George Congdon Gorham

George Congdon Gorham
Portrait by Mathew Brady, c. 1860–1875
6th Secretary of the United States Senate
In office
June 6, 1868 – March 24, 1879
Preceded byJohn Weiss Forney
Succeeded byJohn Christopher Burch
Personal details
Born(1832-07-05)July 5, 1832
DiedFebruary 11, 1909(1909-02-11) (aged 76)
Political partyRepublican

George Congdon Gorham (July 5, 1832 – February 11, 1909) was an American Republican politician, newspaper editor, and author who served as Secretary of the United States Senate from 1868 to 1879.

Gorham ran for Governor of California in 1867 on the National Union ticket, defeating Congressman John Bidwell at the party convention. However, Gorham lost to Democratic candidate Henry Huntly Haight by a margin of 7,458 votes in a campaign that viciously attacked Gorham's support for the railroad companies and civil rights.[1] Gorham also worked on the Republican National Committee for California (a subsidiary body of the national body, the Republican National Committee). He, along with Stephen Johnson Field wrote a book on the early history of California.[2] From June 6, 1868, until March 24, 1879, he was secretary of the United States Senate. From 1880 to 1884 he was editor of the National Republican newspaper. In retirement he wrote an authoritative two-volume biography of Edwin Stanton, Abraham Lincoln's secretary of war. [3] He died in 1909 in Washington D.C.

An 1867 political cartoon criticizing Gorham for his support of suffrage for non-whites. Gorham is in the center of the bottom row.

During the 1880 Republican National Convention, Gorham served as a delegate allied with the party's "Stalwart" wing.[4]

  1. ^ Denning, Robert; Rogers, J. Henry (2008). "A Fragile Machine: California Senator John Conness". California History. 85 (4): 48. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  2. ^
  3. ^ George C. Gorham, Secretary of the Senate, 1868–1879. United States Senate website. https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/secretary-of-the-senate/SOS-George-Gorham.htm
  4. ^ 1889. John N. Edwards: Biography, Memoirs, Reminiscences and Recollections; His Brilliant Career as Soldier, Author, and Journalist; Choice Collection of His Most Notable and Interesting Newspaper Articles, Together with Some Unpublished Poems and Many Private Letters. Also a Reprint of Shelby's Expedition to Mexico, an Unwritten Leaf of the War, p. 132. Google Books. Retrieved March 13, 2022.