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Politicians in Railroading in Delaware

  William Franklin Allen (1883-1946) — also known as William F. Allen; "Lovebird Allen" — of Seaford, Sussex County, Del. Born in Bridgeville, Sussex County, Del., January 19, 1883. Democrat. Telegrapher; railway station agent; fruit and produce dealer; real estate business; oil business; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1920; member of Delaware state senate from Sussex County 2nd District, 1925-28; U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1937-39; Liberal Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Delaware, 1940. Methodist. Member, Freemasons; Shriners; Kiwanis. Died in a hospital at Lewes, Sussex County, Del., June 14, 1946 (age 63 years, 146 days). Interment at Odd Fellows Cemetery, Seaford, Del.
  Relatives: Son of William Franklin 'Frank' Allen and Mollie (Smith) Allen; married, April 16, 1905, to Mary Addie Davis.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Joseph Bancroft (1875-1936) — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Rockford (now part of Wilmington), New Castle County, Del., May 18, 1875. Democrat. Chemical engineer; executive, Joseph Bancroft & Sons chemical manufacturing firm; director of railroads and insurance companies; candidate for Governor of Delaware, 1924. Quaker. Member, American Chemical Society; Theta Xi; Freemasons; Elks. Injured in a fall down stairs, and died a few days later, from pneumonia, in the Homeopathic Hospital, Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., May 6, 1936 (age 60 years, 354 days). Interment at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Samuel Bancroft, Jr. and Mary Askew (Richardson) Bancroft; married, October 29, 1902, to Elizabeth Ann Howard.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Benjamin Thomas Biggs (1821-1893) — also known as Benjamin T. Biggs — of Middletown, New Castle County, Del. Born near Summit Bridge, New Castle County, Del., October 1, 1821. Democrat. Major in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War; farmer; delegate to Delaware state constitutional convention, 1852; U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1869-73; defeated, 1860; president, Queen Anne and Kent Railroad, 1874; Governor of Delaware, 1887-91. Methodist. Slaveowner. Died in Middletown, New Castle County, Del., December 25, 1893 (age 72 years, 85 days). Interment at Bethel Cemetery, Chesapeake City, Md.
  Relatives: Married, May 18, 1853, to Mary S. Beekman; father of John Biggs.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — National Governors Association biography
  Alexander Peterson Corbit (1864-1923) — also known as Alexander P. Corbit — of Odessa, New Castle County, Del. Born February 20, 1864. Republican. Member of Delaware state house of representatives from New Castle County 13th District, 1907-08, 1919-22; member of Delaware state senate from New Castle County 6th District, 1909-12; president, New Castle County National Bank; director, Delaware Railroad. Died, of pneumonia, in Odessa, New Castle County, Del., February 18, 1923 (age 58 years, 363 days). Interment at Corbit Family Cemetery, Odessa, Del.
  Relatives: Son of John Cowgill Corbit and Emily (Peterson) Corbit.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Charles Irénée du Pont (1797-1869) — also known as Charles I. du Pont — Born in Charleston, Charleston County, S.C., March 29, 1797. Whig. Cloth manufacturer; president, Farmers Bank of Delaware; an organizer of the Delaware Railroad; member of Delaware state senate, 1841-44, 1853-56. Died in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., January 31, 1869 (age 71 years, 308 days). Interment at Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Victor Marie du Pont=de Nemours and Gabrielle Joséphine de la Fite=de Pelleport; married, October 8, 1824, to Dorcas Montgomery Van Dyke (daughter of Nicholas Van Dyke (1770-1826); granddaughter of Nicholas Van Dyke (1738-1789)); married to Anne Ridgely (daughter of Henry Moore Ridgely); great-grandfather of Francis Victor du Pont; second great-grandfather of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont; first cousin of Henry DuPont; first cousin once removed of Henry Algernon du Pont; first cousin twice removed of Thomas Coleman du Pont, Alfred Irénée du Pont, Pierre Samuel du Pont, Francis Irenee du Pont, Edward Green Bradford Jr. and Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard; first cousin thrice removed of Henry Belin du Pont Jr., Lammot du Pont Copeland, Thomas Francis Bayard III, Reynolds du Pont and Alexis Irenee du Pont Bayard; first cousin four times removed of Pierre Samuel du Pont IV and Richard Henry Bayard.
