Cassius McDonald Barnes
Encyclopedia
Cassius McDonald Barnes (August 25, 1845 – February 18, 1925) was an American Civil War
soldier, lawyer and Republican
politician who served as the 4th Governor of Oklahoma Territory.
on August 25, 1845. Barnes would spend the first few years of his life in New York, but his parent would later moved to Michigan
. There he would attend both public school and the Wesleyan Church Seminary
in Albion, Michigan
.
In 1861, the American Civil War
broke out when Barnes was just 16 years old. Barnes joined the Union army
as a volunteer soldier. Barnes’s earlier experients in telegraphy
earned him a position in the Military Telegraph and Engineering Corps of the Union army. Barnes would serve for the entire duration of the war. During his service, he would spend a portion of his enlistment as the secretary to Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon
. Barnes would leave the army at the age of 20.
in 1865. After eleven years as a private citizen, in 1876 Barnes, a Republican
, moved to Ft. Smith, Arkansas where he accepted a position as Chief Deputy United States Marshal over the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
. The year before, US President
Ulysses S. Grant
had appointed Isaac Parker
as District Judge
over that court.
During Barnes’s time in Arkansas
, Barnes married Elizabeth Mary Bartlett of North Adams, Massachusetts
, in Little Rock on June 4, 1868. Barnes would gain a friendship with the powerful Clayton family, most notably former Governor of Arkansas and (then) Senator
Powell Clayton
. Through his friendship with Clayton, Barnes was appointed, by President Benjamin Harrison
, Receiver of the United States Land Office at Guthrie
in 1890 with the opening of Oklahoma Territory
. He would hold that position for four years.
Barnes was a member of the Episcopal Church, serving as a senior warden of the Guthrie church for many years. He was an active affiliate of both the Scottish and York rites of the Masonic fraternity
. It was also during his tenure as Receiver, Barnes would study law and passed the bar exam in 1893. He would serve as a member of the 3rd and 4th sessions of the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature, serving from 1895 to 1897. During the 3rd session, Barnes would serve as the Legislature’s speaker.
, a Republican, took office in 1897, he appointed Barnes to replace the outgoing Democratic
William Cary Renfrow
as Governor of Oklahoma Territory. Barnes formally took the oath of office on May 24, 1897.
During Governor Barnes’s four year term, little happened that was of great note. The only point of interest was Governor Barnes’s fight against a growing government. Governor Barnes defeated the attempts of the 6th Legislature to create numerous additional territorial institutions. This expansion of territorial government was justified by the Legislatures by the rapidly growing idea for the formation of the State of Oklahoma. Governor Barnes promptly vetoed this legislation.
Governor Barnes’s term in office ended on April 15, 1901 when William Miller Jenkins
took the oath of office as his successor.
Barnes second marriage was to divorcee Rebecca Cagle Forney. He married her in Chicago in 1910. After the marriage, the two moved to Leavenworth, Kansas
, where Rebecca served as an instructress in a girl's seminary. Once again, Barnes’s interest in telegraphy served him. He would become a postal telegraph operator in Leavenworth.
In his late years, his health began to fail. This caused him to move to New Mexico
, where he died at Albuquerque
on February 18, 1925. His body was returned to Guthrie and interred in the Summit View Cemetery
.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
soldier, lawyer and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician who served as the 4th Governor of Oklahoma Territory.
Early Life and the American Civil War
The son of Henry Hogan and Semantha Barnes, Cassius McDonald Barnes was born in Livingston County, New YorkLivingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
on August 25, 1845. Barnes would spend the first few years of his life in New York, but his parent would later moved to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. There he would attend both public school and the Wesleyan Church Seminary
Albion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
in Albion, Michigan
Albion, Michigan
Albion is a city in Calhoun County in the south central region of the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The population was 9,144 at the 2000 census and is part of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Statistical Area...
.
In 1861, the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out when Barnes was just 16 years old. Barnes joined the Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as a volunteer soldier. Barnes’s earlier experients in telegraphy
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
earned him a position in the Military Telegraph and Engineering Corps of the Union army. Barnes would serve for the entire duration of the war. During his service, he would spend a portion of his enlistment as the secretary to Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
. Barnes would leave the army at the age of 20.
