Biography

Secretary of the U.S. Senate from 1861-1868, Republican. Worked as newspaper editor until elected as Clerk of the U.S. House in 1851. Continued his role in printing, often benefiting from government contracts and sponsorship for which he generated some criticism. Fanny Seward references him in her 1862-1863 diary as attending an evening reception at the Seward home in Washington, D.C., in March 1863.