Smedley Darlington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Smedley Darlington
Smedley Darlington (Pennsylvania Congressman).jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891
Preceded byJames B. Everhart
Succeeded byJohn B. Robinson
Personal details
Born(1827-12-24)December 24, 1827
Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania
DiedJune 24, 1899(1899-06-24) (aged 71)
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Resting placeOaklands Cemetery, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Mary Edwards Baker (m. 1851-1899, his death)
Children11
RelativesThomas S. Butler (son-in-law)
Smedley Butler (grandson)
OccupationTeacher
Businessman
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Union
Branch/servicePennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Militia
Years of service1861-1862
RankCaptain
UnitBeaumont’s Independent Company of Cavalry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Smedley Darlington (December 24, 1827 – June 24, 1899) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district from 1887 to 1891.

Biography[]

Darlington was born in Pocopson Township, Pennsylvania on December 24, 1827, the son of son of Richard and Edith (Smedley) Darlington.[1] He attended the common schools and the Friends’ Central School in Philadelphia.[1] He taught at Friends’ Central School for several years, and while teaching he made stenographic reports of sermons, lectures, and speeches for the newspapers of Philadelphia.[1] He established a school in Ercildoun, Pennsylvania.[1] First known as Ercildoun Seminary, it was later called Darlington Seminary, and Darlington operated it as an academy for boys during its first three years, then converted it to a school for girls.[1] Darlington Academy remained open for 12 years.

He enlisted in the Civil War as a private and was subsequently promoted to the rank of captain in Beaumont’s Independent Company of Cavalry, Pennsylvania Volunteer Emergency Militia.[1] He was discharged with the company on September 24, 1862.[1] He moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, in 1864.[1]

After the war, Darlington became active in banking and investment brokering, and owned interests in several financial institutions and corporations.[1] He was an early entrant into the petroleum industry in the 1880s, and maintained an office in Oil City, Pennsylvania from which he managed his involvement.[1] In 1885, he founded the Chester County Guaranty Trust & Safe Deposit Company, and he served as its president until 1897.[1]

Darlington was a delegate to the 1872 Liberal Republican convention and the 1896 Republican National Convention.[1] In 1886, he was elected as a Republican to the 50th Congress.[1] He was reelected to the 51st Congresses in 1888.[1] Darlington served as a Representative from March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1891 and was not a candidate for renomination in 1890.[1]

Darlington died in West Chester on June 24, 1899.[1] His funeral took place at his home, "Faunbrook" on June 26, and he was buried at Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester.[2]

In 1851, Darlington married Mary Edwards Baker.[1] They were the parents of 11 children, four of whom died in infancy.[1] Darlington's daughter Maud was the wife of Thomas S. Butler, who also served in Congress,[1] and the mother of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler.[3] He was the second cousin of Congressmen Edward Darlington, Isaac Darlington, and William Darlington.[4]

Photos[]

  • Darlington's house in West Chester

  • Darlington's Grave at Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester, Pennsylvania

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s The National Cyclopædia of American Biography.
  2. ^ "Mr. Darlington's Funeral".
  3. ^ Maverick Marine.
  4. ^ Guide to Congress.

Sources[]

Books[]

  • The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. XXXII. New York, NY: James T. White & Company. 1945. p. 160 – via HathiTrust.
  • CQ Press (2013). Guide to Congress. 1. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-60426-953-6 – via Google Books.
  • Schmidt, Hans (1987). Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-8131-0957-2 – via Google Books.

Newspapers[]

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
James B. Everhart 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district
1887–1891 		Succeeded by
John B. Robinson
Retrieved from ""