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L
 C
.
A man worthy of no small attention was Lewis Cass. Born at Exeter, New
Hampshire, October 9th, 1782. He served in the war of 1812, rising to the
rank of major in the army. He was a school-fellow with Daniel Webster,
became a school teacher at Wilmington, Delaware, and walking from that
place to Ohio, where his parents moved, began the practice of law in
Zanesville in 1802.
In 1806 he married and soon after was elected to the legislature of Ohio.
He performed a most conspicuous part in the Burr trial, favoring the law
which caused the arrest of the supposed conspirator. He became a colonel in
the war of 1812, being included in the surrender of General Hull, of Detroit,
and was instrumental in bringing about that General's arrest on the charge
of cowardice and treason. He was afterward exchanged and served as aid to
General Harrison in the battle of the Thames. He was appointed military
governor of Michigan in the autumn of 1813, having risen to the position of
Brigadier General.
In 1815 he purchased for $12,000 the whole plat of Detroit, and the
subsequent rise made him immensely rich. He became Secretary of War
under Jackson in 1831. He next became minister to France in 1842. Three
years after this he was elected United States senator from Michigan, and
resigned in 1848 to become a candidate for the presidency, but a division in
his party caused the election of Taylor. He was then re-elected to fill the
vacancy caused by his resignation, and again re-elected in 1854 for a full
term of six years. He supported measures favorable to the promotion of
slavery notwithstanding the Michigan legislature had instructed him to vote
otherwise. He favored Douglass' Kansas-Nebraska bill.
He warmly favored Buchanan's nomination and became his Secretary of
State, but promptly resigned when the president refused to reinforce Fort
Sumter; thus closing a career of over fifty years of almost continuous public

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service. He, however, gave his support from this time to the Union and
lived to see that triumphant suppression of treason. He died on the 18th day
of June, 1866. He was a man of pure integrity, great ability, a fine scholar
and an effective public speaker. He was exceedingly generous in all worthy
petitions which his great wealth enabled him to gratify unsparingly. He was
also an author of some note.

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