Schuyler
Colfax was
born in
New York City on 23rd March, 1823. As
a child his family moved to New Castle, Indiana and in 1841 became
deputy auditor of Joseph County. He eventually became a journalist
and worked for the Indiana
State Journal, the South
Bend Free Press and the St.
Joseph Valley Register.
A member of the Republican
Party,
Colfax was elected to the 34th Congress in 1855. A strong opponent
of slavery Colfax became associated with
the group known as the Radical
Republicans. Colfax strongly supported
the Freeman's
Bureau, the Civil
Rights Bill and the Reconstruction
Acts.
After the American Civil War Colfax
clashed with President Andrew Johnson
and voted for his impeachment in 1868.
Later that year Ulysses
S. Grant selected Colfax
as his running mate. Grant and Colfax won 26 states out of 34. Three
states, Virginia, Mississippi and Texas, had no vote as they had not
been yet admitted to the Union. However, Grant only won 52.7 per cent
of the popular vote and only narrowly beat his Democratic
opponent, Horatio Seymour.
Colfax served as vice president between 3rd March, 1869 and March,
1873. During his period of office Colfax and several other politicians
were rumored to have received money in exchange
in return for not investigating the construction company of the Union
Pacific Railroad. Although only one politician, Oakes
Ames of Massachusetts, was censured, it was partly the reason why
Colfax was not renominated as Grant's running mate in 1872. Schuyler
Colfax died in Mankato, Minnesota, on 13th January, 1885.
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