Smedley Darlington
Smedley Darlington | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 6th district | |
In office March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891 | |
Preceded by | James B. Everhart |
Succeeded by | John B. Robinson |
Personal details | |
Born | Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania | December 24, 1827
Died | June 24, 1899 West Chester, Pennsylvania | (aged 71)
Resting place | Oaklands Cemetery, West Chester, Pennsylvania |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Mary Edwards Baker (m. 1851) |
Children | 11 |
Relatives | Thomas S. Butler (son-in-law) Smedley Butler (grandson) Isabel Darlington (daughter) |
Occupation | Teacher Businessman |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States Union |
Branch/service | Pennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Militia |
Years of service | 1861-1862 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Beaumont's Independent Company of Cavalry |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Smedley Darlington (December 24, 1827 – June 24, 1899) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district from 1887 to 1891.
Biography
[edit]Darlington was born in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania on December 24, 1827, the son of son of Richard and Edith (Smedley) Darlington.[1] He attended the common schools and the Friends' Central School in Philadelphia.[1] He taught at Friends’ Central School for several years, and while teaching he made stenographic reports of sermons, lectures, and speeches for the newspapers of Philadelphia.[1] He established a school in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania.[1] First known as Ercildoun Seminary, it was later called Darlington Seminary, and Darlington operated it as an academy for boys during its first three years, then converted it to a school for girls.[1] Darlington Academy remained open for 12 years.
He enlisted in the Civil War as a private and was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain in Beaumont’s Independent Company of Cavalry, Pennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Militia.[1] He was discharged with the company on September 24, 1862.[1] He moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1864.[1]
After the war, Darlington became active in banking and investment brokering, and owned interests in several financial institutions and corporations.[1] He was an early entrant into the petroleum industry in the 1880s, and maintained an office in Oil City, Pennsylvania from which he managed his involvement.[1] In 1885, he founded the Chester County Guaranty Trust & Safe Deposit Company, and he served as its president until 1897.[1]
Darlington was a delegate to the 1872 Liberal Republican convention and the 1896 Republican National Convention.[1] In 1886, he was elected as a Republican to the 50th Congress.[1] He was reelected to the 51st Congresses in 1888.[1] Darlington served as a Representative from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1891 and was not a candidate for renomination in 1890.[1]
Darlington died in West Chester on June 24, 1899.[1] His funeral took place at his home, "Faunbrook" on June 26, and he was buried at Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester.[2]
In 1851, Darlington married Mary Edwards Baker.[1] They were the parents of 11 children, four of whom died in infancy.[1] Their daughter Isabel became the first woman to practice law in Chester County.[3] His daughter Maud became the wife of Thomas S. Butler, who also served in Congress,[1] and the mother of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler.[4] He was the second cousin of Congressmen Edward Darlington, Isaac Darlington, and William Darlington.[5]
Photos
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Darlington's house in West Chester
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Darlington's Grave at Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester, Pennsylvania
References
[edit]Sources
[edit]Books
[edit]- The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. XXXII. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1945. p. 160 – via HathiTrust.
- CQ Press (2013). Guide to Congress. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-60426-953-6 – via Google Books.
- Schmidt, Hans (1987). Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8131-0957-2 – via Google Books.
Newspapers
[edit]- "Mr. Darlington's Funeral". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, PA. June 27, 1899. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- United States Congress. "Smedley Darlington (id: D000058)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-14
- Smedley Darlington at The Political Graveyard
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