Our Own Governor

The Grand Rapids Democrat of last Sunday contains the following very readable interview with ExGovernor Felch. Among the many public men o: whom it is the right of Michigan to boast as being her sons, not one has held more important positions than has Alpheus Felch, who for many years has been a prominent figure on the streets of Ann Arbor and even now, though compelled to relinquish to a great extent his business cares, still maintains that vigor and energy which were so consistent with his character while engaged in public affairs. That Mr. Felch is a wonderful man all must admit who having had the pleasure to converse with him, go away admiring his remarkable appearance, the tenacity with which he clings to active life, the gentleness with which old father time has handled him, and above all, that remarkable memory which enables him to converse with forcé and energy as an eye witness of so many events which to the great majority of your readers are largely matters of history. Ann Arbor, truly, holds many interesting people, drawn together by a great university, and among these people ex-Gov. Felch has a prominent position. Indeed, a visit to Ann Arbor that did not include meeting and conversing with him, can hardly be pronounced a decided success, for one would, I think, go away with the feeling that he had missed meeting one of the grandest old men of the state, for, unlike most old men, ex-Gov. Felch is so affable in his manners, such a pronounced gentleman of the old school, so genial in his greeting, that a person having once met him, eagerly looks forward to another such opportunity. Ex-Gov. Felch has a very comfortable residence on State street, and to all appearances is surrounded by every necessary thing. To meet Mr. Felch, one would imagine ie was conversing with a finely preserved man of perhaps 64. Little would you dream that the man be:ore you had celebrated his 86th }irthday. His resemblance to the ate Horace Greely, in personal apjearance, is quite striking. The :ollowing facts are some oí the many jleaned from the conversation : He was born at Limerick, York county, Maine, and at a very early age lost both his parents, and was ;hen taken care of by his grandfather, and afterwards by his uncle. In 182 1, he became a student at Philip's Exeter academy, and later entered Bowdoin college, f. om which ie obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1827. The most notable of his classmates was John P. Hale, and at present but one survivor of all his college friends remains, a Mr. William N. Vaughan, who for many years, has a business man in Boston, but whose home is in Cambridge. After leaving college he studied :aw, and in 1830, was admitted toractice at Bangor, Me.; lived at Houghton, Me., for two years, where he practiced his profession, 3ut was forced to go west on account of his health. He had planned to L0 to Mississippi, but finally settled at Monroe, Michigan, in 1833. He at once, was prominently identified vith the politics of the territory,and in 1835 was elected a member of the (ïrst state legislature, in which body tie served until 1838, in which year tie was appointed bank commissionsr. In 1842, he was appointed to the Supreme bench, but resigned in 1845, to accept the democratie nomination for governor, and was electad in the f all of that year. In 1847 he was sent to the United States senate, where he remained until 1853, when he was made president of a commission appointed to settle the Mexico-California land troubles; went to California in 1854, and upon his return in I1856, settled in A.nn Arbor, and resumed the practice of his profession. For many years he was one of the regents of the University, and in 1879, was appointed Tappan professor of law in the same. During the years intervening between 1856 and the present, he has been nominated for governor; also for United States senator; and also twice for judge of the supreme bench. Mr. Felch is therefore the oldest surviving member of the state legislature; the oldest and only surviving bank commissioneroi the state; the oldest surviving auditor general; the oldest surviving judge of the supreme court; the oldest surviving governor and the oldest surviving United States senator f rom Michigan. Knowing that Mr. Felch's personal recollection extended back long before Michigan was admitted into the Union, the Democrat correspondent asked him many questions about the prominent men oi early days. "Were you personally acquainted with the first governor of the state?" "I knew Stevens T. Mason, our first governor, very well," replied Mr. Felch. " He was a staunch democrat, a ginian by birth. The circumstances of his procuring the nomination were somewhat peculiar. You see, Mason's father was secretary of the territory of Michigan. They must have come here about 1830, for I carne in '33, and they had then been here some time. Mason's father had to go to Texas to attend to some real estáte matters, and in his absence young Stevens T. was allowed to act as secretary for him; after the death of his father he was made secretary in fact, and he remained in that capacity as long as the territory continued. When Mr. Porter was appointed governor, Masón was his secretary. Governor Porter died with cholera, and President Jackson appointed a man named Shaler, but he never acted. After :he death of Porter, Masón was acting governor, though he was at this time not yet 21. He was a bright and capable young man and had a good deal of ability. During the agitation of the admission of the state to the unión we had the border warfare with Ohio. Mason called out the militia and by virtue of his office was commander in chief. There was a greal deal of trouble which resulted in Ohio getting the Doundary as she wanted it, but we got the copper regions by act of congress. Mason made a memorable speech to the militia which procured for him the nomination for jovernor. He was then only 22 or 23 years of age. He served two years, from '35-'37. You see the state was not admitted until 1837. Dending the settlement of the joundary long before that we had a complete state organization. We ïad an executive, a judiciary and all state officers. Mason married a "íew York lady of good family and some fortune and removed to New York city to practice law, and died soon after, so I do not know what success he made in his profession. "iot long ago I had a letter from a sister of his who still lives in Maryand. I would very much like to see her. She seemed much interested in Michigan." "What can you teil me about Sdward Mundav?" "Edward Munday," replied Mr. ?elch, "was a resident of Ann Arbor and lieutenant-governor under Mason. He was also acting governor after Mason went away, from April 18 to June 12, 183S. In the same year he was appointed to the súfreme bench, and then removed to Grand Rapids. You know at that time judges of the supreme court used to hold circuit court, and his circuit was there. I think he went to Grand Rapids about 1840. He was appointed supreme judge under Gov. Barry. Terms of supreme judges were then seven years. Munday was an excellent lawyer, but I do not remember much about him. He had a daughter whom I think married a man named McConnell, who resided at Grand Rapids." "Did you know William Woodbridge, the first whig governor?" "Woodbridge was the first governor after Mason, who, as I have said, was a strong democrat. In the beginning the state was strongly democratie, and Mason was very popular, but at the end of his term we got around to feel the political effects which afterward culminated in 1840, which was simply a revolution of the whole country. In Michigan the first effects were strong enough to defeat the democratie candidate in 1840 and elect Woodbridge, who was a whig. I think the presidential election of that year, in which Harrison was elected, was the most remarkable campaign I have ever witnessed. Woodbridge was elected in 1839, and ated January 7, 1840. Woodbridge made a very good governor, but he was on the other side of the fence. His lieutenant-governor was James Wright Gordon, a lawyer from Marshall. While the legislatura of 1841 was in session, it was their duty to elect a United States senator, and as the whigs were in the ascendancy it seemed very likely that their candidate would be chosen. At their caucus Gordon was nominated, but there was a great deal of dissatisfaction with the nomination, and many of the whigs went with the democrats and voted for Woodbridge. It was a sharp trick, and the Gordon men were very sore. Woodbridge was by no means an unpopular man. His home was in Detroit. He was a Connecticut man, and was very prominent in politics. I succeeded him in the senate, and though both of us were very pronounced in our views, yet we were great friends,and all the while I was in the senate I corresponded with him." Further interesting reminiscences will be given Tuesday.