Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

WELLES, GIDEON (1802-1878)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 506 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

WELLES, See also:GIDEON (1802-1878) , See also:American See also:political See also:leader, was See also:born at See also:Glastonbury, See also:Connecticut, on the 1st of See also:July 1802. He studied for a See also:time at See also:Norwich University, See also:Vermont, but did not See also:graduate. From 1826 to 1837 he edited the See also:Hartford Times, making it the See also:official See also:organ of the Jacksonian See also:Democracy in See also:south-ern New See also:England. He served in the See also:state See also:House of Representatives in 1827, 1829-30, 1832 and 1834-35, was state See also:comptroller in 1835 and 1842-43, was postmaster at Hartford in 1835-42, and was See also:chief of the See also:bureau of provisions and clothing in the See also:Navy See also:Department at See also:Washington in 1846-1849. Leaving the Democratic party on the See also:Kansas-See also:Nebraska issue, he assisted in the formation of the Republican party in Connecticut, and was its See also:candidate for See also:governor in 1856; he was a delegate to the Republican See also:national conventions of 1856 and 186o. On the inauguration of See also:President See also:Lincoln in 1861 he was appointed secretary of the navy, a'position which he held until the See also:close of President See also:Andrew See also:Johnson's See also:administration in 1869. Although deficient in technical training, he handled with See also:great skill the difficult problems which were presented by the See also:Civil See also:War. The number of See also:naval See also:ships was increased between 1861 and 1865 from 90 to 670, the See also:officers from 1300 to 6700, the See also:seamen from 7500 to 51,500, and the See also:annual See also:expenditure from $12,000,000 to $123,000,000; important changes were made in the See also:art of naval construction, and the See also:blockade of the Confederate ports was effectively maintained. Welles supported President Johnson in his See also:quarrel with See also:Congress, took See also:part in the Liberal Republican See also:movement of 1872, and returning to the Democratic party, warmly advocated the See also:election of Samnel J. See also:Tilden in 1876. He died at Hartford, Connecticut, on the 11th of See also:February 1878. In 1874 Welles published Lincoln and See also:Seward, in which he refutes the See also:charge that Seward dominated the Administration during the Civil War.

His See also:

Diary, which appeared in the See also:Atlantic Monthly (19o9-1911), is extremely valuable for the study of the Civil War and Reconstruction. See also See also:Albert Welles, See also:History of the Welles See also:Family (New See also:York, 1876).

End of Article: WELLES, GIDEON (1802-1878)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
WELL 		[next]
WELLESLEY

Site © 2006 - Net Industries