Fenton, Reuben E. (Reuben Eaton), 1819-1885

Born in the Town of Carroll, Chautauqua County, New York on 4 July 1819, and was educated in a rural school. At the age of twenty he moved to Jamestown, where he entered the lumber business and soon became a prosperous merchant. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1841. Elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1852, he vigorously opposed the extention of Slavery, and soon afterward joined the Republican Party and was elected to Congress of that party, representing the Chautauqua District, from 1856 to 1864, when he was elected Governor of New York State. Both as Congressman and Governor, he was a strong supporter of the Lincoln Administration and its war policies. In 1869, he was elected to the United States Senate, holding the office for one term. As a Senator, he most often voted with the radical wing of the Republican Party. In 1878, he was appointed chairman of the International Monetary Conference in Paris. He died in Jamestown, New York on 24 August 1885.

From the description of Papers, 1854-1885. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122519796

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