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Rh year he declined the Free Soil nomination for congress. Early in his career he was styled "the silver-tongued orator"- — when but twenty-six years old.

His removal to St. Louis as a place of residence and for the practice of his profession took place in 1849. On the occasion of Kossuth's visit to that city, in 1852, Mr. Kasson was chosen by the reception committee of one hundred to make the address of welcome. Preferring a free to a slave state for a home, in 1857 he settled at Des Moines, Iowa. Holding the chairmanship of the Republican state committee for two years — 1858 to 1859 — he was said by Governor Grimes to be the first to do effective work in organizing the Republican party of the state. He was a delegate in 1860 to the national convention which nominated Lincoln. The party was declared by Horace Greeley, editorially, to be chiefly indebted to Kasson for the platform adopted. In that campaign he took the stump for Lincoln.

President Lincoln early appointed him first assistant postmaster-general of the United States. He reorganized the service, revising and codifying the scattered postal laws; and devised a plan to secure uniformity in postal intercourse between America and foreign nations, to reduce foreign postal rates, and to abolish international postal accounts. Fourteen governments accepted the invitation of the United States to the postal conference which met at Paris in 1863, Mr. Kasson representing the United States. This was the first general conference of nations ever held to facilitate peaceful intercourse and closer relations between alien governments and peoples. Out of the conference grew the Universal Postal Union of today. The historical importance of this International convention led the postmaster-general to say, in his Annual Report of 1864: "I deem it proper to make known the fact that the public owes the suggestion to invite this International Conference to the Honorable John A. Kasson, who represented our Government in it with such zeal and ability as to command the thanks and warm approval of his associates. I do not doubt that important and lasting advantages are to flow from this conference, due in a great degree to his assiduity, practical ability and earnestness in the cause of progress."

Late in 1862, he had resigned his office in Washington to take a seat in congress from Iowa. His service in congress covered twelve years, 1863-67, 1873-77, and 1881-85. He was a member of the Ways and Means committee for five terms; of Appropriations for one