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Show FORMER SENATOR CILOM DEAD Prominent Figiire in American National Life pies After 50 i Years Public Service. FRIEND OF LINCOLN Wanted to Live to See Completion Comple-tion of National Memorial to Martyred President. i Washington, Jani 28. Former Senator Sen-ator ' Shelby M. Cullom of Illinois died today after an illness of more than a week, during which he hovered hov-ered between life and death. His last words were a wish that he' might have lived to see the completion of the National Memorial to Abraham Lincoln, who was his personal friend. Fifty Years of Public Life. Shelby Moore Cullom's death ended end-ed fifty years of continuous public service that had made him a figure in American national life and brought him into, official relations with every president from Abraham Lincoln to Woodrow Wilson. Andrew Jackson was president of the United States when Mr. Cullom was born in 1829 in the Elk Spring Valley of Kentucky, near the Cumberland, Cum-berland, where the Culloms of Maryland Mary-land and the Coffeys of North Carolina, Caro-lina, drifting westward with the tides of immigration that set In at the close of the revolution, founded their early home. Kentucky was a slave state at his birth and the Culloms moved to Illinois Illi-nois to be in a free state. The elder Cullom was then a friend of Lincoln's, Lin-coln's, recommending the struggling backwoods lawyer to prospective clients. cli-ents. Young Cullom, scraping together to-gether the rudiments pf an education gained by toiling over rough primeval prime-val roads, became successively a student stu-dent at Mount Morris academy, a country school teacher and a lawyer, being admitted to (he bar at Springfield Spring-field in 1855. When ho became 'city attorney of Springfield he launched upon a political po-litical career, which for a record of unbroken service,' is unchallenged as exceeding that of any other Amer-ican. Amer-ican. Follower ofr Lincoln. After the historic Lincoln and Douglas debates Cullom's intimate association with Lincoln caused him to follow Lincoln into the Republican party. During the first of President Lincoln's Lin-coln's second term Mr. Cullom came to the national house of representatives representa-tives and began a work which was practically interrupted only when he served two terras as governor of Illinois. Il-linois. After six years in the house, during dur-ing which he had seen the impeachment impeach-ment of Andrew Johnson, he returned return-ed to Illinois, vowing never again to take office, only to become speaker speak-er of the legislature and later governor. gov-ernor. At the Philadelphia convention conven-tion he placed Grant in nomination for his second term, in seventy-five words, said to be the shortest nominating nom-inating speech ever delivered. Cullom's career as a United States senator began in 18S3, when he resigned re-signed as governor and was elected to succeed David Davis. His service serv-ice in the senate chamber was an unbroken one for thirty years five consecutive terms a record excelled only by two other men, Senator Allison, Al-lison, of Iowa, and Senator Morrill of Vermont He entered the senate in 1883, a spry, active man of fifty-four. He left in 1913 a fading, tottering man of eighty-four, but with a brain still bright and active. Held Important Chairmanships. Down through tho administrations of Cleveland, Harrison, McKInley, Roosevelt, and Taft, he held Important Import-ant chairmanships when his party was in power, finally that of the foreign for-eign relations committee. He had been chairman of the commission which devised a form of government for the Hawaiian islands after their annexation and had been chairman of the committee which first reported a bill for tho creation of tho interstate inter-state commerce commission. During the last few years his friends had seen him become so feeble fee-ble that his voice In the senate chamber cham-ber was not heard farther than the clerk's desk. His term ended March 3, 1913, and he was appointed chairman chair-man of the Lincoln memorial commission, com-mission, created by congress to superintendent su-perintendent the erection of the $2,000,000 memorial In this city. The ono wish expressed on his death bed was that he might live to see the completion of the national memorial to his old friend. His memories of fifty years of public service, finished finish-ed only a few mor'hs before his final illneBs overtook him, concluded after af-ter this manner Had No Fear of Death. "I have no great fear of death, except ex-cept the natural dread of the physical phys-ical pain which usually accompanies it, I certainly wish beyond any words I have power to express that I could have greater assurance that thero will be a reunitiug with those we lovo and those who hnve loved us In some future world; but from my reading of the Scripture, and, even admitting that there is a hereafter, here-after, I cannot find any satisfactory evidence to warrant such a belief. Could I believe that I could meet the loved ones who have gone before, I do not know but that I should look forward with pleasure to the 'passing across.' Not having this belief, I am quite content to stay whero I am as long as I can; and finally, when old Chnron appenrs to row me over the river Styx, I shall be ready to go." Since his retirement from the senate last March, Mr. Cullom had been resident commissioner of the commission created by congress to build tho 52,000,000 memorial to Lincoln. Lin-coln. A little more than a week ago he was taken with grippe. His advanced advan-ced age put his 'recovery beyond hope but his wonderful vitality postponed post-poned the end from one sinking spell to another. He was 85 years old . and had. a record of. 50 years of continuous public service. The former senator's lost hours were divided between spells of unconsciousness un-consciousness and short intervals In which he recognized those at his bedside. Although his wonderful vitality vi-tality had sustained life from hour to hour, it-became apparent early today to-day when he could take no nourishment nourish-ment that the end was not far off. Later today it was decided to have a brief funeral service at tho Cullom home on Massachusetts avenue tomorrow to-morrow morning and take the body to Springfield. Ill, where the former senator's first and second wives and all his children are burled. |
