Horatio C. Newcomb was an attorney

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 from Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, USA.

Early life

Newcomb was born in Wellsborough, Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Tioga County, Pennsylvania

Tioga County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,981. Tioga County was created on March 26, 1804, from part of Lycoming County and named for the Tioga River. Its county seat is Wellsboro....

. At some point the family moved to Cortland County, New York

Cortland County, New York

Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, named after Federico Van Cortlandt, president of the convention at Kingston that wrote the first New York State Constitution in 1777, and first lieutenant governor of the state. The county seat is Cortland...

 and in 1833 the family moved to Vernon

Vernon, Indiana

Vernon is a town in Vernon Township, Jennings County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 330. As the county seat of Jennings County, it is the smallest town with that designation in the state of Indiana. It is nearly surrounded by the Muscatatuck River...

, Jennings County

Jennings County, Indiana

Jennings County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 28,525. The county seat is Vernon.-History:...

, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. In 1836, Newcomb started as an apprentice in horse harness

Horse harness

A horse harness is a type of horse tack that allows a horse or other equine to pull various horse-drawn vehicles such as a carriage, wagon or sleigh. Harnesses may also be used to hitch animals to other loads such as a plow or canal boat....

 and saddle

Saddle

A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...

 making.

Career

In 1841 Newcomb began to study law under his uncle, Judge William C. Bullock, the first attorney to set up practice in Jennings County. Newcomb was licensed to practice in 1844 and practiced in Vernon until 1846. He moved to Indianapolis and became a partner with Ovid Butler

Ovid Butler

Ovid Butler was an attorney, newspaper publisher, and university founder from the state of Indiana, United States.-Personal life:...

, Calvin Fletcher

Calvin Fletcher

Calvin Fletcher was an attorney and legislator from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.-Early life:Fletcher was born in Ludlow, Vermont to Jesse and Lucy Keyes Fletcher. He started out for Urbana, Ohio in 1817 where he studied law in Urbana under James Cooley and was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1820...

, and Simon Yandes.

In 1849, Newcomb was elected mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Indianapolis and reelected in 1851. In 1854 he was elected to the Indiana General Assembly

Indiana General Assembly

The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...

 from Marion County

Marion County, Indiana

Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 903,393, making it the largest county in the state and 55th most populated county in the country, greater than the population of six states. The county seat is Indianapolis, the state capital and...

 and elected to the Senate in 1860. In 1861 he resigned and was appointed President of the Board of Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. In 1864, he became political editor of the Indianapolis Daily Journal. From 1864 to 1868 he was again elected to the General Assembly.

Newcomb resumed his law practice after retiring from political life. In 1871 Governor

Governor of Indiana

The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...

 Conrad Baker

Conrad Baker

Conrad Baker was a state representative, 15th Lieutenant Governor, and the 15th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1867 to 1873...

 made Newcomb a judge on the Superior Court of Marion County along with Solomon Blair and Frederick Rand. He was reelected to the position in 1878. Just a few days after the appointment, President 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...

 appointed him Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior

United States Department of the Interior

The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...

.

Sources

• Nowland, John H. B., Sketches of prominent citizens of 1876, pp. 217–218 Google Books
• New York Times Obituary