Hiram Barney, political powerbroker, supported Lincoln
REPRINTED FROM 9-16-2010
The Hiram Barney monument is located in the Catalpa plot of Woodlawn Cemetery. Barney
lived in the Spuyten Duyvil area when he passed away in 1895. I took this photograph of Tom
Casey at the memorial on September 8th to show the size of the monument.
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Hiram Barney was born on May 30,
1811 in the town of Henderson in Jefferson
County, New York and graduated
from Union College in Schenectady in
1834. He studied law and soon became
very involved with politics. He championed
anti-slavery and temperance
causes and associated with Henry
Stanton and John Jay among others.
He ran for congress unsuccessfully in
1840 but remained very involved with
politics and politicians helping to forge
the Republican cause when that party
was established in 1856.
He nominated Abraham Lincoln
and Hannibal Hamlin for president
and vice president, respectively, at
the Chicago Convention and made it a
point to visit Lincoln at Springfi eld a
few weeks later. He managed to raise
quite a bit of money in New York for
Lincoln’s campaign and the two became
quite friendly. It was natural,
therefore, that the Republicans sent
him along with George Opdyke back
to Springfi eld, Illinois in January of
1861 to talk about potential cabinet
members. Lincoln wasn’t to take offi ce
until March 4th and every political
leader had an agenda. Lincoln came to
Barney’s hotel room and asked him to
write out his choices for cabinet posts
in pencil. He did so and Lincoln’s response
was “I cannot appoint Judd for
Secretary of the Interior but I will take
care of him, I must give that place to
Caleb Smith of Indiana, I have promised
Henry Lane. I cannot appoint
Dayton, although he is acceptable to
me, as I have promised the place to Simon
Cameron of Penna.”
What more was discussed at this
meeting is not recorded but we do know
that Hiram Barney was appointed to
the coveted and lucrative post of Collector
of the Port of New York. He
held that post for three years although
there was quite a bit of controversy
about his apportionment of contracts.
He was then offered an ambassadorship
to Mexico but refused it.
His greatest supporter and ally
was Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the
Treasury, who had appointed Barney
to the post of Collector with Lincoln’s
approval.
Chase had previously approached
Barney asking him to intercede for
him with the president for the post of
Secretary of the Treasury and apparently
he was successful and the favor
was not forgotten.
Politics hasn’t changed much over
the years and men like Hiram Barney
will always be in the background pulling
strings and making things happen.
He remained a political powerhouse
and infl uential lawyer for many
years.
His fi rst wife was Susannah Tappan,
a daughter of Louis Tappan, the
noted Abolitionist and together they
had fi ve children.
Susannah passed away on September
15, 1873 and Barney married a
Miss Kilburn of Iowa with whom he
had more children. Seven of his children
survived him.
He passed away on May 18, 1895
at the age of 83 at his Spuyten Duyvil
home called Cedar Knolls and was interred
in Woodlawn Cemetery in Section
15 of the Catalpa Plot where few
who pass his way know of the political
power he once wielded. Fame is, indeed,
fl eeting.
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