A Political History of the State of New York Volume III Part 66

Skinner, Roger, member of Council, i. 288; U.S. judge, 294; member of Albany Regency, 294.

Skinner, William I., nominated for ca.n.a.l com., 1862, iii. 41, note; elected, 51.

Slavery, Jay fails to recommend abolition of, i. 68, 111; abolished by Legislature of New York, 111; agitation against, ii. 5-10; Beardsley heads a mob, 6; state anti-slavery society formed, 8; Van Buren's att.i.tude toward, 10-12; Wilmot Proviso, 102; Free-soil movement, 126-44; prohibition of, in Territories, 282; platform of Rep. party, 282.

Sloan, George B., career and character, iii. 417; elected speaker of a.s.sembly, 1877, 417; defeated for speaker, 1879, 407, 417; votes for Cornell, 1879, 417; resented, 417.

Sloc.u.m, Henry W., record of, iii. 128; nominated for sec. of state, 1865, 129; defeated, 135; aspires to be gov., 1879, 421; defeated by Robinson, 423; presented for gov., 1882, 488; favoured by Manning, 489; charges against, 489; contest with Flower, 491; elected congressman-at-large, 1882, 498, note.

Smith, Alexander, brigadier-general, relieves Stephen Van Rensselaer on Niagara frontier, i. 222; character and failure of, 222.

Smith, Carroll E., Syracuse _Journal_, a leading Rep. editor, iii. 413-4.

Smith, Charles E., Albany _Journal_, a leading Rep. editor, iii. 413; ch'm. of Rep. state con., 1880, 430; character and career, 430-2.

Smith, Gerrit, career and gifts of, ii. 7-8; Weed on, 7-8; wealth of, 7; becomes an Abolitionist, 8; generosity of, 8; organises state anti-slavery society, 8; influence, 1838, 25; 1844, 83; rescues a fugitive, 165; elected to Congress, 179.

Del. to Rep. nat. con., 1872, iii. 291; boasts that delegation is without an office-holder, 291.

Smith, Henry, known as "Hank," iii. 250; leader of Tam. Reps., 250; controversy over, 255-63.

Smith, James C., at peace congress, ii. 350.

Smith, Melancthon, member of Poughkeepsie con., i. 33; ablest opponent of Federal Const.i.tution, 34; Fiske on, 34; wisdom of suggestions, 34; change of mind, 35; supports Clinton for gov., 1789, 43.

Smith, Peter, father of Gerrit, ii. 7; large landowner, 7.

Smith, William S., appointed U.S. marshal, i. 44.

Smyth, John F., forsakes Pomeroy, 1879, iii. 416; calls a snap con., 1880, 429; career and character, 429-30; supports Crowley for U.S. Senate, 1881, 465; ch'm. Rep. state com., 1882, 494; disclaimed any part in fraud and treachery, 498; overwhelmingly defeated, 498.

Social Democratic party, state con., 1877, iii. 384.

Softs, name of Dem. faction, ii. 185; successors to Barnburners, 185; why so called, 185; ticket defeated, 1853, 189; strained position as to repeal of Missouri Compromise, 196; withdrawal of anti-slavery leaders, 197; Seymour renominated for gov. by, 197-8; defeated, 203; disapproved extension of slavery, 210; became pro-slavery, 226; humiliated at Nat. con., 226-8; Seymour pleads for, 226-8; unite with Hards, 232; support Buchanan and Parker, 232; Wood captures their state con., 257; d.i.c.kinson yields to, 258; control at Charleston and Baltimore, 270-9, 294-303; hold separate state con., 1860, 325-6; nominated Kelley for gov., 326; fuse with Const.i.tutional Union party, 326-7.

Soldiers' vote, scheme to defraud, 1864, iii. 124.

Soule, Howard, nominated for state eng., 1877, iii. 377; defeated, 387; renominated, 1879, 416; defeated, 427.

Southern fire-eaters, threats of disunion, ii. 261; reward for heads of Rep. leaders, 264-5.

Southern press, criticism of New York City, 1861, iii. 10.

Southwick, Solomon, character and gifts of, i. 154; career, 154, 192-3; connection with Bank of America, 191, 193-4; indicted and acquitted, 194; becomes postmaster, 239; opposes Tompkins for President, 230; runs for gov., 1822, 316; strange career of, 316-7; without support, 319; without votes, 320; nominated for gov., 1828, 364; defeated, 368.

Spaulding, Elbridge G., career of, ii. 188; nominated treas. of state, 188; "father of the greenback," 188; elected state treas., 189; at birth of Rep. party, 214; presents pet.i.tion for peace, 350.

