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1864 Caleb Blood Smith dies
Caleb Blood Smith, the Secretary of the Interior in 1861 and 1862, dies in Indianapolis. He played a major role in managing relations with Native Americans during the war.
Smith was born in Boston in 1808 and raised in Cincinnati. Educated at the College of Cincinnati and Miami University, Smith practiced law in Indiana and became involved in state politics. A member of the Whig Party, Smith served in the Indiana state legislature before being elected to Congress in 1842. He opposed the expansion of slavery, and he fought hard against the 1845 annexation of Texas. After serving on the United States-Mexico Boundary Commission in the late 1840s, Smith left public life to work for the railroads in Ohio. As the Civil War drew near, he became active in the Republican Party. He was a delegate to the 1860 convention and he became one of Abraham Lincoln's most enthusiastic supporters. Lincoln rewarded him by naming him to the post of Secretary of the Interior.
In this role, Smith supervised Indian agents in the West and worked with Secretaries of War Simon Cameron and Edwin Stanton to forge Indian policy. However, Smith was generally disliked by most members of the cabinet and was described by one insider as a man with "neither heart nor sincerity about him." He found himself overworked and increasingly at odds with the rest of the administration on key issues such as the emancipation of slaves.
Smith resigned at the end of 1862 and Lincoln appointed him district judge in Indianapolis. Smith died suddenly on January 7 while working at the federal courthouse.
Caleb Blood Smith, the Secretary of the Interior in 1861 and 1862, dies in Indianapolis. He played a major role in managing relations with Native Americans during the war.
Smith was born in Boston in 1808 and raised in Cincinnati. Educated at the College of Cincinnati and Miami University, Smith practiced law in Indiana and became involved in state politics. A member of the Whig Party, Smith served in the Indiana state legislature before being elected to Congress in 1842. He opposed the expansion of slavery, and he fought hard against the 1845 annexation of Texas. After serving on the United States-Mexico Boundary Commission in the late 1840s, Smith left public life to work for the railroads in Ohio. As the Civil War drew near, he became active in the Republican Party. He was a delegate to the 1860 convention and he became one of Abraham Lincoln's most enthusiastic supporters. Lincoln rewarded him by naming him to the post of Secretary of the Interior.
In this role, Smith supervised Indian agents in the West and worked with Secretaries of War Simon Cameron and Edwin Stanton to forge Indian policy. However, Smith was generally disliked by most members of the cabinet and was described by one insider as a man with "neither heart nor sincerity about him." He found himself overworked and increasingly at odds with the rest of the administration on key issues such as the emancipation of slaves.
Smith resigned at the end of 1862 and Lincoln appointed him district judge in Indianapolis. Smith died suddenly on January 7 while working at the federal courthouse.
