Theophilus Carey Callicot (1826 – November 28, 1920) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician.

Early life

He was born in

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, and came with his parents to the

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as a child. The family settled at

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. He graduated from

Delaware College The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

, then studied law at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

and was admitted to the bar in

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in 1847. He lived with his wife Fitzina H. Callicot (1829–1867) at 158 High Street in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

at the time of the death of their one-year-old daughter Mary Fitzina in 1852. Later they had another daughter, Williamina Frederica (1854–1875). In 1853, he publishe
''Hand-book of Universal Geography: Being a Gazetteer of the World''
(George P. Putnam & Co., 1853, 898 pages, on-line version).

State Assembly

He was a Democratic member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

1860 Events January * January 2 – The astronomer Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan (hypothetical planet), Vulcan at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 &ndas ...

( Kings Co., 3rd D.) and

1863 Events January * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...

(Kings Co., 5th D.). In 1860, during the debate of black suffrage, he told the Assembly that "the proposition to put Negroes on a footing of political equality with white men is repugnant to the sense of the American people. They will never consent to share the proud title of 'American citizen' with an inferior and abject race." In March 1861, Callicot assisted Mitchell Sanford to defend Assemblyman

Jay Gibbons Jay Jonathan Gibbons (born March 2, 1977) is an American former professional baseball right fielder in Major League Baseball. He played college baseball at California State University, Los Angeles and in the Major Leagues for the Baltimore Oriol ...

at the latter's trial before the Assembly on charges of bribery. After Sanford's unexpected death on March 29, Callicot pleaded on behalf of Gibbons until the latter was expelled by the Assembly on April 3. In 1863, the

was tied, having 64

Republicans 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 ...

and Democrats each. The election of a Speaker proved to be difficult. During the stalemate, Callicot offered the Republican leader Chauncey M. Depew a deal: If the Republicans elect him Speaker, then Callicot would help the Republicans elect a

U.S. Senator from New York Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term (senators who were elected regularly before th ...

. Depew accepted, and on January 26, Callicot was elected Speaker on the 92nd ballot. Shortly afterward, the Democrats accused Callicot of improper and corrupt proceedings to achieve his election as Speaker and a Select Committee was appointed to investigate. On April 20, the Assembly adopted the majority report of the Select Committee, declaring Callicott "entirely innocent." At the next state election he was defeated for re-election to the Assembly.

Federal office

In 1865, President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

appointed him Customs Collector at Brooklyn, New York. In 1868, he was accused of "traffic in illegal liquor", and convicted. He was fined $10,000 and sent to prison for two years. After serving out his term at Albany Penitentiary, he continued to be detained there because he did not pay the fine, and was released only after a presidential pardon in December 1870.

Newspaper editor

In 1890, he had been the editor of the '' Albany Evening Times'' in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, for more than 15 years, when Governor David B. Hill transferred the State Printing from the '' Albany Argus'', a pro-Cleveland paper, to Callicot's paper. As the editor, Callicot had "carried on the business of political assassination, abusing the best and lauding the worst men of the Democratic Party. He has used the knife and hatchet freely upon such Democrats as Samuel J. Tilden, Daniel Manning, the Cassidys, Governor Lucius Robinson and President

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 ...

."
NYT on January 2, 1890. In 1896, he became the editor of the ''Albany Argus''.

Notes

Sources

The transfer of the State printing contract, with Callicot's curriculum, in NYT on January 2, 1890.

Proceedings in the case against Callicot and John S. Allen, in NYT on May 23, 1868.
Stamford Mirror Newspaper - June 30, 1896 Issue - Delaware County, NY
at www.dcnyhistory.org Transcription of ''Stamford Mirror'' of Stamford (town), New York, Stamford, New York, edition of June 30, 1896, mentioning Callicot's takeover of the ''Argus''.

The papers of Isaiah Thornton Williams, at NY Public Library.

Obit of daughter Mary Fitzina, in NYT on April 19, 1852.
Mr. Lincoln and New York
at www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org Circumstances of his election as Speaker on Mr. Lincoln and New York.

The end of the "Callicot Investigation", in NYT on April 18, 1863.

Speaker election, in NYT on January 27, 1863. * ''A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors, Living and Deceased, from the Earliest Accounts to the Middle of the Nineteenth Century: Containing Thirty Thousand Biographies and Literary Notices, with Forty Indexes of Subjects'' compiled by Samuel Austin Allibone (page 148; Trübner & Co., 1859)

Death notice in ''State Service: An Illustrated Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Government of the State of New York and Its Affairs'' ed. by James Malcolm (State Service Magazine Co., Inc.) [The site states it is a 1917 edition, but the text says: "...1863, fifty-seven years ago..." which dates the death in 1920. The 1917 year must be wrong anyway since he was alive in 1918 and sent a letter from Germany.]

External links

1918-01-27 T. C. Callicot, Democratic Assemblyman, 1918 letter. This is an original handwritten
at www.immediateannuities.com facsimile of his letter to Robert Lansing from

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in 1918, at Annuity Museum. {{DEFAULTSORT:Callicot, Theophilus C 1826 births 1920 deaths Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Editors of New York (state) newspapers English emigrants to the United States Speakers of the New York State Assembly University of Delaware alumni Yale Law School alumni 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature