Obituaries. [Volume: 8, Issue: 4, 1889, pp. 242-244]

242

UNITED STATES ASSOCIATION OF

[VOL. 8,

Obituaries.
IT is our painful duty to announce the death of two of the oldest
and most prominent iron manufacturers in the country, both members of the United States Association of Charcoal Iron Workers,
viz.: the Hon. William H. Barnum and Mr. Silas H. Witherbee.
Hon. William H. Barnum died at his residence at Lime Rock,
Connecticut, on Tuesday morning, April 30, 1889, he having been
confined to his bed only two or three days.
Mr. Barnum had, however, been feeble ever since his sickness
during the late presidential campaign. He was taken sick at that
time in New York, and for two weeks it was thought he could not
recover. He had been able to ride out for several weeks past up to
April 26th, and he was thought to be on the road to recovery.
We had a few weeks prior to his death a business interview with
Mr. Barnum, during which we were impressed with his apparent
speedy recovery. The remains were buried in the family lot connected with the church and cemetery which he had purchased and
donated to the Episcopal Society.
William H. Barnum was born in Boston Corners, N. Y., on September 17, 1818. He received a public school education of a substantial kind. His father, originally a farmer, established the first
iron foundry at Lime Rock, Conn., and all his life the son was extensively engaged there and in the neighborhood in the manufacture
of pig-iron and car wheels. Many years ago he became interested
in iron-ore mines in the Lake Superior region. He was successful as
a business man and accumulated a fortune. He figured prominently
in politics for many years. In 1851 and 1852 he was a member
of the State Legislature. He was elected to the 40th Congress in
1866, and was re-elected to the 41st, 42d, 43d, and 44th Congresses.
He served from March, 1867, until May, 1876, when he resigned
to take a seat in the United States Senate. His term expired in
March, 1879. He has been, however, most prominent as the
Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a position which
he held continuously from 1877 until his death.
He was one of the most enterprising and successful iron manufacturers in the country. Early in his life he engaged in the manu