ZACHARIAH CHANDLER was born in Bedford, New Hampshire December 10, 1813, He came to Detroit in December 1833, and engaged in the dry goods business. His first store was on the site of the present Middle Hottse; from there he moved to the block on the west side of Woodward avenue between Woodbridge and At water streets. The establishment which he founded has been managed under different firm names, but for many years past has been conducted under the firm name of Allan Shelden & Co. Mr. Chandler was very successful in his business affairs and was known as a wealthy merchant within a few years after his arrival in Detroit. He was also known as a public-spirited citizen, and in 1848 served as Treasurer of the Young Men's Benevolent Society, and in the same year was influential in the building of several plank roads that greatly served the city. In 1851 he was elected Mayor of Detroit, and in 1857 succeeded Lewis Cass as United States Senator. As an aggressive, fearless Republican he soon made himself felt and feared in the Senate. He had courage of a high order, and a fearlessness and frankness of utterance that were especially needed at the time he took his seat in the Senate. The administration of President Buchanan began simultaneously with his carter as a Senator, and the vacillation and shuffling of the President afforded a sharp contrast to the boldness and high patriotism of Mr. Chandler. Among the principal speeches which he made during the administration of President Buchanan were those in opposition to the admission of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution in opposition to the aunexaiiun of Cuba to the United States and in favor of appropriations for the construction of a ship canal through the St. Clair Flats. He also made a vigorous protest against the partisan character of the standing committees of the Senate under Democratic rule. Mr. Chandler was re-elected to the Senate in 1863 and in 1869, and in all served eighteen years. It was upon his motion in December, 1861 that a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on the conduct of the war was appointed. This celebrated committee was continued until after the close of the war, many changes taking place among its members; but Mr. Chandler remained and was always the ruling spirit, and his abilities and methods were effective in securing the unity of the Republican party in its war measures. When the Republican party obtained control of the Senate, Mr. Chandler was made Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, and held that position until March 3, 1875, when his term expired. He was at all times an earnest and efficient supporter of the administration of President Lincoln and also of President (.rant, and possessed their full confidence. The most notable speech delivered by Mr. Chandler was in relation to the conduct of the war. In this he severely criticised General McClellan's military career as Commander of the Army of the Potomac, and his speech undoubtedly had much to do with the transfer of General Grant to that command. Mr. Chandler had no sooner entered political life than he showed that he possessed great ability as a politician, and when his advice was followed, party success was generally assured. He was among the foremost of those who favored the overthrow of slave power, the preservation of the integrity and honor of the country, and the protection by law of all the rights of the humblest citizen. He was Chairman of the Union Congressional Committee for four years, and was a member of the National Republican Committee in 1876. On October 19, 1875, he was appointed by President Grant, Secretary of the Interior, and held the position until after the inauguration of President Hayes. His careful and personal administration of affairs in connection with the position was a surprise to all. and gained him praise even among those of opposite political faith. He introduced and carried out a series of reforms in the Indian Department, the Land and Pension Offices, and exhibited an amount of personal knowledge concerning the affairs of his office, and displayed a moral courage that were like a revelation to corrupt officials. Mr Chandler died on November 1, 1879 at Chicago. He left a wife and one daughter, the wife of Eugene Hale, Representative to Congress from Maine. Source: History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan By Silas Farmer 1890 Civil War US Senator, Presidential Cabinet Secretary, Detroit Mayor. He was born in Bedford, New Hampshire, descended from English immigrants who settled in Massachusetts early in the 17th century. He was educated in his native village and neighboring academies, then moved to Detroit in 1833. Successful in the dry goods business, he purchased real estate and in time amassed great wealth. By 1848 he had become active in politics, speaking locally on behalf of presidential candidate Zachary Taylor. In 1851, a Whig, he won a term as Mayor of Detroit and made a bid the next year for the state's governorship; despite an energetic race, he was defeated. From his earliest days a political liberal, an ardent foe of slavery and states rights, he became a charter member of Michigan's Republican party. Boosting his emancipationist image, he played a leading role in a convention held in Buffalo, New York, to facilitate migration of free staters to "Bleeding Kansas." He was also a delegate to the 1856 convention in Philadelphia, which produced the first Republican presidential candidate, John C. Fremont. Buy January 1857, when elected to the United States Senate to succeed the deceased Louis Cass. He had also become a member of the Republican National Committee. In the Senate he quickly rose to prominence in his party as a "radical among radicals." A tough, blunt politician of sometimes excessive temperament, he was also idealistic and incorruptible. Beyond the freedom and social advancement of blacks, he promoted internal improvements to develop the nation's commerce, especially within the Midwest, furthering this interest through his 14 year chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Commerce, which enabled him to dispence appropriations for river and harbor improvement. He also had a keen interest in military affairs and, when the Civil War began, stirred the martial spirit of his constituents to raise and equip state units. Late in 1861 he became a member of the Committee on the Conduct of the War, a Radical oriented panel that held frequent inquests into the military prosecution, and the political orientation, of the conflict. An outspoken enemy of the Confederacy, he initiated legislation aimed at confiscating Southerners' property, prepared plans for ruling a conquered South (laying the basis for Congressional Reconstruction), and opposed political and military leaders he considered "soft" on slavery or secession, a prime target being Major General George B. McClellan. During his Senate career he supported a national bank, a high tariff, and Greenback currency and censured those foreign nations, especially England, friendly with the Confederacy. In 1864 he almost singlehandedly persuaded Fremont to drop his third party candidacy in favor of Abraham Lincoln, which not only helped Republican's retain the White House at a crucial period but helped force the resignation from Lincoln's cabinet of Postmaster General Montgomery Blair, a friend of Fremont's and an enemy of Radical Republicans. After the war, he fought to impeach President Andrew Johnson and served as chairman of the Republican National Executive Committee during the presidential campaigns of 1868 and 1876. In 1874 he was defeated for reelection to the Senate but late the next year was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Ulysses S. Grant, retaining the post until early 1877. Returning to the Senate in February 1879, he served only a few months, as he was found dead in his room at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Chicago, while on a speaking tour. He was the nephew of John Chandler and Thomas Chandler, father in law of Eugene Hale, grandfather of Frederick Hale and great great granduncle of Rod Dennis Chandler. All whom served in the United States Congress. In 1913 his statue was given by Michigan to represent the state in the National Statuary Hall Collection located in the Capitol. Source: by: Ugaalltheway at Find-A-Grave Zachariah Chandler Headston photo by Josh Perry at Find-A-Grave