clay"; and C ,erects as depicted in the movie Lincoln, Schuyler Colfax was Speaker of the House of Representatives when he broke precedent, and specifically requested that his vote in favor of the Thirteenth Amendment be recorded; which resulted in the Washington newspaper correspondence hosting a dinner to celebrate the passage of the Amendment and specifically honored Schuyler Colfax; and erea4 on April 14, 1865, Schuyler Colfax met at the White House with President Lincoln to discuss Reconstruction who invited Speaker Colfax to join him at Ford's Theater later that night, before the Speaker began a long tour of the mining regions of the western states and territories between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Colfax declined only to be awakened later that night to spend the rest of the evening and early morning hours of April 15, 1865 at the President's bedside; and Gfierea4 declining to run for either the United States Senate of Governor of Indiana, Schuyler Colfax stated that presiding over the House as Speaker was "the more important office" than presiding over the Senate as vice-president; and Offierea6, in November of 1868, Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax were elected, with Schuyler Colfax becoming the 1st Speaker of the House to ever be elected Vice-President. Days after the election, the 17th Vice-President elect married Ellen Wade, the niece of the Ohio Senator whom he had earlier defeated for the vice-presidential nomination. In April of 1870, Schuyler Colfax III was born who would become Mayor of the City of South Bend in 1898; and O!'/wrea6, leaving public elected office in 1872, Schuyler Colfax began a career as a public lecturer on his wartime relationship with President Lincoln. On January 13, 1885, on his way to another speaking engagement in Iowa, Schuyler Colfax was at a train station in Mankato,Minnesota where the temperature was reported to be 30 degrees below zero, was stricken by a heart attack and died. �ereao it was written by Logan Esarey that: "...South Bend lost its most distinguished citizen, and the country not only a leading statesman and patriot, but a good and noble man as well. He was among the most eminent men of the west, whose life record forms an integral part of the history, and not alone of South Bend but of the state and nation, and who is therefore most worthy of special mention in a work of his character... =Ora twit, *d° ,on 9 y/I. J a ate: Section I. The South Bend Common Council believes that the countless contributions made by Schuyler Colfax, some of which include his loyalty as a leader and unsung champion of the passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments; as a leading orator; a dedicated public servant as Speaker of the House of Representatives and as the 17th Vice-President of the United States should be publicly honored and celebrated. Section II. The Common Council notes that Schuyler Colfax name appears on schools, streets and many buildings in South Bend and that his final resting place in the City Cemetery located on North Elm Street,just west of downtown South Bend, which is the oldest formal cemetery in the city. Section III. The Council further believes and agrees to spear-head, in collaboration with members and organizations throughout our community, an annual event dedicated to fostering greater attention and reflection upon some of the many Constitutional reforms which Schuyler Colfax dedicated his life to for so many years. Section IV. The South Bend Common Council hereby declares Saturday, March 23, 2013, as Schuyler Colfax Day in South Bend; and calls upon relatives of Schuyler Colfax, our teachers & educators, parents, residents and businesses to participate in creative programs aimed at honoring this special person who made our country a better place because of his tireless efforts. Section V his Resolution shall be in full force and effect fro . • . -r i adoption by the Council . - • approv. o the Mayor. / Tim 5;r•�7- D, ct Prilir D A. ,6' Dist. f i t ; :.•-* M"Ati 1` > r L1 ..A .� AA. . A _ eery Davis j'r., c Derek D. Dieter, At Large Valerie Schey, 3rd District Gavin Fe ic, At Large Dr. Fred Ferlic, 4t District Karen L. White, At Large CZ- ........e a .Pr7Afrvid Varner, 5t District Kathleen Cekanski-Farrand,Attorney c hxaaadl/il6 t s y fjaa'wa , 20/8 ohn V��orde, City Clerk Pete B gie_ .F led in Clerk ti Office AN / -1- L3LO13 NOT APPROVE,) JCo-€4 Y10x_1 'ADOPTED (—1 L(—(J CITY CLEFIA.v`$' 1 r, SEND,IN