Gresham, Walter Quintin

Born March 17, 1832, near Lanesville, IN
Died May 28, 1895, in Washington, DC

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana
Received a recess appointment from Ulysses Grant on September 1, 1869, to a seat vacated by David McDonald; nominated to the same position by Ulysses Grant on December 6, 1869. Confirmed by the Senate on December 21, 1869, and received commission on December 21, 1869. Service terminated on April 9, 1883, due to resignation.

Judge, U.S. Circuit Courts for the Seventh Circuit
Received a recess appointment from Chester A. Arthur on October 28, 1884, to a seat vacated by Thomas Drummond; nominated to the same position by Chester A. Arthur on December 3, 1884. Confirmed by the Senate on December 9, 1884, and received commission on December 9, 1884. Service terminated on March 3, 1893, due to resignation.

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Assigned on June 16, 1891, to a new seat authorized by 26 Stat. 826. Service terminated on March 3, 1893, due to resignation.

Education:
Read law, 1854

Professional Career:

Private practice, Corydon, Indiana, 1854-1860
State representative, Indiana, 1860-1861
U.S. Army, 1861-1865
Private practice, New Albany, Indiana, 1866-1867
Agent for handling Indiana state finances, 1867-1869
Postmaster general of the United States, 1883-1884
Secretary of the Treasury, 1884
Secretary of State, 1893-1895

Bibliography

Calhoun, Charles W. Gilded Age Cato: The Life of Walter Q. Gresham. Lexington, Ky.: University Press of Kentucky, 1988.

Calhoun, Charles W. "'Incessant Noise and Tumult': Walter Q. Gresham and the Indiana Legislature During the Secession Crisis." Indiana Magazine of History 74 (1978): 223-51.

Goll, Eugene Wilhelm. "The Diplomacy of Walter Q. Gresham, Secretary of State, 1893-1895." Ph.D. diss, Pennsylvania State University, 1974.

Gresham, Matilda. Life of Walter Quintin Gresham, 1832- 1895. 2 vols. 1919. Reprint, Freeport, N.Y.: Books for Libraries Press, 1970.

Manuscript Collections

Indiana Historical Society
Indianapolis, Ind.
Walter Quintin Gresham collection, 1858-1946.
14 boxes, 6 bound vols., 1 oversize box; finding aid; contains Civil War, political, diplomatic, and personal correspondence, as well as legal papers and financial records.

Walter Quintin Gresham papers, 1864-1923.
4 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 1 photograph; finding aid; majority of collection regards Gresham's decision on a run for the presidency in 1888 and his appointment as secretary of state in 1893.

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Walter Quintin Gresham papers, 1857-1932.
10 ft. (12,000 items); finding aid; collection contains correspondence, telegrams, newspaper clippings, and other printed matter.

Federal Judicial Center

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Gresham, Walter Quintin