Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Smith (Caleb Blood and Charles William Spooner) Papers
mssSS  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Overview
 
Table of contents What's This?
Description
Papers belonging to American lawyers and government officials Caleb Blood Smith and Charles William Spooner.
Background
Caleb Blood Smith, lawyer, congressman, and Secretary of the Interior. Smith was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives and was reelected in 1834, 1835, and 1836. He represented Indiana in the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Congress serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs and chairing the Committee on Territories. Known for his staunch opposition to the Mexican War, he refused another nomination and left Congress in 1849. He practiced law in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was president of Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad. In 1859, he moved to Indianapolis where he became one of the most active Republicans, campaigning for Lincoln during the presidential elections. When President Lincoln formed his cabinet, he appointed Smith as Secretary of the Interior. In December 1862, he resigned the position, and was then appointed U.S. Judge for the Indiana District. He died in office in 1864. His son Walton John Smith served as Chief Clerk of the Department of the Interior, and then Clerk of the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. In 1866, he was with the U.S. Legation in Lima, Peru. Charles William Spooner was the son of William L. Spooner (1818-1889), a Cincinnati lawyer, judge, and civic leader who had studied law in Caleb Blood Smith's office. From 1863 to 1865, Charles William Spooner served as acting Ensign aboard the U.S.S. Reindeer No. 35, which was part of the Mississippi Squadron. After the war, he studied at Cincinnati College and was partner in his father's law firm. From 1870 to 1873, he traveled in Germany, Scandinavia, France, and Switzerland, with the purpose of studying foreign languages. He then lived in New York.
Extent
12.42 Linear Feet (11 boxes)
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Availability
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.