Charles Henry Van Wyck (May 10, 1824October 24, 1895) was a Representative from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, a Senator from

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, and a Union Army brigadier general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early life and political career

Van Wyck was born in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

. He was a distant cousin of Robert Anderson Van Wyck and

Augustus Van Wyck Augustus Van Wyck (October 14, 1850 – June 8, 1922) was an American judge and politician who served as Supreme Court Justice of Brooklyn, New York. In 1898 he received the Democratic Nomination for New York State governor against the Republican ...

; their common ancestors were Theodorus Van Wyck (1668-1753) and his wife Margretia Brinckerhoff Van Wyck. He completed preparatory studies and graduated from

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New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Bloomingburg, New York, where he became the

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(1850-1856). Van Wyck was elected to the

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as a Republican from New York to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863). He served as chairman, Committee on Mileage (Thirty-sixth Congress) and on the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions (Thirty-seventh Congress). While in Congress, Van Wyck was a prominent member of an investigation into fraud at the New York Custom House and played a crucial role in the passage of the Fraud Claims Act. In his minority report to the investigation committee he famously wrote: “Worse than traitors in arms are the men, pretending loyalty to the flag, who feast and fatten on the misfortunes of the nation, while patriot blood is crimsoning the plains of the south, and the bodies of their countrymen are mouldering in dust.”

Assassination attempt

Van Wyck delivered a harsh anti-

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speech on the House floor on March 7, 1860, which denounced the Southern states for the "crime against the laws of God and nature." The speech was widely reported. On February 22, 1861, Van Wyck was assaulted near the

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by three men in an

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attempt, an attack which was reported as related to the prior year's speech. Van Wyck fought off the attack, surviving only because a notebook and copy of the ''

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'' which he had kept in the breast pocket of his coat had blocked the blade of a

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. The three men fled and were never identified. This was also the same night as an alleged attempt was made to assassinate president-elect

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

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Civil War

During the

Van Wyck entered the Union Army as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

and commanding officer of the 56th New York Infantry Regiment. Part of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the 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 Battle of ...

during the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

; Van Wyck was wounded in the knee at the Battle of Fair Oaks. Much of the war was then spent as brigade and district commander in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

; taking part in the Siege of Charleston Harbor and the Battle of Honey Hill. In 1865 he was brevetted brigadier general for his services during the war. He eventually received the substantial promotion to brigadier general before he was mustered out in 1866.

Postbellum career

Van Wyck was elected to the Fortieth Congress (March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869); successfully contested the election of George Woodward Greene to the Forty-first Congress and served from February 17, 1870 to March 3, 1871. He moved to Nebraska in 1874, where he settled on a farm in Otoe County, and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Van Wyck was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1875. He was elected to the

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1877, 1879, 1881. That year, he was elected as a Republican to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

from Nebraska and served from March 4, 1881 to March 3, 1887. He served as chairman, Committee on the Mississippi River and Its Tributaries (Forty-seventh Congress) and on the Committee on the Improvement of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses). Van Wyck was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection. In 1892, he was an unsuccessful

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candidate for

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential ...

. Van Wyck then retired from political life and active business pursuits. He died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and was interred beside his wife, Kate Brodhead,Gravestones still existing and clearly readable in Milford Cemetery,

Milford, Pennsylvania Milford is a borough that is located in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,103 at the time of the 2020 census. Situated near the upper Delaware River, Milford is part of the New York metropo ...

Personal life

On September 21, 1869, he married Kate Ross Brodhead (1842-1901), descendant of an early New York family. Her sister, Marcia Ross Brodhead, was married to Congressman Daniel Van Auken of New Jersey. Her first cousin, Henrietta Laura Brodhead, married Civil War US Army Colonel Samuel Fowler, son of Congressman Samuel Fowler. They became the parents of Congressman Samuel Fowler (III). Additionally, she was a cousin of Congressmen John Curtis Brodhead of New York and John Brodhead of New Hampshire. They had four daughters: # Lillie Van Wyck (1870-1875) # Marie Louise Van Wyck (1873-1881) # Meta Van Wyck (1880-1881) # Happy Theodora Van Wyck (1883-1919)

Gallery

File:Hon. Charles H. Van Wyck, N.Y - NARA - 527828.jpg File:Hon. Charles Van Wyck, N.Y - NARA - 527559.jpg File:VAN WYCK, Charles Henry 02.jpg

References

Other sources

*''Dictionary of American Biography''; Harmar, Marie V. and James L. Sellers. "Charles Henry Van Wyck: Soldier-Statesman of New York and Nebraska." *''Nebraska Historical Magazine'' 12 (April–June 1929): 80-129, 12 (July–September 1929): 190-246, 12 (October–December 1929): 322-73.

External links

* at the

Nebraska State Historical Society Nebraska State Historical Society, formerly History Nebraska, is a Nebraska state agency, founded in 1878 to "encourage historical research and inquiry, spread historical information ... and to embrace alike aboriginal and modern history." It w ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Wyck, Charles Henry 1824 births 1895 deaths Politicians from Poughkeepsie, New York Charles Henry American politicians of Dutch descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Republican Party United States senators from Nebraska Nebraska Populists Republican Party Nebraska state senators Sullivan County district attorneys Rutgers University alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union army generals 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Nebraska Legislature