Galusha A. Grow

Galusha A. Grow
24th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office
July 4, 1861 – March 4, 1863
Preceded byWilliam Pennington
Succeeded bySchuyler Colfax
Leader of the
House Republican Conference
In office
July 4, 1861 – March 4, 1863
Preceded byWilliam Pennington
Succeeded bySchuyler Colfax
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania
In office
March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1863
Preceded byDavid Wilmot
Succeeded byWilliam Henry Miller
Constituency12th district (1851–53)
14th district (1853–63)
In office
February 26, 1894 – March 3, 1903
Preceded byWilliam Lilly
Succeeded byJohn M. Morin (1913)
Constituencyat-large district
Personal details
Born
Aaron Galusha Grow

August 31, 1823
Ashford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1907 (aged 83)
near Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (1850–57)
Republican (1857–1907)
Alma materAmherst College
ProfessionAttorney
Signature

Galusha Aaron Grow (August 31, 1823 – March 31, 1907) was an American politician, lawyer, writer and businessman, who served as 24th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. Elected as a Democrat in the 1850 congressional elections, he switched to the newly organized Republican Party in the mid-1850s when the Democratic Party tried to force the extension of slavery into western territories.

Elected speaker for the 37th Congress, Grow presided over the House during the initial years of the American Civil War. During his tenure Congress passed the landmark Homestead Act of 1862, which he supported. Grow was defeated for reelection in 1862. For over a century he remained the last incumbent House speaker to be defeated, until Speaker Tom Foley lost his seat in 1994.[1]

After leaving office he continued to speak out on political issues, but did not serve in elective office. Then, 31 years after leaving office, Grow won an 1894 special election to succeed William Lilly. It remains one of the longest known interregnums between terms of service for a House member. Over the course of his career, Grow represented the people of three Pennsylvania congressional districts: the 12th district (1851–1853), 14th district (1853–1863), and Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district (1894–1903).

  1. ^ "Thomas Foley, House Speaker, Dies at 84". New York Times. October 18, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2014.