The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Delano, Columbus

DELANO, Columbus, American lawyer and politician: b. Shoreham, Vt., 5 June 1809; d. Mount Vernon, Ohio, 23 Oct 1896. He studied law at Mount Vernon, was admitted to the bar in 1831, and shortly after elected prosecuting attorney of the county. He was elected member of Congress in 1844 and voted against the declaration of war in Mexico; he was again elected to Congress in 1864 and 1866. He was delegate to the Republican conventions of 1860 and 1864, and member of the State legislature in 1863. In President Grant's first administration he was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue, and reorganized the department, putting it on an excellent financial footing. In 1870 he became Secretary of the Interior, resigning in 1875 and retiring from public life. He was one of the trustees of Kenyon College and endowed its preparatory department.