Henry Martyn Hoyt, Sr. (June 8, 1830 – December 1, 1892) was an American lawyer and politician and the 18th governor of Pennsylvania from 1879 to 1883, as well as an officer in the

Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Early life

Henry M. Hoyt was born in

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...

, the son of Ziba Hoyt (b. September 1788, Connecticut – d. December 1853, Luzerne County, PA) and Nancy (née Herbert) Hoyt, who had moved to

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

after the Revolutionary War. Henry M. Hoyt was grandson of Daniel and Ann (Gunn) Hoyt, and nephew of Levi Hoyt. They were descended from Walter Hoyt (1616–1698), who was born in

West Hatch West Hatch is a hamlet and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. It has a population of 306. History The name of the hamlet indicates it lies to the west of Hatch Beauchamp ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and settled in the Connecticut Colony. He attended lower education at

Wyoming Seminary , motto_translation = Truth, beauty, and goodness , address = 201 North Sprague Avenue , location = , region = , city = Kingston , county = Luzerne , st ...

. He started higher-level classes at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, where he studied from 1845 until 1848. He transferred to

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

, graduating in 1849 with

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

honors, as a member of The Kappa Alpha Society.

Career

After graduating from Williams College, he returned to Pennsylvania, where from 1851 to 1853 he taught Mathematics at Wyoming Seminary. Hoyt first held elected office as a district attorney. A member of the Whig Party, Hoyt participated in

John Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

's 1856 presidential campaign.

Military career

As a soldier in the Civil War, Hoyt was initially commissioned as Lieutenant Colonel, then as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of the

52nd Pennsylvania Infantry The 52nd Pennsylvania Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. History Formed in response to President Abraham Lincoln's calls, during the spring and summer of 1861, for volunteers to enroll for m ...

. He led it during the Peninsula Campaign and subsequent actions of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

until January 1863, when the regiment was ordered to Charleston, South Carolina. He participated in the siege of Morris Island under Brig. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore. Hoyt led troops in a rare night attack on Fort Johnson, stealthily arriving in the darkness via boats. He initially captured the fort, but was unable to hold it for lack of reinforcements. He and many of his men were captured in a

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

. After being confined in a prisoner-of-war camp in Macon, Georgia, Hoyt was taken back to Charleston. He escaped briefly before being recaptured. Upon his eventual exchange, he rejoined his regiment. He served with them until the close of the war, when he was mustered out with the rank of brevet brigadier general.

Law career

After the war, Hoyt returned to his law practice. After briefly serving as a judge, he rose in influence with the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

party and chaired the state Republican party from 1875 to 1876. In 1878, he won the governor's seat, the third consecutive Civil War general to hold the office. During his term, the debt of the state was reduced to $10,000,000, and refunded at the rate of three per cent. Hoyt wrote two books: ''Controversy between Connecticut and Pennsylvania'' (Philadelphia, 1879), about their competing colonial claims settled after the Revolutionary War; and ''Protection vs. Free Trade'' (New York, 1885).

Personal life

On September 25, 1855, Hoyt married Mary Elizabeth Loveland (b. April 1833 – d. October 1890 in Luzerne County), the daughter of Elijah and Mary (née Buckingham) Loveland. They had two children together: * Henry Martyn Hoyt, Jr. (1856–1910) became solicitor general *Maud Buckingham Hoyt (1859–1931) Hoyt died in

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

on December 1, 1892. He is buried next to his wife in the Forty Fort Cemetery in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Descendants

Hoyt was also the grandfather of the poet

Elinor Wylie Elinor Morton Wylie (September 7, 1885 – December 16, 1928) was an American poet and novelist popular in the 1920s and 1930s. "She was famous during her life almost as much for her ethereal beauty and personality as for her melodious, sensu ...

, the daughter of Henry Martyn Hoyt, Jr. His daughter was a poet, too: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/helen-hoyt?mc_cid=b202317e81&mc_eid=15eb358e88

Honors

*In 1881 Hoyt was awarded the honorary degree of LL. D. from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and also from

. *A residence hall in the South Halls section of the Pennsylvania State University at the University Park campus is named for him.

Notes

References

State of Pennsylvania official webpage for Governor Hoyt
*

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyt, Henry 1830 births 1892 deaths People from Kingston, Pennsylvania American people of English descent Pennsylvania Whigs 19th-century American politicians Pennsylvania Republicans Governors of Pennsylvania Republican Party governors of Pennsylvania Union Army colonels Pennsylvania state court judges Pennsylvania lawyers People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American Civil War prisoners of war Williams College alumni Wyoming Seminary alumni 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers