James Noble Tyner
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James Noble Tyner (January 17, 1826 – December 5, 1904) was a
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
,
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
and U.S. Postmaster-General from
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Tyner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1869 serving three terms until 1875. While in the House, Tyner opposed granting railroad subsidies, promoted gradual western industrial expansion, and spoke out against Congressional franking privilege. In 1873, Tyner voted for the '' Salary Grab'' pay raise and bonus that prevented him from getting the fourth-term Republican Congressional nomination. President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
appointed Tyner Second Assistant Postmaster-General in 1875 then U.S. Postmaster-General in 1876 serving until 1877. Tyner served as Assistant Postmaster-General under President
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...
until 1881. In October 1881 Tyner was forced to resign his Assistant Postmaster-General position by President
Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...
, for his assumed knowledge of Star Route postal frauds and for giving his son, whom Tyner had appointed Superintendent of the Chicago Post Office, a $1,000 salary increase. Afterwards, Tyner served as Assistant Attorney to the U.S. Post Office Department from 1889 to 1893 and from 1897 to 1903. Tyner was forced to resign his office of Assistant Attorney by Postmaster-General
Henry C. Payne Henry Clay Payne (November 23, 1843 – October 4, 1904) was U.S. Postmaster General from 1902 to 1904 under Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. He died in office and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was also a chairman ...
in April 1903, whereupon under investigation Tyner was indicted and put on trial for fraud and bribery charges. Tyner was acquitted from all charges for lack of evidence after his family controversially removed pertinent papers from his office safe. In poor health, Tyner died the following year. After a brief biographical article of Tyner in 1906, modern historical research on his life and career has been limited. Initially coming into Washington as a mid west Representative and reformer, Tyner's political career would be associated by controversy and scandal. He was the last surviving Grant cabinet who served in federal office into the 20th Century. Tyner, an expert in the Postal Service, was appointed and served as a delegate to the International Postal Congresses in 1878 and 1897, having the confidence of Republican Presidents
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...
and
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
.


Early life and family

right , thumb , 180px , The fifth Governor of Indiana Noah Noble was Tyner's uncle. James Noble Tyner was born in
Brookville, Indiana Brookville is a town in Brookville Township, Franklin County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,596 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of and the largest community entirely within Franklin County. History Brookville was ...
on January 17, 1826. Tyner came from a prominent Indiana family. Tyner was one of twelve children. His father was Richard Tyner and his mother was Martha Sedgwick Willis Swift Noble. Tyner's grandfather, William E. Tyner, was a pioneer Baptist minister who preached in Eastern Indiana for many years. Tyner's father Richard was a prominent Indiana business man. Tyner's mother Martha's brother was Indiana Governor
Noah Noble Noah Noble (January 15, 1794 – February 8, 1844) was the fifth governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1831 to 1837. His two terms focused largely on internal improvements, culminating in the passage of the Mammoth Internal Improvement ...
serving from 1831 to 1837 and another one of her brothers was Indiana U.S. Senator James Noble serving from 1816 to 1831. Tyner pursued an academic course and graduated from Brookville Academy in 1844. From 1846 to 1854 Tyner was engaged and worked in his father's business. Tyner studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1857 commencing practice in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
,
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.


Political career

From 1857 to 1861 Tyner was secretary of the
Indiana State Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...
. In 1860 Tyner served as presidential elector on the
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and
Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th vice president of the United States from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republican ...
Republican ticket during the 1860 presidential election. From 1861 to 1866 Tyner was a special agent for the
United States Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department, officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the postmas ...
. Although Tyner did not militarily serve during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
his brother, Noah Noble Tyner, served bravely in the Union Army retiring with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.


U.S. Representative (1869-1875)

In 1869, Tyner was elected a
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 ...
to the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative-elect
Daniel D. Pratt Daniel Darwin Pratt (October 26, 1813 – June 17, 1877) was a United States senator from Indiana. Born in Palermo, Maine, he moved to New York with his parents, who settled in Fenner. He attended the public schools and Cazenovia Seminar ...
(who instead took a seat in the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
). Tyner represented the Indiana's 8th District during the 41st, 42nd, and 43rd U.S. Congresses. At the time Tyner was elected the Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate. He was reelected in 1870 and 1872, serving from 1869 to 1875. Tyner, considered a reformer his first two terms, gave few speeches in the House and was noted for his statistical accuracy and "sound reasoning".Barnes (1872), ''Republican Candidates In Indiana'', p. 61 His vote for the unpopular ''Salary Grab'' in 1873 bill later cost him the Republican nomination in 1874.


Advocated repeal of franking privilege

U.S. Representative Tyner advocated the removal of the
Franking Privilege Franking comprises all devices, markings, or combinations thereof ("franks") applied to mails of any class which qualifies them to be postally serviced. Types of franks include uncanceled and precanceled postage stamps (both adhesive and printed o ...
in his first speech in the House on February 5, 1870. This allowed Congressmen to mail to their constituents free of charge. President Grant's Postmaster-General
John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States app ...
also advocated the removal of the franking privilege.


Opposed railroad subsidies

Tyner spoke out against granting large land tract subsidies to the
Northern Pacific Railroad The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by 38th United States Congress, Congress in 1864 and given ...
. Tyner believed that land between the Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean should be settled gradually over time giving settlers free land to build houses. Tyner considered America to be an empire and U.S. citizens had a right to settle the West. On May 16, 1870 Tyner stated in a speech to the House, "Much as we desire to see the country lying between the Mississippi and the Pacific teaming with an industrious population, it would be far better to reach that end by slow marches, than to rush into a policy that will eventually retard its prosperity and check its growth."


Voted for Salary Grab

On March 3, 1873 President Grant on the last day of his first term in office having been elected for a second term signed into law a bill that increased the President's pay from $25,000 to $50,000 dollars and salaries in both the House and Senate were raised from $5,000 to $7,500 including a $5,000 bonus. Tyner voted for this pay increase and bonus, as a secret attachment to an appropriations bill, known as the '' Salary Grab''. Although congressional and presidential pay raises were constitutional, reforming newspapers exposed the $5,000 bonus and the Congressmen who voted for the bill, later repealed in January 1874. Grant, however, retained the $50,000 a year presidential pay. The ''Salary Grab'' law was unpopular with the public and Tyner failed to receive the Republican Congressional nomination the same year.


Committees served on

220px , U.S. Capitol in 1869 at the time Tyner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives * 41st Congress (1869-1871) ::: ''House Education and Labor'' 7th-Majority ::: ''House Post Office and Post Roads'' 6th-Majority.James Noble Tyner
C-SPAN (2015)
* 42nd Congress (1871-1873) :::''House Post Office and Post Roads'' 4th-Majority Chairman :::''House Public Buildings and Grounds'' 3rd-Majority. :::''Washington Monument'' Select *43rd Congress (1873-1875) :::''House Appropriations'' 3rd-Majority.


Second assistant Postmaster-General (1875-1876)

President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
appointed Tyner Second Assistant Postmaster General serving from February 26, 1875 to July 12, 1876.


Postmaster General (1876-1877)

left, 220px, Tyner seated opposite Grant in Grant's Cabinet 1876-1877 On July 12, 1876 President Grant appointed Tyner
Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official respons ...
serving until March 12, 1877. Tyner secured his old position of Second Assistant Postmaster-General to his fellow Indianan and
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
general Thomas J. Brady appointed by President Grant. Brady would later be involved and associated with the Star Route postal scandal that was revealed after President
James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...
took office in 1881.


First assistant Postmaster-General (1877-1881)

image: 20 Chester Arthur 3x4.jpg , thumb , right , 150px , President
Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...
removed Tyner from office on October 17, 1881 after Tyner had refused to resign. After the end of the Ulysses S. Grant#Administration and Cabinet, Grant administration, he was appointed to First Assistant Postmaster-General by President
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...
, serving from 1877 until his resignation in October 1881. When President
James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...
took office on March 4, 1881 there were rumors of fraud taking place in the postal department where corrupt contractors made excessive profits on Star Routes. President Garfield had ordered an investigation on the matter by his appointed Postmaster-General Thomas L. James.New York Times (October 18, 1881), ''General Tyner Requested to Resign'' Tyner was extremely familiar with the inner workings of the postal contract system and upon investigation by Postmaster-General James was assumed to have known and allowed postal contract profiteering. James ordered Tyner to resign office by July, but after Garfield was assassinated and incapacitated, Tyner refused to leave. Also involved in the Star Route frauds was Tyner's Indiana friend and Second Assistant Postmaster Thomas J. Brady. The investigation revealed that Tyner had given his son a lucrative job of $2,000 a year as Superintendent of the Chicago Post Office. When his son took the position Tyner had increased his salary from $1,000 to $2,000 dollars. When Garfield finally died on September 19 and his Vice President
Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...
took office, President Arthur finally forced Tyner to resign and vacate office on October 17, 1881.


Later career

On the evening of June 12, 1882 Tyner was seriously injured suffering a concussion and bruising on his face after being thrown from a buggy while riding near Brightwood.New York Times (June 14, 1882)
Mr. Tyner Seriously Injured
/ref> Tyner recovered after being taken to the city and his wounds were dressed. Tyner was a delegate to the International Postal Congress in
Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, in 1878 and in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in 1897. Tyner served as Assistant Attorney General of the
Post Office Department The United States Post Office Department (USPOD; also known as the Post Office or U.S. Mail) was the predecessor of the United States Postal Service, in the form of a Cabinet department, officially from 1872 to 1971. It was headed by the postmas ...
from 1889 to 1893 and again from 1897 to 1903.


