James Rood Doolittle
Encyclopedia
James Rood Doolittle was an American politician
who served as a senator
from the state of Wisconsin
from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of President
Abraham Lincoln
's administration during the American Civil War
.
, Doolittle attended the Middlebury Academy in Middlebury, Vermont. He graduated from Hobart College
in Geneva, New York
, in 1834. he studied law
and was admitted to New York
bar association
in 1837.
He then established a law practice in Rochester
. Doolittle moved to Warsaw, New York
, in 1841. From 1847-50, he was the district attorney
for Wyoming County
. He also served for a time as a colonel
in the New York state militia
. In 1851, Doolittle moved to Racine, Wisconsin
, where he served as a judge
from 1853 to 1856.
was repeal
ed, Doolittle was a Democrat. He was elected and then re-elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 1857 and 1863, respectively. He was a delegate to the Peace conference of 1861
in Washington, D.C.
During his time as a senator, Doolittle was the Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. Along with his colleague, Jacob Collamer
of Vermont, Doolittle represented the minority view for the so-called Mason Report (June 1860), prepared by the Senate committee which investigated the John Brown
raid on Harper's Ferry of October 1859.
During the Civil War, Doolittle supported many of President Lincoln's policies, and was active in representing Wisconsin's interests on Capitol Hill. During the summer recess of 1865, he visited the Indians west of the Mississippi River
as chairman of a joint special committee which was charged with an inquiry into the condition of the Indian tribes and their treatment by the civil and military authorities of the United States. In the West the committee split into subcommittee which considered different regions with Doolittle participating in the inquiry into Indian affairs in the State of Kansas
, the Indian Territory
, and Colorado
. The report of the committee, The Doolittle Survey of 1865, titled The Condition of the Tribes was issued January 26, 1867. The Senator was accused by the New York Times in 1872—when he was under consideration for appointment as Secretary of the Interior in a projected "reform cabinet" to be formed by Democratic presidential candidate Horace Greeley
-- of suppressing the report, as it contained information exposing the Indian ring, fraudulent suppliers of goods to the Indian tribes under treaty obligations. The Times alleged that the report was printed only after the Cincinnati Gazette obtained a copy of it.
Doolittle took a prominent part in the debate on the various war and reconstruction measures, upholding the national government, but always insisting that the seceding
states had never ceased to be a part of the Union
. He strongly opposed the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
on the ground that each state should determine questions of suffrage
for itself.
, he ran for Governor of Wisconsin
in 1871 as a Democrat, but lost the election and subsequently retired from politics.
Doolittle returned to the Midwest and became a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, while maintaining his residence in Racine. He served for a year as President of the University of Chicago
, and spent many years on its staff as a professor
in the law school, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees.
He was president of the National Union Convention
of 1866 in Philadelphia, and also of the 1872 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, which adopted the nomination of Horace Greeley
for the Presidency.
He died in Providence, Rhode Island
, and was interred in Mound Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
who served as a senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from the state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. He was a strong supporter of 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....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's administration during 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...
.
Early life and career
Born in Hampton, New YorkHampton, New York
Hampton is a town in northeastern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 871 at the 2000 census....
, Doolittle attended the Middlebury Academy in Middlebury, Vermont. He graduated from Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
in Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
, in 1834. he studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and was admitted to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
bar association
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1837.
He then established a law practice in Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. Doolittle moved to Warsaw, New York
Warsaw, New York
Warsaw, New York is the name of two locations in Wyoming County, New York:*Warsaw , New York*Warsaw , New York...
, in 1841. From 1847-50, he was the district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Wyoming County
Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2010 census, the population was 42,155. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is from a modified Delaware Indian word meaning "broad bottom lands"...
. He also served for a time as a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the New York state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. In 1851, Doolittle moved to Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
, where he served as a 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 1853 to 1856.
U.S. Senator
Until the Missouri CompromiseMissouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
was repeal
Repeal
A repeal is the amendment, removal or reversal of a law. This is generally done when a law is no longer effective, or it is shown that a law is having far more negative consequences than were originally envisioned....
ed, Doolittle was a Democrat. He was elected and then re-elected to the U.S. Senate as a Republican in 1857 and 1863, respectively. He was a delegate to the Peace conference of 1861
Peace conference of 1861
The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of more than 100 of the leading politicians of the antebellum United States held in Washington, D.C., in February 1861 that was meant to prevent what ultimately became the Civil War. The success of President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party in the...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
During his time as a senator, Doolittle was the Chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. Along with his colleague, Jacob Collamer
Jacob Collamer
Jacob Collamer was an American politician from Vermont.-Biography:Jacob Collamer was born in Troy, New York. He graduated from the University of Vermont at Burlington, served in the War of 1812, studied law in St. Albans, Vermont, was admitted to the bar in 1813, and served as an officer in a...
of Vermont, Doolittle represented the minority view for the so-called Mason Report (June 1860), prepared by the Senate committee which investigated the John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
raid on Harper's Ferry of October 1859.
During the Civil War, Doolittle supported many of President Lincoln's policies, and was active in representing Wisconsin's interests on Capitol Hill. During the summer recess of 1865, he visited the Indians west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
as chairman of a joint special committee which was charged with an inquiry into the condition of the Indian tribes and their treatment by the civil and military authorities of the United States. In the West the committee split into subcommittee which considered different regions with Doolittle participating in the inquiry into Indian affairs in the State of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, the Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
, and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The report of the committee, The Doolittle Survey of 1865, titled The Condition of the Tribes was issued January 26, 1867. The Senator was accused by the New York Times in 1872—when he was under consideration for appointment as Secretary of the Interior in a projected "reform cabinet" to be formed by Democratic presidential candidate Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
-- of suppressing the report, as it contained information exposing the Indian ring, fraudulent suppliers of goods to the Indian tribes under treaty obligations. The Times alleged that the report was printed only after the Cincinnati Gazette obtained a copy of it.
Doolittle took a prominent part in the debate on the various war and reconstruction measures, upholding the national government, but always insisting that the seceding
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
states had never ceased to be a part of the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. He strongly opposed the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits each government in the United States from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude"...
on the ground that each state should determine questions of suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
for itself.
Later life
After he left CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, he ran for Governor of Wisconsin
Governor of Wisconsin
The Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
in 1871 as a Democrat, but lost the election and subsequently retired from politics.
Doolittle returned to the Midwest and became a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, while maintaining his residence in Racine. He served for a year as President of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and spent many years on its staff as a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in the law school, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees.
He was president of the National Union Convention
National Union Convention
The National Union Convention was held on August 14, 15 , and 16 1866, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The convention was called in advance of the mid-year elections of 1866 in an attempt to help president Johnson,...
of 1866 in Philadelphia, and also of the 1872 Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, which adopted the nomination of Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
for the Presidency.
He died in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and was interred in Mound Cemetery in Racine, Wisconsin.