#34 Richard M. Bishop

Richard M. Bishop

Born: November 4, 1812
Died: March 2 1893
Political Party: Democrat
Term of Office: January 14, 1878 -  January 12, 1880
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio
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    Richard M. Bishop was born in Kentucky in 1812. He started working in a store as a clerk when he was 17 and eventually became a part owner of the store. He and his brother also worked together sending pork down the Mississippi River to the south.

   In 1948, Bishop moved to Cincinnati and founded a wholesale grocery business named Bishop, Wells and Company. Bishops business was very successful and he was able to partner with his 3 sons it was called the business R.M. Bishop and Company. Bishop also served on boards of directors for Colleges and a bank while running his businesses.

    In 1857, Bishop entered politics by being elected to Cincinnati City Council. In 1859, he was elected Mayor of Cincinnati. After his term was up, in spite of encouragement from Democrats and Republicans alike to run for reelection, Bishop retired from politics to focus on his business.

    In 1873, Bishop was chosen as a delegate to the Ohio Constitutional Convention. Bishop's political career was revitalized after making a notable presence at the Convention and he was chosen as the Democratic parties candidate for Governor of Ohio in 1877.  His administration has been described as "satisfactory". But no real significant legislature happened during his term, and the Democratic party did not re nominate him for a second term. After his single 2 year term in office, Bishop retired from politics for good and ran his business. He died in Florida in 1893.

In September 2011 I made a day trip of going down to see some sites in the Cincinnati area. I wasn't being very aggressive with finding the Governors of Ohio yet. So when we stopped at Spring Grove Cemetery, we only saw 3 of the 9 Governors buried there before we had to leave. Now that I have officially set out to see them all, it was bugging me that there were still 6 of them down there that I should of already seen. I even had some maps printed out in September that gave very specific locations for the 6 Governor gravesites. So I just needed to get down there and I knew that they could be found in little time. I planned a little day trip of mostly gravehunting in northern Kentucky, with the plan of stopping at Spring Grove again on the way back home. It all came together at the last minute in late February 2012. Once my wife got off of work on February 25, we started to head  down to our hotel near Lexington. The next day we started in Lexington and saw the child hood home of Mary Todd Lincoln. Then we went to Lexington Cemetery and found the gravesites of Henry Clay, Vice President John C. Brekinridge, Robert S. Todd (Abraham Lincolns father in law), and actor James Varney ( the the Ernest movies). We then stopped in Frankfort at Frankfort Cemetery where we saw the gravesites of Daniel Boone and Vice President Richard M. Johnson. It was then to Louisville and re visiting the grave of President Zachary Taylor. After lunch in Louisville we started heading home with one last stop on the way - Spring Grove.

   Governor Bishop was the first of 6 Governors that we visited that day.

Gravesite of Governor Richard M. Bishop. Spring Grover Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio

Governor Bishop and I

The following pictures taken during April 2017 revisit

Governor Bishop and I

Coach Woody Hayes

Ohio State Football Coach Woody Hayes

Born: February 14, 1913
Died: March 12, 1987
Claim to fame: Ohio State Football Coach 1951-1978
Buried: Union Cemetery Columbus, Ohio.

Obviously, Woody Hayes was not one of Ohio's Governors. But I am sure that more Ohioans could tell you who Woody Hayes was then could name the current Governor. So along with finding the final resting places of Ohios governors, on occasion I may through in other popular Ohioans, just for fun.

Woody Hayes is nothing short of a legend when it comes to Ohio State Football. In 28 seasons as Head Coach he won 5 National Championships and 13 Big Ten Championships. His final record at Ohio State was 205 - 61 -10. Unfortunatly like some other great coaches, Woody Hayes didn't leave Ohio State on his own terms. He lost his job after hitting a Clemson player during the 1978 Gator Bowl.

But his legend has overshadowed the controversy. He was entered into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

Woody Hayes wikipedia link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Hayes

 

Me showing my ticket at Ohio "Horseshoe" Stadium before the OSU vs. Miami game on 9/11/2010. The stadium has changed some since Woody coached here.

Me at the gravesite of Woody Hayes

I visited Woody Hayes gravesite in Februray 2010. As a life long Ohio State fan it was a pretty cool experience. Wendy's founder Dave Thomas is also buried in Union Cemetery.

#35 Charles Foster

Charles Foster

Born: April 12, 1828 

Died: January 9, 1904
Political Party: Republican
Term of Office: January 12, 1880 - January 14, 1884
Buried: Fountain Cemetery Fostoria, Ohio
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     Charles Foster was born in Seneca County, Ohio in 1828. When he was young his father opened a store that would grow to be very successful. Foster's education was limited as he was required to stay at home and work in the family store as his father experienced health problems. At the age of 18, Foster became a partner in the family store. In 1854, when 2 nearby towns merged into 1. The new community was named Fostoria in honor of the Foster family. I thought that this was interesting since Fostoria is well known to me. It's only about a half hour from where I grew up and my Mom actually worked in a factory there for 30 years.

