Recent Deaths

WOOL, WALKER, STEWART, KENDALL

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 3/26/2007 at 18:41:35

"Fairfield Ledger Weekly", November 18, 1869

DEATHS

Death has been busy within the last week. Among those whom he has stricken down are four very old and prominent citizens --- Gen. WOOL, Hon. R. J. WALKER, Rear Admiral Charles STEWART and Amos KENDALL.

Gen. John E. WOOL died at Troy, New York, on the 10th inst., aged 80 years.--- He was a captain in 1812, and greatly distinguished himself, and before its close was a Major with the brevet rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the war with Mexico he was with the army under General TAYLOR, and took a very prominent part in the operations and battles of that distinguished officer. Upon the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, General WOOL, then a Major General by brevet, offered his services to the Government, and rendered it valuable aid at Fortress Monroe, and Norfolk, Virginia. In 1861 he had been made a full Major General in the regular army, and was in the retired list, as such, when he died.

Jon. Robert J. WALDER [sic], one of the leading lawyers, financiers and statesman of this country, died at Washington, Thursday, morning, Nov. 11. He was at one time United States Senator from Mississippi, Secretary of the Treasure in President Polk’s Cabinet. Mr. WALKER was a native of Pennsylvania, and was sixty eight years of age. He exerted great influence in the administrations of Presidents Jackson, Van Buren, Polk and Buchanan. He was appointed Governor of Kansas by Mr. Buchanan, whose pro-slavery programme he refused to carry out.

Rear Admiral STEWART died Nov. 7th. He was born July 28th, 1778; in 1800 he was in battle with the French vessel Deux Amies, which he captured and sent to Philadelphia. He also captured several other vessels. He was under Commodore Prebel in the war with Tripoli, and was also engaged in the war with England in 1812.

Amos KENDALL died on Sunday, November 14th, in Washington City. He was born at Dunstable, Mass., August 16, 1789, and was therefore more than 80 years old. He moved to Kentucky, and was very active in procuring the passage of an act establishing common schools in that State.

In 1829 he was appointed Fourth Auditor of the Treasury by Andrew Jackson. In 1835, he was appointed Postmaster General. In that office he brought order out of chaos, financial success out of ruin, and general prosperity out of great embarassment [sic].

He was retained in office by Mr. Van Buren, but in 1840 retired from the Cabinet, and has not since been in public position. In 1845, he took charge of the business of the Morse Telegraph Company, and by successful management made that and himself immensely rich. Of late years, he was engaged on a life of Andrew Jackson.

In private life he was a sincere, humble Christian, a devout member of the Baptist Church, to which he contributed most liberally of his means.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.