  Political families: DuPont family of Wilmington, Delaware; Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Henry Algernon du Pont (1838-1926) — also known as Henry A. du Pont — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del.; Winterthur, New Castle County, Del. Born in Eleutherian Mills, New Castle County, Del., July 30, 1838. Republican. Colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War; received the Medal of Honor in 1898 for his handling of the retreat at the Battle of Cedar Creek, Va., October 19, 1864; president, Wilmington and Northern Railroad, 1879-1899; delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1896 (member, Committee to Notify Vice-Presidential Nominee), 1908, 1912; U.S. Senator from Delaware, 1906-17; defeated, 1916; candidate for Presidential Elector for Delaware. Episcopalian. Died in Winterthur, New Castle County, Del., December 31, 1926 (age 88 years, 154 days). Interment at Du Pont de Nemours Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Henry DuPont and Louisa (Gerhard) du Pont; married 1874 to Mary Pauline Foster; first cousin once removed of Charles Irénée du Pont, Thomas Coleman du Pont, Alfred Irénée du Pont, Pierre Samuel du Pont, Francis Irenee du Pont, Edward Green Bradford Jr. and Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard; first cousin twice removed of Francis Victor du Pont, Henry Belin du Pont Jr., Lammot du Pont Copeland, Thomas Francis Bayard III, Ethel du Pont (who married Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.), Reynolds du Pont and Alexis Irenee du Pont Bayard; first cousin thrice removed of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont, Pierre Samuel du Pont IV and Richard Henry Bayard.
  Political families: DuPont family of Wilmington, Delaware; Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Pierre Samuel du Pont (1870-1954) — also known as Pierre S. du Pont — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., January 15, 1870. President (1915-19) and director of the Du Pont chemical company; chairman (1915-29) and president (1920-23) of General Motors; director, Pennsylvania Railroad; member of Delaware state board of education, 1919-21; delegate to Delaware convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933; Delaware Liquor Commissioner, 1933-38. Member, American Philosophical Society; Phi Kappa Sigma. Died in 1954 (age about 84 years). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Lammot du Pont and Mary (Belin) du Pont; brother of William Kemble du Pont (who married Ethel Fleet Hallock); married, October 6, 1915, to Alice Belin (sister of Ferdinand Lammot Belin); uncle of Henry Belin du Pont Jr., Lammot du Pont Copeland and Reynolds du Pont; grandnephew of Henry DuPont; granduncle of Pierre Samuel du Pont IV; first cousin of Thomas Coleman du Pont and Alfred Irénée du Pont; first cousin once removed of Henry Algernon du Pont and Francis Victor du Pont; first cousin twice removed of Charles Irénée du Pont and Eleuthere Irenee du Pont; second cousin of Francis Irenee du Pont, Edward Green Bradford Jr., Elizabeth Bradford du Pont Bayard and Eugene Lammot; second cousin once removed of Thomas Francis Bayard III and Alexis Irenee du Pont Bayard; second cousin twice removed of Richard Henry Bayard.
  Political families: DuPont family of Wilmington, Delaware; Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Wikipedia article
  James S. Evans (1873-1950) — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Joanna Heights, Berks County, Pa., February 25, 1873. Republican. Railway freight agent; member of Delaware state house of representatives from New Castle County 3rd District, 1927-28, 1935-38; member of Delaware state senate from New Castle County 1st District, 1943-50; died in office 1950. Methodist. Member, Freemasons; Shriners; Odd Fellows. Died, from a heart attack, in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., March 24, 1950 (age 77 years, 27 days). Interment at Mt. Salem Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Married to Martha Borem.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Joshua Taylor Heald (1821-1887) — also known as Joshua T. Heald — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in New Castle, New Castle County, Del., May 26, 1821. Republican. Bookbinder; real estate developer; bank director; delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1860, 1868; President of the Wilmington City Railway Company, which built the city's first trolley line; later, he was president of the Wilmington and Western Railroad; candidate for U.S. Representative from Delaware, 1870. Died, from typhoid fever, in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., July 23, 1887 (age 66 years, 58 days). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Joseph Heald and Hannah (Mendenhall) Heald; married 1844 to Hannah Pusey; third cousin of Harmon Gregg Heald.
  Heald Street, in Wilmington, Delaware, is named for him.
  Charles Bell Houston (1845-1907) — also known as Charles B. Houston — of Millsboro, Sussex County, Del. Born in Sussex County, Del., December 30, 1845. Democrat. Lumber business; bank director; director, Delaware, Maryland & Virginia Railroad; member of Delaware state senate from Sussex County, 1891-94. Died, from a kidney ailment, in Atlantic City, Atlantic County, N.J., June 25, 1907 (age 61 years, 177 days). Interment at Millsboro Cemetery, Millsboro, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Robert Bell Houston and Lydia (Wharton) Houston; brother of John Mitchell Houston and Henry Aydelotte Houston (1847-1925); uncle of John Mitchell Moore Houston and Henry Aydelotte Houston (1890-1979); first cousin once removed of John Wallace Houston; second cousin of Robert Griffith Houston.
  Political families: Houston family of Delaware; Maull family of Lewes, Delaware (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Preston Lea (1841-1916) — of New Castle, New Castle County, Del.; Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., November 12, 1841. Republican. President, William Lea and Sons milling; president, Union National Bank, vice-president, Farmers Mutual Insurance Company; director, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad; Governor of Delaware, 1905-09; delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1908. Quaker. Member, Union League. Died in New Castle, New Castle County, Del., December 4, 1916 (age 75 years, 22 days). Interment at Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Son of William Lea and Jane Scott (Lovett) Lea; married, October 27, 1870, to Adalaide Moore; married, April 29, 1897, to Eliza Naudain Corbit; father of Claudia Wright Lea (who married Sheffield Phelps); second cousin once removed of Charles Corbit and William Webb Jr.; third cousin once removed of Joseph Rodman West; third cousin twice removed of Elsie Cryder Woodward.
  Political families: Livingston-Schuyler family of New York; Kellogg-Adams-Seymour-Chapin family of Connecticut and New York (subsets of the Four Thousand Related Politicians).
  See also National Governors Association biography
  James Pennewill (b. 1854) — of Dover, Kent County, Del. Born in Sussex County, Del., June 16, 1854. Republican. Lawyer; solicitor in Delaware for Pennsylvania Railroad; justice of Delaware state supreme court, 1897-1916; chief justice of Delaware state supreme court, 1909-16. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Anna E. (Curry) Pennewill and Simeon Pennewill; brother of Simeon Selby Pennewill; married, December 5, 1888, to Alice Hazel.
  Political family: Pennewill family of Dover and Greenwood, Delaware.
  Howard Winfield Robison (1915-1987) — also known as Howard W. Robison — of Owego, Tioga County, N.Y. Born in Owego, Tioga County, N.Y., October 30, 1915. Republican. Served in the U.S. Army during World War II; U.S. Representative from New York, 1958-75 (37th District 1958-63, 33rd District 1963-73, 27th District 1973-75); vice-president for Congressional relations (lobbyist), American Railroad Association, 1975-87. Died, from heart failure, in Rehoboth Beach, Sussex County, Del., September 26, 1987 (age 71 years, 331 days). Interment at Evergreen Cemetery, Owego, N.Y.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  William A. Simonton (1871-1951) — also known as "Cap" — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Peoria, Peoria County, Ill., September 28, 1871. Republican. Executive at Du Pont chemical company; director of Delaware Maryland Virginia Railroad; member of Delaware state senate from New Castle County 1st District, 1923-38. Member, Freemasons; Royal Arch Masons; Knights Templar; Scottish Rite Masons; Shriners; Elks. Died, following a heart attack, at Delaware Hospital, Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., October 9, 1951 (age 80 years, 11 days). Interment at Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Owls Nest, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Jacob Richard Simonton and Lucy (Richardson) Simonton; married, December 10, 1892, to Hettie May Hull.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Merrill Henry Tilghman (1875-1927) — also known as Merrill H. Tilghman — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born in Snow Hill, Worcester County, Md., February 9, 1875. Democrat. Railway conductor; candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, 1924; candidate for U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1926. Member, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen; Order of Railway Conductors. Died in Dover, Kent County, Del., March 7, 1927 (age 52 years, 26 days). Interment at Silverbrook Cemetery and Memorial Park, Wilmington, Del.
  Relatives: Son of Peter Marion Tilghman and Martha Jane (Causey) Tilghman; married, October 18, 1900, to Nora Lowe; second cousin once removed of Frederick Paul Adkins, Elijah Dale Adkins, Wallace Henry White and Arthur Percival White; second cousin twice removed of Bertha Sheppard Adkins, Edward Homer White Jr. and Elijah Dale Adkins Jr.; fourth cousin once removed of William Joseph Allee.
  Political family: White-Dennis-Adkins family of Maryland.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  William Wintrup (c.1863-1946) — of Wilmington, New Castle County, Del. Born about 1863. Republican. Shop foreman for Pennsylvania Railroad; member of Delaware state house of representatives from New Castle County 2nd District, 1925-28; Speaker of the Delaware State House of Representatives, 1927. Died in Wilmington, New Castle County, Del., April 18, 1946 (age about 83 years). Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Married to Ella A. Martin; father-in-law of Albert W. James.
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
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