Arkansas and Oklahoma politics
After the conclusion of the war, Barnes moved to Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in 1865. After eleven years as a private citizen, in 1876 Barnes, a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, moved to Ft. Smith, Arkansas where he accepted a position as Chief Deputy United States Marshal over the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
The United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas is a United States District Court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Ashley, Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Clarke, Columbia, Crawford, Franklin, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Springs, Howard,...
. The year before, US President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
had appointed Isaac Parker
Isaac Parker
Isaac Charles Parker served as a U.S. District Judge presiding over the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas for 21 years and also one-time politician. He served in that capacity during the most dangerous time for law enforcement during the western expansion...
as District Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
over that court.
During Barnes’s time in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Barnes married Elizabeth Mary Bartlett of North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, in Little Rock on June 4, 1868. Barnes would gain a friendship with the powerful Clayton family, most notably former Governor of Arkansas and (then) Senator
United States congressional delegations from Arkansas
The followings tables present the congressional delegations from Arkansas to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.-United States Senate:-Delegates from Arkansas Territory:- Members of the House of Representatives :...
Powell Clayton
Powell Clayton
Powell Clayton was an engineer, a Union Army general in the American Civil War, the first Reconstruction Governor of the State of Arkansas, and Ambassador to Mexico during the administrations of William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.-Early life:Clayton was born in Bethel, Pennsylvania, to John...
. Through his friendship with Clayton, Barnes was appointed, by President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, Receiver of the United States Land Office at Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
in 1890 with the opening of Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
. He would hold that position for four years.
Barnes was a member of the Episcopal Church, serving as a senior warden of the Guthrie church for many years. He was an active affiliate of both the Scottish and York rites of the Masonic fraternity
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. It was also during his tenure as Receiver, Barnes would study law and passed the bar exam in 1893. He would serve as a member of the 3rd and 4th sessions of the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature, serving from 1895 to 1897. During the 3rd session, Barnes would serve as the Legislature’s speaker.
Governor of Oklahoma Territory
When President William McKinleyWilliam McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, a Republican, took office in 1897, he appointed Barnes to replace the outgoing Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
William Cary Renfrow
William Cary Renfrow
William Cary Renfrow was an American Civil War soldier and Democratic 3rd Governor of Oklahoma Territory.-Early Life and Civil War:...
as Governor of Oklahoma Territory. Barnes formally took the oath of office on May 24, 1897.
During Governor Barnes’s four year term, little happened that was of great note. The only point of interest was Governor Barnes’s fight against a growing government. Governor Barnes defeated the attempts of the 6th Legislature to create numerous additional territorial institutions. This expansion of territorial government was justified by the Legislatures by the rapidly growing idea for the formation of the State of Oklahoma. Governor Barnes promptly vetoed this legislation.
Governor Barnes’s term in office ended on April 15, 1901 when William Miller Jenkins
William Miller Jenkins
William Miller Jenkins was an American lawyer and Republican politician who briefly served as the 5th Governor of Oklahoma Territory.-Early life:...
took the oath of office as his successor.
Post governorship
Governor Barnes continued to live in Guthrie for years after the end of his term, where he would serve as the President of the Logan County Bank. He was elected to and served as mayor of Guthrie in 1903–1905 and again in 1907–1909. It was during his second term as mayor of Guthrie that his wife Elizabeth died on May 27, 1908.Barnes second marriage was to divorcee Rebecca Cagle Forney. He married her in Chicago in 1910. After the marriage, the two moved to Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, where Rebecca served as an instructress in a girl's seminary. Once again, Barnes’s interest in telegraphy served him. He would become a postal telegraph operator in Leavenworth.
In his late years, his health began to fail. This caused him to move to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where he died at Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
on February 18, 1925. His body was returned to Guthrie and interred in the Summit View Cemetery
Summit View Cemetery
Summit View Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Guthrie, Oklahoma.Operated by the city of Guthrie since 1915, the cemetery is the final resting place for many prominent Oklahoma pioneers, including at least two territorial governors and Frank Dale, the Chief Justice of the Territorial...
.