Theophilus C. Callicot
Theophilus C. Callicot | |
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| Speaker of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1863 | |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1863 | |
| Constituency | 5th District |
| Member of the New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1860 | |
| Constituency | 3rd District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Theophilus Carey Callicot 1826 Cornwall, England |
| Died | November 28, 1920 (aged 93–94) Samatag, Germany |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Fitzina H. Callicot |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Lawyer, newspaper editor, politician |
Theophilus Carey Callicot[a] (1826 – November 28, 1920) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician.
Early life
[edit]He was born in Cornwall, England in 1826, and came with his parents to the United States as a child. The family settled at Fairfax, Virginia. He graduated from Delaware College, then studied law at Yale Law School and was admitted to the bar in New York City in 1847.[1]
He lived with his wife Fitzina H. Callicot (1829–1867) at 158 High Street in Brooklyn at the time of the death of their one-year-old daughter Mary Fitzina in 1852.[2] Later they had another daughter, Williamina Frederica (1854–1875).
In 1853, he published Hand-book of Universal Geography: Being a Gazetteer of the World.
State Assembly
[edit]He was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly in 1860 (Kings Co., 3rd D.) and 1863 (Kings Co., 5th D.).
In 1860, during the debate of black suffrage, he told the Assembly that "the proposition to put Negroes on a footing of political equality with white men is repugnant to the sense of the American people. They will never consent to share the proud title of 'American citizen' with an inferior and abject race."[3]
In March 1861, Callicot assisted Mitchell Sanford to defend Assemblyman Jay Gibbons at the latter's trial before the Assembly on charges of bribery. After Sanford's unexpected death on March 29, Callicot pleaded on behalf of Gibbons until the latter was expelled by the Assembly on April 3.
In 1863, the New York State Assembly was tied, having 64 Republicans and Democrats each. The election of a Speaker proved to be difficult. During the stalemate, Callicot offered the Republican leader Chauncey M. Depew a deal: If the Republicans elect him Speaker, then Callicot would help the Republicans elect a U.S. Senator from New York. Depew accepted, and on January 26, Callicot was elected Speaker on the 92nd ballot.[4][5] Shortly afterward, the Democrats accused Callicot of improper and corrupt proceedings to achieve his election as Speaker and a Select Committee was appointed to investigate. On April 20, the Assembly adopted the majority report of the Select Committee, declaring Callicott "entirely innocent."[6][7]
At the next state election he was defeated for re-election to the Assembly.
Federal office
[edit]In 1865, President Andrew Johnson appointed him Customs Collector at Brooklyn, New York. In 1868, he was accused of "traffic in illegal liquor", and convicted.[8][9] He was fined $10,000 and sent to prison for two years. After serving out his term at Albany Penitentiary, he continued to be detained there because he did not pay the fine, and was released only after a presidential pardon in December 1870.[10]
Newspaper editor
[edit]In 1890, he had been the editor of the Albany Evening Times in Albany, New York, for more than 15 years, when Governor David B. Hill transferred the State Printing from the Albany Argus, a pro-Cleveland paper, to Callicot's paper. As the editor, Callicot had "carried on the business of political assassination, abusing the best and lauding the worst men of the Democratic Party. He has used the knife and hatchet freely upon such Democrats as Samuel J. Tilden, Daniel Manning, the Cassidys, Governor Lucius Robinson and President Grover Cleveland."[11]
In 1896, he became the editor of the Albany Argus.[12]
Death
[edit]He died in Samatag, Germany on November 28, 1920.[13]
Notes
[edit]- ^ The name is often written "Callicott" in contemporary newspaper accounts, but in the letter he sent to Secretary of State Lansing in 1918 he signed his name with only one t.
References
[edit]- ^ Allibone, Samuel Austin (1859). A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors, Living and Deceased, from the Earliest Accounts to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century Containing Thirty Thousand Biographies and Literary Notices, with Forty Indexes of Subjects. Vol. I. Trübner & Co. p. 328. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Died" (PDF). The New York Times. April 19, 1852. p. 2. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Wilder, Craig Steven (2000). A Covenant with Color: Race and Social Power in Brooklyn. Columbia University Press. p. 93. ISBN 0231119070. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Chauncey M. Depew (1834–1928)". Mr. Lincoln and New York. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "Important From Albany" (PDF). The New York Times (published January 27, 1863). January 26, 1863. p. 8. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Journal of the Assembly (1863; p. 1137ff)
- ^ "From the State Capital" (PDF). The New York Times. April 18, 1863. p. 8. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "The Callicot Case" (PDF). The New York Times. May 23, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Stinson, John D. (November 1997). Guide to the Isaiah Thornton Williams papers (PDF). New York Public Library. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2007. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Notice in the Putnam County Courier of Carmel, New York on December 10, 1870.
- ^ "Hill and Callicot" (PDF). The New York Times. January 2, 1890. p. 4. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ "Untitled". Stamford Mirror. Delaware County, New York. June 30, 1896. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via dcnyhistory.org.
A reorganization of the editorial and business control of the Albany Argus has placed Theophilus C. Callicot at the head of the editorial staff and James C. Farrell in charge of the business department.
- ^ "The Publisher's and Editor's Corner". State Service. Vol. IV, no. 1. January 1920. p. 75. Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Google Books.
External links
[edit]- Facsimile of his letter to Robert Lansing from Wiesbaden in 1918, at Annuity Museum.
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