Member of Ways and Means com., iii. 32; drafts legal tender act, 32; opposed by Conkling, 32; aided by sec. of treas., 33; bill becomes a law, 33; defeated for Congress, 1876, 350.

Spencer, Ambrose, appearance of, i. 55-6; a.s.st. atty.-gen., 70; changes his politics, 87; reasons for, 88; relative of Chancellor Livingston, 88; member of Council of Appointment, 107; atty.-gen., 117; on Supreme Court, 117; appointment alarms Federalists, 117; reasons for, 117-8; character of, 118; attack on Foote, 120; a.s.sailed by Van Ness, 125; opposes the Merchants' Bank, 148; votes for Clinton for President, 167; opposes charter of Merchants' Bank, 189; and Bank of America, 195; breaks with DeWitt Clinton, 197; opposes him for President, 202-4; denounced by Clinton, 204; friend of Armstrong, 216; distrusted by Tompkins, 216-7; opposes Van Buren for atty.-gen., 232; relations with Tompkins strained, 233; favours Armstrong for U.S. Senate, 233; becomes a candidate, 233; beaten by Van Buren, 233; breaks with Tompkins, 237; relations renewed with Clinton, 245; brother-in-law of, 245; declares for him for gov., 246; forces a broader party caucus, 250; work in const.i.tutional con., 1821, 299-310; Yates' treatment of, 322; later career and death, 322-3.

Spencer, Daniel C., nominated for ca.n.a.l com., 1876, iii. 339; defeated, 350.

Spencer, John C., son of Ambrose Spencer, i. 263; gifts, character, and career of, 263-5; likeness to Calhoun, 264; home at Canandaigua, 264; DeWitt Clinton's opinion of, 264; candidate for U.S. Senate, 266-7; defeated, 267; fails to become atty.-gen., 274; speaker of a.s.sembly, 276; opposes Tompkins' accounts, 276; headed electoral ticket, 1832, 393.

Seward's reliance upon, ii. 34; sec. of state, 36; ambitious to go to U.S. Senate, 38; sec. of war, 48; breaks with Weed, 48; with Scott at Albany, 176.

Spencer, Joshua A., defeated for U.S. Senate, ii. 38.

Spinner, Francis B., nominated for state comp., 1874, iii. 325; defeated, 331; nominated for sec. of state, 1877, 384; defeated, 387.

"Stalwarts," t.i.tle of faction in Rep. party, 1880, iii. 429; use of regretted, 482.

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, daughter of Daniel Cady, i. 169; gifts of, 169.

Starin, John H., aspires to be gov., 1879, iii. 414; career of, 414 and note; name presented for gov., 1882, 492; defeated, 494.

State debt, Hoffman's estimate of, 1846, ii. 108-9.

Steam navigation, history of its inception, i. 75-6.

Stephens, Alexander H., predicts civil war, ii. 279.

Stevens, Samuel, ancestry and career of, i. 376; nominated for lt.-gov., 376; defeated, 377; energy of, 390; renominated for lt.-gov., 1832, 393.

Stevens, Thaddeus, approves legal tender act, iii. 32; dislike of Johnson, 132; opposes his policy, 137; defeats Raymond, 141.

Stewart, Alvan, nominated for gov., ii. 82; character and career of, 82-3; defeated, 89; increasing strength, 89.

Stewart, William, brother-in-law of George Clinton, i. 117; made a.s.st. atty.-gen., 117.

Stillwell, Silas M., nominated for lt.-gov., i. 402; character and career of, 402; defeated, 404.

Stranahan, Ferrand, member of Council, i. 231.

Stroud, Reuben W., nominated for ca.n.a.l com., 1872, iii. 296; elected, 302; renominated, 1874, 315; defeated, 319.

Suffrage, restrictions of under first const.i.tution, i. 9.

Sumner, Charles, a.s.saulted by Brooks, ii. 225; Seward on, 225; excitement in North, 226; leads radicals in U.S. Senate, iii. 14; opposes President Johnson, 128; removed from Com. on Foreign Affairs, 278.

Sutherland, Jacob, appointed Supreme Court judge, i. 322.

"Swallow-tails," faction of Tam., iii. 325; history of name, 325.

Swartwout, John, dist.-atty., i. 117, 121; challenges DeWitt Clinton, 127; wounded twice, 127; leader of Burrites, 152.

Sweeny, Peter B., known as Peter Brains Sweeny, iii. 177; Tweed's reliance upon, 177; begins, 1857, as dist.-atty., 177; the Mephistopheles of Tam., 178; hidden from sight, 178; city chamberlain, 178; cost of confirmation, 178; author of Tweed charter, 228; takes position of most lucre, 229; exposure of startling crime, 246; resigns from office, 1871, 247; escapes to Europe with plunder, 248; compromises and returns, 248, note.