Horace P. Biddle
Encyclopedia
Horace Peters Biddle was a lawyer, judge, poet, musicologist, and famous hermit.
Born on what was then the frontier, Biddle was the youngest of 9 children and was largely raised by his oldest sister after the death of his mother when Biddle was five. After working for 7 years for his brother Daniel, a store owner, he caught the attention of lawyer and future Ohio Senator Thomas Ewing
who advised him to study law and found a place for him in the office of H. H. Hunter. After being admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1839, Biddle moved to Logansport, Indiana and opened a practice there. He soon became a circuit court judge there. In 1850 he was a member of the state constitutional convention. In 1852 he ran for United States Representative but was unsuccessful. He was elected as a Republican to the Supreme Court of Indiana
in 1857, but the court decided that the vacancy, created by a resignation, could be filled by the governor by appointment. Biddle instead served a 12-year term as circuit court judge. He was elected to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1874 and served from January 1875 to January 1881.
Biddle was also a poet who published a number of works; his work was praised by Washington Irving
and others. He published several works on literary theory, including The Definition of Poetry (1873) and The Analysis of Rhyme (1876). He translated a number of works (The Swallow by Lamartine
, for example) and published a book on Russian literature. He published several works on sound and music theory, including The Musical Scale (1860), a Review of Tyndall
on Sound (1872), and a pamphlet describing an instrument of his invention called the tetrachord.
In his last years Biddle became rather reclusive, rarely leaving his home in Logansport, which was on a large island in the Wabash River
. His will was not found until almost a year after his death; his estate went largely to his niece Eva Peters Reynolds.
Born on what was then the frontier, Biddle was the youngest of 9 children and was largely raised by his oldest sister after the death of his mother when Biddle was five. After working for 7 years for his brother Daniel, a store owner, he caught the attention of lawyer and future Ohio Senator Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing, Sr. was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the Secretary of the Treasury and the first Secretary of the Interior.-Biography:...
who advised him to study law and found a place for him in the office of H. H. Hunter. After being admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1839, Biddle moved to Logansport, Indiana and opened a practice there. He soon became a circuit court judge there. In 1850 he was a member of the state constitutional convention. In 1852 he ran for United States Representative but was unsuccessful. He was elected as a Republican to the Supreme Court of Indiana
Supreme Court of Indiana
The Supreme Court of Indiana is the state supreme court of Indiana. The court was established by Article Seven of the Indiana Constitution and is the highest judicial authority within Indiana...
in 1857, but the court decided that the vacancy, created by a resignation, could be filled by the governor by appointment. Biddle instead served a 12-year term as circuit court judge. He was elected to the Indiana Supreme Court in 1874 and served from January 1875 to January 1881.
Biddle was also a poet who published a number of works; his work was praised by Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
and others. He published several works on literary theory, including The Definition of Poetry (1873) and The Analysis of Rhyme (1876). He translated a number of works (The Swallow by Lamartine
Alphonse de Lamartine
Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine was a French writer, poet and politician who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic.-Career:...
, for example) and published a book on Russian literature. He published several works on sound and music theory, including The Musical Scale (1860), a Review of Tyndall
John Tyndall
John Tyndall FRS was a prominent Irish 19th century physicist. His initial scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he studied thermal radiation, and produced a number of discoveries about processes in the atmosphere...
on Sound (1872), and a pamphlet describing an instrument of his invention called the tetrachord.
In his last years Biddle became rather reclusive, rarely leaving his home in Logansport, which was on a large island in the Wabash River
Wabash River
The Wabash River is a river in the Midwestern United States that flows southwest from northwest Ohio near Fort Recovery across northern Indiana to southern Illinois, where it forms the Illinois-Indiana border before draining into the Ohio River, of which it is the largest northern tributary...
. His will was not found until almost a year after his death; his estate went largely to his niece Eva Peters Reynolds.