Milton J. Durham
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Milton Jameson Durham (May 16, 1824 – February 12, 1911) was 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
Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
and served as
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in the administration of
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Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
. An alumnus of
DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...
and the
University of Louisville School of Law The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law or the Brandeis School of Law, is the law school of the University of Louisville. Established in 1846, it is the ol ...
, Durham held no political office prior to his appointment as a circuit court judge 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 ...
Beriah Magoffin Beriah Magoffin (April 18, 1815 – February 28, 1885) was the 21st Governor of Kentucky, serving during the early part of the American Civil War, Civil War. Personally, Magoffin supported slavery, believed in the right of a state to Secession i ...
in 1861. He was elected to represent Kentucky's Eighth District in Congress in 1872. He served three terms and was a member of several finance-related committees. He was narrowly defeated for renomination in 1878 by Philip B. Thompson, Jr. at the district's Democratic nominating convention. After unsuccessfully trying to regain the Eighth District seat from Thompson in 1884, Durham was appointed First Comptroller of the Treasury in 1885, serving throughout President Cleveland's term. In 1890, after battling a severe case of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
, Durham abandoned his law practice, moving to
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
and helping organize the Bank of Lexington. He was an officer of the bank for several years. He ardently held to a
sound money In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and r ...
position during the height of the Free Silver movement. He was appointed deputy clerk of the
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
at Lexington in 1901, a position he held until his death on February 12, 1911.


Early life and family

Milton J. Durham was born near Perryville, Mercer County (now Boyle County), Kentucky."Durham, Milton J." ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' He was the son of Benjamin and Margaret (Robinson) Durham.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 4 His grandfather, John Durham, established the first
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
church west of the
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, and his descendants, including Durham, were adherents of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...
. Durham attained his early education in the common schools of the area. In January 1841, he matriculated to Indiana Asbury (now De Pauw) University in
Greencastle, Indiana Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It is located near Interstate 70 approximately halfway between Terre Haute and Indianapolis in the west-central portion ...
and graduated with honors in 1844.Barnes, p. 67 After graduation, he taught in the common schools of Perryville and
read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...
under
Joshua Fry Bell Joshua Fry Bell (November 26, 1811 – August 17, 1870) an American politician. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Congress for one term. Early life and education Bell was born in Danville, Kentucky, where he attended public schools and t ...
. He attended the
University of Louisville School of Law The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law or the Brandeis School of Law, is the law school of the University of Louisville. Established in 1846, it is the ol ...
and graduated in March 1850. He was
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 ...
in the same year and commenced practice in
Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...
. For several years, he served on the Board of Commissioners for the Kentucky Deaf and Dumb Asylum in Danville. On June 18, 1850, Durham married Martha J. Mitchell. The couple had five children – Louis H. Durham, Benjamin J. Durham, James Wesley Durham, Robert M. Durham, and Ora B. (Durham) Morris.''Biographical Cyclopedia'', p. 5 Martha Durham died in 1879. After the death of his first wife, Durham married Margaret Letcher Carter in 1886.


Political career

Although active in Democratic politics and frequently urged by friends and acquaintances to seek a seat in the
Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...
or
Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...
, Durham held no public office prior to 1861. In that year,
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 ...
Beriah Magoffin Beriah Magoffin (April 18, 1815 – February 28, 1885) was the 21st Governor of Kentucky, serving during the early part of the American Civil War, Civil War. Personally, Magoffin supported slavery, believed in the right of a state to Secession i ...
appointed him circuit judge of the eighth judicial district. He served until 1862, but declined further service on the bench. In 1872, Durham was elected to represent the heavily Democratic Eighth District in the
U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...
, defeating Republican
William O. Bradley William O'Connell Bradley (March 18, 1847May 23, 1914) was an American politician from the state of Kentucky. He served as the 32nd Governor of Kentucky and was later elected by the state legislature as a U.S. senator from that state. The fir ...
by a vote of 10,874 to 9,925.Tapp and Klotter, p. 123 He served in the Forty-third, Forty-fourth, and Forty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879). During his congressional tenure, he served on the House Committees on Banking and Currency, Coinage, and Weights and Measures, and chaired the House Committees on Appropriations and Revision of the Laws. He also served on committees investigating the failure of the
First Bank of the United States The President, Directors and Company of the Bank of the United States, commonly known as the First Bank of the United States, was a National bank (United States), national bank, chartered for a term of twenty years, by the United States Congress ...
, alleged fraud in the Western Judicial District of Arkansas, the accounts of the
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, and the condition of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company.Barnes, p. 68 In response to the investigation of Freedman's Savings and Trust, he sponsored legislation designed to better secure the company's assets. He also made notable speeches on the subjects of the
Civil Rights Act of 1871 The Enforcement Act of 1871 (), also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, Third Enforcement Act, Third Ku Klux Klan Act, Civil Rights Act of 1871, or Force Act of 1871, is an Act of the United States Congress that was intended to combat the paramilit ...
and the resumption of
specie Specie may refer to: * Coins or other metal money in mass circulation * Bullion coins * Hard money (policy) * Commodity money * Specie Circular, 1836 executive order by US President Andrew Jackson regarding hard money * Specie Payment Resumption A ...
payments. Durham sought re-election to his seat in 1878. He was opposed for the nomination by Philip B. Thompson, Jr., who defeated him by one-tenth of a vote at the Democratic nominating convention at
Stanford, Kentucky Stanford is a home rule-class city in Lincoln County, Kentucky, United States. It is one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, having been founded in 1775. Its population was 3,487 at the 2010 census and an estimated 3,686 in 2018. It is the ...
and went on to defeat the Republican challenger, George Denny.McAfee, p. 158 At the expiration of his term, Durham returned to his law practice in Danville. He again sought the Democratic nomination to represent the Eighth District in 1884.McAfee, p. 120 His opponents were the incumbent, Philip B. Thompson, Jr., and former Governor
James B. McCreary James Bennett McCreary (July 8, 1838 – October 8, 1918) was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky. He represented the state in both houses of the U.S. Congress and served as its 27th and 37th governor. Shortly after graduating ...
. So great was the excitement about the race that party leaders decided to choose the nominee by a
primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
rather than a nominating convention for the first time in the history of the district."Interesting Triangular Fight in 'Old Eighth'. ''The Interior Journal'' Durham finished behind both Thompson and McCreary, who won the nomination and went on to defeat the Republican nominee, James Sebastian. In 1885,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...
appointed Durham First
Comptroller of the Treasury The Comptroller of the Treasury was an official of the United States Department of the Treasury from 1789 to 1817. According to section III of the Act of Congress establishing the Treasury Department, it is the comptroller's duty to :''superintend ...
of the United States; he served from March 20, 1885, until the office was discontinued on April 22, 1889. During his tenure, he sparked a minor controversy between himself and Governor
J. Proctor Knott James Proctor Knott (August 29, 1830 – June 18, 1911) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as the 29th Governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Missouri in 1850 and began his political career the ...
when, in a private letter to a friend, he suggested that Kentucky needed a financier in the governor's office."Kentucky's Angry Governor". ''The New York Times'' The letter went on to say that, while Durham had no plans to actively seek the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1887, he would consider running if the nomination were offered him, provided that President Cleveland approved of his resignation to seek the office. The courier who delivered the letter also shared it with a newspaper editor who subsequently published it. Governor Knott took the letter as a slap at his financial acumen. A noted satirist from his time in Congress, Knott responded with a biting letter in the local newspaper.


Later life and death

After a severe bout with
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
, Durham's doctors advised him to abandon the practice of law. In 1890, he moved to
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
and engaged in banking. He helped organize the Central Bank of Lexington and served as the bank's cashier and also served as the treasurer of the Blue Grass Building and Loan Association. Remaining interested in politics, he was among the speakers at a May 14, 1894 rally to condemn the renomination of Congressman
William Campbell Preston Breckinridge William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (August 28, 1837 – November 18, 1904) was a lawyer and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Kentucky; a U.S. Representative from 1885 to 1895. He was a scion of the Breckinridge fam ...
because of his admission, under oath, of having an extramarital affair."All Met to Condemn Breckinridge". ''The New York Times'' Later that year, the announcement of Durham as a replacement speaker for
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
William Lindsay at a rally in
Mount Sterling, Kentucky Mount Sterling, often written as Mt. Sterling, is a home rule-class city in Montgomery County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,558 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,895 in 2010. It is the county seat of Montgomery County and the pr ...
advocating the
gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...
touched off a riot among free silver supporters in which one man was killed and several others were injured."Political Riot in Kentucky". ''The New York Times'' In 1896, Durham disputed an article that appeared in the '' Lexington Leader'' newspaper claiming that he and other sound money backers had advised
Treasury Secretary The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
John G. Carlisle John Griffin Carlisle (September 5, 1834July 31, 1910) was an American attorney and Democratic Party politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives from 1877 to 1890, serving as the 31st Speake ...
not to visit Kentucky at that time."Encounter in a Newspaper Office". ''The New York Times'' Durham's initial meeting with the newspaper's editor ended peacefully, but when Durham returned later in the day to further protest, he got into an altercation with one of the newspaper's writers and bloodied his face. Durham was appointed deputy clerk of the
Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
at Lexington in 1901 and served until his death in that city on February 12, 1911. He was interred in Bellevue Cemetery in Danville.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Durham, Milton Jameson 1824 births 1911 deaths Methodists from Kentucky Burials in Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky) Comptrollers of the United States Treasury DePauw University alumni Kentucky lawyers Kentucky state court judges People from Perryville, Kentucky Politicians from Danville, Kentucky University of Louisville School of Law alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 19th-century Kentucky state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives