Fitz Henry Warren
Encyclopedia
Fitz Henry Warren was a politician and a general during the American Civil War
.
. In August 1844, he moved to Burlington
in the Iowa Territory
. He was an early political activist in the Whig Party
. He was reported to have been the first to propose the nomination of General Zachary Taylor
for President
. He was a delegate to the National Whig Convention in 1848.
Upon the subsequent inauguration of President Taylor, Fitz Henry Warren was appointed First Assistant Postmaster General. After the death of Taylor, Warren resigned his position in protest of President Millard Fillmore
's support of the Fugitive Slave Law. With the growing support of Anti-Slavery Whigs, Fitz Henry Warren was made secretary of the Whig Party National Executive Committee.
Warren was chairman of the Des Moines County delegation to the convention of 1856 that organized the Republican Party
and nominated John C. Frémont
as the first Republican presidential candidate.
and the author of the controversial "On to Richmond" articles after the First Battle of Bull Run
. He also was a frequent contributor to the editorial columns of the early Burlington, Iowa, Hawkeye.
He returned to Iowa following First Bull Run and, as Colonel
, helped to raise the 1st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry
. In 1862 he was promoted to brigadier general
with a command in the army in Missouri
under General Samuel R. Curtis.
In 1863 General Warren was the leading candidate before the Republican State Convention for Governor of Iowa, but by a combination of the supporters of other candidates, Warren was defeated. Before the close of the war, he was brevetted major general
.
as the United States Minister to Guatemala
where he served two years. He served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1872.
He died at his native Brimfield, Massachusetts, in June 1878 and is buried in Brimfield Cemetery Brimfield, Massachusetts
.
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...
.
Early life and career
Warren was born in Brimfield, MassachusettsBrimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. In August 1844, he moved to Burlington
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
in the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
. He was an early political activist in the Whig Party
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
. He was reported to have been the first to propose the nomination of General Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
for 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....
. He was a delegate to the National Whig Convention in 1848.
Upon the subsequent inauguration of President Taylor, Fitz Henry Warren was appointed First Assistant Postmaster General. After the death of Taylor, Warren resigned his position in protest of President Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
's support of the Fugitive Slave Law. With the growing support of Anti-Slavery Whigs, Fitz Henry Warren was made secretary of the Whig Party National Executive Committee.
Warren was chairman of the Des Moines County delegation to the convention of 1856 that organized the Republican Party
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...
and nominated John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
as the first Republican presidential candidate.
Civil War
In 1861 he was one of the chief editorial writers on the New York TribuneNew York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
and the author of the controversial "On to Richmond" articles after the First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas , was fought on July 21, 1861, in Prince William County, Virginia, near the City of Manassas...
. He also was a frequent contributor to the editorial columns of the early Burlington, Iowa, Hawkeye.
He returned to Iowa following First Bull Run and, as Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
, helped to raise the 1st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry
1st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry
The 1st Regiment Iowa Volunteer Cavalry was an cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The first Iowa Cavalry was organized at Davenport, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service between July 30, and September 12, 1862...
. In 1862 he was promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
with a command in the army in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
under General Samuel R. Curtis.
In 1863 General Warren was the leading candidate before the Republican State Convention for Governor of Iowa, but by a combination of the supporters of other candidates, Warren was defeated. Before the close of the war, he was brevetted major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
.
Postbellum career
In 1866 Warren was elected to the Iowa State Senate. After serving one session, he was appointed by President Andrew JohnsonAndrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
as the United States Minister to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
where he served two years. He served as a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1872.
He died at his native Brimfield, Massachusetts, in June 1878 and is buried in Brimfield Cemetery Brimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals