Page:Autobiographies and portraits of the President, cabinet, Supreme court, and Fifty-fifth Congress (IA autobiographiesp02neal).pdf/31

 CHARLES EMORY SMITH

, of Pennsylvania, Postmaster-General, was born in Mansfield, Conn., in 1842; removed with his parents to Albany, N. Y., when he was a child; was educated at the Albany Academy and at Union College, Schenectady. N. Y.; was actively engaged during the Civil War as aid to General Rathbone, under the war governor, Morgan, in raising and organizing Union volunteer regiments; became editor of the Albany Express in 1865, joint editor of the Albany Evening Journal in 1870, and in 1877 sole editor; was delegate to the Republican national convention in 1876, and was secretary of the platform committee; in 1878 was elected regent of the university by the legislature of New York; was delegate to Republican State conventions in New York for several successive years, and was invariably chairman of the committee on resolutions and author of the platform; in 1880 removed to Philadelphia and became editor of the Press; was appointed minister to Russia by President Harrison in 1890, which office he resigned after having served two years; was active in the relief work of the great Russian famine in 1891 and 1892 while in Russia, and had charge of American contributions of over $100,000 in money and five shiploads of food; has delivered numerous public, political, and literary addresses; was nominated and confirmed as Postmaster-General April 21, 1898.