    When the Civil War broke out Foster did not join the military. Instead he helped the war effort in other ways like recruiting and he became well known for his generosity in extending lines of credit to families of deployed Union soldiers.

   Foster entered politics in 1870 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He would serve 4 - 2 year terms in Congress before loosing reelection in 1878. Along the way he supported the successful Presidential campaign of Ohio Governor Rutherford B. Hayes.

   Foster ran for Governor of Ohio in 1879 and won. As Governor he worked on making the state government run more efficiently. He won reelection in 1881, but his support of the temperance movement and raising taxes on liquor caused him to loose reelection to a 3rd term in 1883.

    After returning home, Foster served as President of the Northwestern Ohio Natural Gas Company. 

    Foster  reentered politics in 1891 when President Benjamin Harrison chose him as his Secretary of the Treasury. He remained in that position until the end of Harrison's administration. 

    Throughout the course of his life, Foster expanded his vested interest beyond his family store. These investments included oil, railroads, rubber and mining. 

    In January 1904, Foster was visiting a friend in Springfield, Ohio. He intended on attending the inauguration of Governor Myron T. Herrick in a few days. But he passed away unexpectedly through the night on January 9, 1904. 

    When I read the story it seemed familiar. I am currently going through and expanding on some of these older pages. One of the more recent Governor gravesites that I have visited is the gravesite of Asa Bushnell in Springfield. Foster died in Springfield a few days before Herricks Inauguration. Bushnell was from Springfield, he attended Herricks Inauguration, but took sick afterwords and died in Columbus a few days later.  I guess it was an eventful week in Ohio Governor history. 

I visited the gravesite of Governor Charles Foster on January 15, 2012. I had really been enjoying updating all these blogposts on Governor gravesites in the previous few days. I really wanted to start getting more of them. By far the closest Governor gravesite to where I live is Charles Foster in Fostoria. I have driven through Fostoria many times over the years and have never stopped to find Governor Foster. So after church I made the 15 minute drive over to Fostoria from Findlay and got another Governor gravesite. 

When you enter Fostoria you see these historical markers noting that Charles Foster lived here

Foster family gravesite Fountain Cemetery Fostoria, Ohio

Governor Fosters individual marker

Charles Foster and I

#28 Jacob D. Cox

Jacob D. Cox

Born: October 27, 1828
Died: August 4, 1900
Political Party: Republican
Term of Office: January 8, 1866 - January 13, 1868
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio
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   Jacob D. Cox was born in Montreal, Canada in 1828.  His father was a construction contractor from New York and was working on the Church of Notre Dame in Montreal at the time of Jacob's birth. After the church was build, the Cox family moved back to New York. Cox was a descendant of Mayflower Pilgrim leader William Brewster.

  Cox graduated from Oberlein College in 1851 with a degree in theology. At Oberlein he married the daughter of the College President. After a falling out with his in laws he moved to Warren, Ohio and became the superintendent of the local school there. He also studied law, and was admitted into the Ohio bar in 1853.

   In the 1850's the Whig party died out as the Republican party was on the rise. Cox helped organize the Republican Party around Warren and was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1859. In the Senate he met future President James A. Garfield and formed an alliance with him and another Oberlein graduate James Monroe (not the President). Cox, Garfield and Monroe became know as the "Radical Triumvirate" as they helped Governor William Dennison pass legislation leading up to the Civil War. In 1860, Cox became Brigadier General of the State Militia.

   As the war began, Cox left the State Senate and was appointed commander of Camp Jackson - a staging area that soldiers met before being deployed to field duty. Cox served in the Army throughout the war, raising to the rank of Major General. He would eventually lead troops in many battles, most notably Antietam and Atlanta. Later in life, Cox reflected on his time in the war and wrote several military history books.

   In 1865, Cox became Ohio's Union Parties Candidate for Governor. He won the election and resigned his service in the military upon taking office. In spite of his prewar abolitionist leanings, Cox did not support former slaves being given the right to vote. He also supported President Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies, which ultimately left him unpopular with fellow Republicans. He chose not to run for reelection in 1867 and opened up a law practice in Cincinnati.

   In 1869, President Grant chose Cox to be his Secretary of the Interior. Cox resigned as Secretary of the Interior after a year and a half due to his opposition to President Grant's compliance with the spoils system.

    From 1873 - 1878, Cox moved to Toledo and served as President of the Toledo and Wabash Railroad. While in Toledo, he was elected to a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1877-1879. He then moved back to Cincinnati, where he served time as both Dean of Cincinnati Law School and President of the University of Cincinnati. Cox later declined President McKinley's offer as Minister to Spain. He died in Massachusetts in 1900.

Governor Jacob D. Cox gravesite Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinatti, Ohio

Cox family gravemarker

Picture from my April 2017 revisit.

Governor Cox, my boys and I on my April 2017 revisit

#30 Edward F. Noyes

Edward F. Noyes

Born: October 3, 1832
Died: September 4, 1890
Political Party: Republican
Term of Office: January 8, 1872 - January 12, 1874
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio
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  Edward F. Noyes was born in Massachusetts. After his parents died when he was 3 years old he went to live with his Grandfather in New Hampshire. After graduating college at Dartmouth, Noyes moved to Cincinnati to attend Cincinnati Law School. He started practicing law in Cincinnati after his 1858 Law School graduation.

   When the Civil War broke out, Noyes helped organize the 39th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment  and was commissioned the rant of Major. Noyes eventually earned the rank of Colonel. He served in the regiment for 3 years. On July 4, 1864, Noyes was injured in battle and as a result of the injury his left leg had to be amputated. 3 months later Major General Joseph Hooker appointed Noyes command of Camp Dennison in Ohio. Noyes later resigned from the Army to become City Colicitor of Cincinnati in April 1865.

   Noyes became more involved in politics and ran for Governor in 1871, beating the Democratic candidate George McCook. As Governor, Noyes pushed for stricter coal miner inspection laws and fish conservation. But his time as Governor was mostly uneventful. Noyes lost reelection in 1973 by 817 votes to William Allen.

     Noyes remained active in Ohio Republican politics and at the Republican National Convention in 1876, the Ohio delegation chose Noyes to nominate Rutherford B. Hayes for President of the United States. Noyes campaigned hard for Hayes and was ultimately rewarded with the position of Minister to France during the Hayes administration.

   After Noyes time as ambassador, he returned to Cincinnati to work in his law practice as he remained active in Republican politics. In 1889, Noyes was elected as a justice on the Cincinnati Supreme Court. He died unexpectedly in 1890.

    Governor Noyes was one of 3 Governors graves that I visited in Spring Grove cemetery in September 2010. I was pushed for time and so the other 6 Governors in Spring Grove I visited on a later trip.  Like many of my early Governor grave visits I failed to get a picture of me with the grave on my first trip. Since I have been editing these older posts I didn't like the way some of the pictures from the first trips turned out. So between wanting to get pictures of myself with some and better pictures of others. I really wanted to revisit Spring Grove. So I did in late April 2017. I had a window of about an hour to visit all 9 Governors. My kids and I did it about 45 minutes. In the process one of the worst thunder storms I've ever experienced hit the cemetery. Sadly the picture my daughter took of me at Governor Noyes gravesite didn't turn out to well. And I was in to big of a hurry to verify how it turned out. No big deal though. I'm sure I'll be back again. A lot of history in the area to see.

Governor Edward Noyes gravesite Spring Grover Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio

Noyes family gravesite

Picture from my April 2017 revisit

Governor Noyes and I. A bit blurry in the rain

#23 Salmon P. Chase

Salmon P. Chase

Born: January 13, 1808
Died: May 7, 1873
Political Party: Republican
Term of Office: January 14, 1856 - January 9, 1960
Buried: Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio
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   Salmon P. Chase was born in New Hampshire in 1808. His father died when he was 9 years old. He was 1 of 11 children and his mother couldn't support all of them. So he was sent to live with his Uncle Philander Chase in Ohio. When his Uncle moved to England, Chase moved back to New Hampshire where he attended Dartmouth College, where he graduated with honors in 1826. Chase moved to Washington DC where he studied law. He would eventually open up his law practice in Cincinnati.

    In his personal life, Chase was married 3 times and had several children. All 3 wives died young and only 2 of his children grew to be adults and would out live him. After his 3rd wife died in 1852, Chase decided to not remarry.

   As a lawyer, Chase earned a reputation as an abolitionist, defending slaves in many Fugitive Slave cases. In 1850, he was chosen to be a U.S. Senator from Ohio. In the Senate he continued his work in opposing slavery.

   In the election of 1855, Chase was chosen as the Republican parties first Candidate for Governor of Ohio. Chase won the election beating sitting Democratic Governor William Medill and former Governor and Know Nothing Party Candidate Allen Trimble. Chase would go onto win reelection in 1857. As Governor, he continued to focus on the issue of slavery, but also fought for women's rights and reforms in the state militia, education and the prison system.

   Chase unsuccessfully pursued the Republican nomination for President in 1856, 1860, 1864 and 1868. In 1860 the Ohio legislature sent Chase back to Washington as a U.S. Senator. But 2 days later he resigned to become President Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury. As Secretary of the Treasury during the Civil War it was his job to figure out how to finance the Union war effort. He didn't always get along with President Lincoln. Which led to his resignation in July of 1864. However, when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Roger Taney died 3 months later, Lincoln chose Chase to replace him. As Chief Justice, Chase administered the oath of office to Andrew Johnson upon Lincoln's death. He also presided over Johnson's Impeachment trial and confirmed the pardon of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis, as well as presiding over a number of important court cases.

   Chase remained Chief Justice until his death in 1873. He laid in state in the U.S. Capital Building and was buried in Washington DC. His body was later moved to Cincinnati. In 1934, Chase was honored when the Treasury department put his face on the 10,000 dollar bill. 



    I visited the gravesite of Salmon P. Chase in September 2011. I had been wanting to go down to the Cincinnati area to see several Presidential sites. I also wanted to make it to Spring Grove Cemetery. Along with Salmon P. Chase there are several big names buried there including both Procter and Gamble, Bernard Kroger, David Frisch, the parents of both President Taft and Grant, and 9 Governors of Ohio. Chase was on the top of my list to see there, while all of the other Governors were put at the bottom. As it turned out I had a limited amount of time in Spring Grove. By the time I got back to the Governors on the bottom of my list, I was only able to find 2 more of them before I had to head out. So in total I only got 3 of the 9 Governors there. But I was able to get the other 6 Governor's in the cemetery on another visit. 















Statue of Chase on the lawn of the State Capital Building in Columbus

Chase's gravesite in Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinatti, Ohio. His daughter, Kate Chase Sprague was a Washington DC socialite around the time of the Civil War

A nice view from the Chase gravesite

My cousin came along on this one so that I didn't need to take my own picture

This picture from an April 2017 revisit

It's a steep his up to Governor Chase's gravesite. My boys enjoyed the hike up.

April 2017 revisit with my boys

#46 and #48 James M. Cox

James M. Cox

Born: March 31, 1870
Died: July 15, 1957
Political Party: Democrat
Term of Office: January 13, 1913 - January 11, 1915 and
                        January 8, 1917 - January 10, 1921
Buried: Woodland Cemetery Dayton, Ohio
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  James M. Cox was born in 1870 to a farming family. As a young adult he became a teacher and eventually worked his way into journalism. He would become owner and editor of the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield News, among others...

    Cox entered politics in 1908 when he was elected to a seat in the U. S. House of Representatives. After 2 terms in Congress he ran for Governor in 1912 and won. In his 1st term as Governor, Ohio under went a great deal of Progressive reforms. Ohio officially adopted direct primaries, initiative and referendum. The state passed laws that dealt with education reform, prison reform and workmen's compensation.

    Cox lost reelection in 1914 to Republican Candidate Frank B. Willis. But Cox came back in 1916 and won the election, beating Governor Willis. Cox went on to serve 2, 2 years terms. Making him the first Governor to serve 3 full terms in office. In his 2nd and 3rd terms in office, Cox had to mobilize troops in Ohio for WW1. It was also time consuming in making sure that labor disputes in factories wouldn't disrupt the manufacturing of war supplies.


    In 1920, Governor Cox was picked to be the Democratic Parties Candidate for President. His running mate for Vice President was a pre polio Franklin D. Roosevelt. They ran against the Republican ticket of Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding for President and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for Vice President. This is the only Presidential election in which Ohio would gain a President, no matter the outcome. The Harding Coolidge ticket won the election. This made Cox the only Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate that year to never become President. When FDR ran for President in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944, Cox was there to help campaign for him.

    In 1923, Cox founded the media conglomerate Cox Enterprises. Which consisted of several news papers and radio stations throughout the country. Cox Enterprises still exists today one of his daughters is a major shareholder.  Cox died in 1957 at the old age of 87.


    I visited the gravesite of Governor James M. Cox in January of 2011 after visited the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Wright Patterson has an awesome collection of Presidential Air planes that I had really been wanting to see for awhile. After the Museum we headed over to Woodland Cemetery in Dayton to see the gravesite of the Wright Brothers. Governor Cox also happened to be buried there. So we paid him a visit as well.

FDR on the left, and Cox on the right, on the campaign trail in 1920.

Individual gravestone for Governor James M. Cox

Governor James M. Cox gravesite Woodland Cemetery Dayton, Ohio

Taking my own picture again