Post Office frauds and investigation (1903)

image:HCPayne.jpg , thumb , 180px , Postmaster-General
Henry C. Payne Henry Clay Payne (November 23, 1843 – October 4, 1904) was U.S. Postmaster General from 1902 to 1904 under Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. He died in office and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was also a chairman ...
removed Tyner from office on April 22, 1903 On March 7, 1903 President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
launched an investigation into frauds in the Post Office. Early in April, Postmaster-General
Henry C. Payne Henry Clay Payne (November 23, 1843 – October 4, 1904) was U.S. Postmaster General from 1902 to 1904 under Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. He died in office and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was also a chairman ...
informed Tyner who was under suspicion of corruption to resign office by a mutual friend . Tyner and Mrs. Tyner then pleaded with Payne to keep Tyner in office. Payne then postponed Tyner's resignation to May 1 and told Tyner he was suspended from duties as Assistant Attorney barring Tyner from his office. This left Tyner in a precarious position of technically being Assistant Attorney without administrative powers. Tyner instructed his wife to retrieve his official papers from the safe room in his Washington D.C. office on the fifth floor of the Postal Department. On Tuesday April 20 Mrs. Tyner arrived at Tyner's office at closing time 4 P.M. and was allowed to enter Tyner's office unsuspectedly alone. Tyner's wife then secretly let in her sister-in-law and a company safe man by another door who unlocked the safe, whereupon, Mrs. Tyner retrieved all of Tyner's official papers. Having bundled and packaged the papers Mrs. Tyner sent the papers by an
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
messenger, who had also entered Tyner's office by another door, taking the papers to Tyner's residence. After her party had left by the other door, Mrs. Tyner then walked out of Tyner's office alone, and returned to Tyner's house. The head of the Post Office Bureau George Christiancy immediately discovered and informed Postmaster-General Payne of Mrs. Tyner taking Tyners papers from the safe. Payne sent two investigators to Tyner's house, but Tyner and his wife refused to give the investigators Tyner's papers nor allow the investigators into Tyner's residence. On April 22, 1903 Assistant Attorney General Tyner was removed from office by Postmaster-General Payne.New York Times (April 24, 1903), ''Wife Seizes Papers for James N. Tyner'' Four days later on April 26 Tyner and his wife denied any wrongdoing.New York Times (April 27, 1903)
Tyners Deny Wrongdoing
'
Tyner stated that he had served his country faithfully and the officials at the Post Office had "lost their heads". Tyner stated he remained on as Assistant Attorney after March 9 to vindicate his honor. Mrs. Tyner stated that she and her husband had been labeled robbers by the Postal Department. Mrs. Tyner said that she had freely been allowed to go into Tyner's office room where the safe was located and nothing was done in secret. Mrs. Tyner said she returned papers in a box to the Postal Department that did not have any criminal evidence. In mid-1903 Tyner was investigated for corruption in the Post Office by special prosecutor
Charles J. Bonaparte Charles Joseph Bonaparte (; June 9, 1851June 28, 1921) was an American lawyer and political activist for progressive and liberal causes. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he served in the cabinet of the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevel ...
and Fourth Assistant Postmaster General
Joseph L. Bristow Joseph Little Bristow (July 22, 1861July 14, 1944) was a Republican politician from the American state of Kansas. Elected in 1908, Bristow served a single term in the United States Senate where he gained recognition for his support of a number of ...
.Chambers-Woodward (1974), ''Responses of the Presidents to Charges of Presidential Misconduct'', ''Theodore Roosevelt'', p. 208 Tyner was indicted three times for fraud and one count bribery. Also indicted was First Assistant Postmaster Perry S. Heath. President Roosevelt stated the postal investigation revealed a condition of "gross corruption" in their offices. Allegations against Tyner and Heath ranged from gross negligence of office, criminal collusion, to actual participation in frauds, bribery, and financial profiteering.New York Times (November 30, 1903)
The Postal Frauds
/ref> Tyner was
acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...
for lack of evidence since Tyner's wife had removed his papers from his office in April. Bristow's investigation resulted in 41 indictments against 31 persons connected to the postal frauds. Four postal officers and employees resigned while thirteen workers were removed from office.


Death

Tyner since July, 1902 had been suffering from paralysis and the postal investigation trial in 1904 had put a strain on his feebled health.New York Times (December 6, 1904), ''James N Tyner Dead'' He died in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
on December 5, 1904 and was interred there in Oak Hill Cemetery.


Historical reputation

Tyner was the only member of the Grant Administration cabinet to hold a federal office appointment in the 20th Century serving under President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
and President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. He has been relatively forgotten by historians after 1906 having not been mentioned in the 1936 Dictionary of American Biography edited by Dumas Malone.Dictionary of American Biography
(1936), edited by Dumas Malone, pages 101-102
Elected three times to the House starting in 1869 Tyner was a successful mid western politician, however, he was not reelected in 1874 due to his vote for the controversial
Salary Grab Act The Salary Grab Act, officially known as the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Expenses Appropriation Act, was passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1873 and sparked a firestorm of controversy among members of the government, the g ...
. His long career in the Post Office Department ended twice abruptly in 1881 and 1903 under suspicion of corruption. In 1903, Tyner and his wife's reputation were damaged after the controversy of taking official government documents from his office in Washington D.C. Tyner did not live long enough and was in feeble health to author and defend himself in a biography. Tyner was an expert on the inner workings of the Post Office during his lifetime having a history of working for the Postal Department starting in 1861.


Notes


Sources

* * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyner, James Noble 1826 births 1904 deaths United States Postmasters General Indiana lawyers Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) Grant administration cabinet members Washington, D.C., Republicans People from Brookville, Indiana 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana