Cyrus Livingston Dunham (January 16, 1817 – November 21, 1877) was an attorney, soldier, and prominent

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

politician, serving most notably as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

from 1849 to 1855.

Biography

Born in

Dryden, New York Dryden is a town in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 14,435 at the 2010 census. The town administers an area that includes two villages, one also named Dryden and one named Freeville, as well as a number of hamlets ...

in 1817, Dunham attended public schools, and eventually taught school. After earning a law degree and being

admitted to the Bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, he moved to

Salem, Indiana Salem is a city in and the county seat of Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana, Washington County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,319 at the 2010 United States censu ...

in 1841 and began practicing law. Dunham was elected prosecuting attorney of

Washington County, Indiana Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,182. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the Louisville metrop ...

in 1845 and then served as a member of the Indiana State House of Representatives for one term from 1846 to 1847. Dunham then successfully ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, being elected to the Thirty-first, Thirty-second, and Thirty-third Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855) as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He served as

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Committee on Roads and Canals A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

during the Thirty-third Congress. After his time in Congress, he was appointed by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Ashbel P. Willard as

Secretary of State of Indiana The secretary of state of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's state constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The secretary of state oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

, serving from 1859 to 1860. During 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 ...

, Dunham served in 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 ...

of the 50th Indiana Infantry Regiment. He was commissioned on December 1, 1861, and honorably discharged on November 4, 1863. Dunham was again elected as a member of the Indiana State House of Representatives for another term from 1864 to 1865. He married Malvina B. Markwell on January 6, 1870. He also lived in

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio Riv ...

while serving as Judge of

Clark County, Indiana Clark County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 121,093. The county seat is Jeffer ...

Criminal Court from 1871 to 1874.

Work as an attorney

As an attorney Cyrus Livingston Dunham defended some of the notorious

Reno Gang The Reno Gang, also known as the Reno Brothers Gang and The Jackson Thieves, were a group of criminals that operated in the Midwestern United States during and just after the American Civil War. Though short-lived, the gang carried out the first ...

members in

Brownstown, Indiana Brownstown is a town within Brownstown Township, Jackson County, Indiana, Brownstown Township and the county seat of Jackson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,947 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It was named for ...

. In addition, he was rumored to have shipped the skulls of two other criminals hung by vigilantes in the same town to New York City. From an article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' article:

Louisville (Kentucky), Tuesday, May 27, 1862: Col. C.L. DUNHAM, of the Fiftieth Indiana, at Bowling Green, is suspected and criticised by Unionists of Warren, members of his regiment, and the Bedford (Ind.) Press. He is charged with disloyal sympathies, squinting at treason, neglecting his duty, giving up to "pleasurable indulgences," abusing and insulting his men. If he can exculpate himself, well. If not, he'll be cashiered.FROM KENTUCKY.; Brigandage Bullies Arrested Cyrus L. Dunham The Cumberland Presbyterians comparison of Prices A Convert's Confessions, &c
"''The New York Times'' Louisville, Tuesday, May 27, 1862"
Retrieved December 18, 2022.

References

''The New York Times'' Article
1862 * ''American Civil War Soldiers Database'', Provo, Utah, USA * ''W.P.A. Book 6, page 557'', Marriages in Floyd County, Indiana * ''Anarchy in the Heartland'', 2008, by A. David Distler, page 66 * Retrieved on 2009-04-07

External links

*

Cyrus L Dunham commanding Union Forces. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunham, Cyrus Livingston 1817 births 1877 deaths Secretaries of state of Indiana People of Indiana in the American Civil War Union army colonels Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from Dryden, New York 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives