Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/138

 OLDHAM

OLDS

OlJen; grandson of Tliomas and Sarah (Hart) Olden, and a descendant of William and Eliza- betli (Giles) Olden; of John Hart, the Signer, and of James Giles, who came from England in 168, and settled in Bound brook. N.J. William Olden was a member of the Society of Friends, a surveyor in Piscataway and removed to Stony- brook, near Princeton, in 1G90. Hart Olden was a merciiant in Trenton, Stony brook and Prince- ton. N.J. Charles Smith Olden attended school at Princeton and the Lawrenceville acadeni}-; was a clerk in his fatlier's store, and that of Mat- tliew Newkirk in Pliiladelphia. He was mar- ried about 1832 to Pli(jebe Ann. daughter of Wil- liam and Kebecca (Wilson) Smith. In 182G he established a business in New Orleans, La., and in 183'2 retired with a competence. He engaged in agriculture in Princeton, was state senator, 1844-50, Republican governor of New Jersey, 1860-6:j, and during his administration, organized and equipped the full quota of troops umler the President's calls. He was largely responsible for the erection of the state house at Trenton, and of the State Lunatic asylum. He was a judge of the court of erroi's and appeals, and member of the court of pardons, 1868-73; riparian com- missioner, 1869-75; presidential elector, 1872; was elected president of the electoral college of New Jersey, Dec. 4, 1872; was treasurer of the College of New Jersey, 1845-69, and trustee, 1863-76; and aided in extricating the college from financial embarrassment after the burning of Nassau Hall, March, 1855, when as treasurer he disbursed over $50,000 and personally advanced .$20,000. He was also instrumental in securing the John C. Green School of Science, and in directing the attention of the Green family to the universit}-. He died in Princeton. N.J.. April 7, 1876.

OLDHAM, Williamson Simpson, senator, was born near Winchester, Franklin county, Tenn., June 19, 1813. He was brought up on his father's small farm and was entirely self-educated. He tauglit a country school, 1831-33; was deputy clerk of the county court, 1833-35, during which time he studied law under Judge Natlian Green, and was admitted to the bar in 1836. He re- moved to Arkansas in 1837. and settled in Fay- etteville, where he married a daughter of Col. James McKissick, director of the Branch State bank at Fayetteville. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1838 and 1842. and speaker of the house in 1842. In 1844 he was elected by the legislature associate justice of the supreme court. In 1846 lie was defeated for representa- tive in the 30th congre.ss by Col. Robert W. Johnson. He resigned from the l>ench in 1848, and rtmoved to Austin, Texas, in 1849. In 1858, with Judge White, he prepared a digest of the laws affecting Texas and was prominent in the move-

ment leading to the secession of the state, Feb. 1,

1861. He was elected to the provisional congress at Montgomery, Ala., and appointed by President Davis to carry out a confidential mission in Ar- kansas, which secured the secession of that state. May 6, 1861. On his return to Texas, he was elected C.S. senator, and served throughout the ex- istence of the Confederacy. On the adjournment of the Confederate congress, he returned to Texas and went thence to Mexico, where he prepared '* Last Days of the Confederacy," and also engaged in the business of photograpiiy. In 1866 he went to Canada, where he learned that one W. S. Old- ham liad been pardoned, and on returning to New York, found thai it did not refer to himself. He then proceeded to Washington, where he refused to take the oath of allegiance necessary to pro- cure a pardon, and asked for an indictment and trial before a jury, stating that if convicted he would then apply for a pardon. He returned to Texas where he practiced law, but took no part in public aflFairs. He <lied in Austin. May 8. 1868.

OLDS, Edson Baldwin, representative, was born in Burlington, Vt., in 1819; son of the Rev. Gamaliel Smith Olds (q.v.). He lived in Athens, Ga., with his parents, 1825-26, and in Sara- toga Springs, N.Y., 1826-41, where he prepared himself for the medical profession. In 1841 he removed with his parents to Circleville. Ohio, where he practiced as a phy.sician and surgeon, and was married to Anna Maria Carolus. He was a Democratic representative from the ninth district of Ohio in the 31st, 32d and 33d con- gresses, 1849-55, and was defeated in 1854 for the 34th congress by Samuel Galloway, candidate of the Antislavery party. He was a representative from Pickaway count}' in the Ohio legislature, 1842-43 and 184.5-46; a state senator from Fairfield and Pickaway, 1846-48, and speaker of the senate, 1846-47, and representative from Fairfield county, 1862-66, having removed to Lancaster. He was accused of disloyalty to the government in

1862. and was imprisoned in Fort Lafaj'ette, but the charge not being sustained he was released and took his seat in the state legislature. He built a church in Lancaster in 1865 with the un- derstanding that it ''should be free from the heresy of regarding slavery and rebellion as sins." He died in Lancaster, Ohio. Jan. 24. 1809.

OLDS, Gamaliel Smith, educator, was born in Granville, Mass., Feb. 11, 1777. He was grad- uated from Williams college, A.B., 1801, A.M., 1804; was a tutor there, 1801-05, and profe-ssorof mathematics and natural philosojihy. 1805-08, He studied theology under Dr. Stephen West, Stockbridge, Mass., and was graduated with the first class at Andover Theological .seminar}* in 1810. He was ordained pastor in Greenfield, Mass., Nov, 19, 1813, serving, 1813-16, and de-