Tunis Van Pelt Talmage (July 24, 1832 – November 28, 1909) was an American businessman and politician from New York.
Tunis V. P. Talmage | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New York State Assembly for Kings County, 4th District | |
| In office 1875–1876 | |
| Preceded by | Theodore N. Melvin |
| Succeeded by | James G. Tighe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tunis Van Pelt Talmage July 24, 1832 Clinton, New Jersey |
| Died | November 28, 1909 (aged 77) Brooklyn, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Magdalene Van Nest de Forest
(after 1853) |
| Relations | Jacob W. Miller (uncle) Thomas De Witt Talmage (cousin) John Van Nest Talmage (cousin) Katherine Emmons Force (granddaughter) Madeleine Astor (granddaughter) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Thomas G. Talmage Dorothy Miller |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | 56th New York Infantry Regiment |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | U.S. Civil War • Gettysburg campaign |
Life edit
Talmage was born on July 24, 1832, in Clinton, New Jersey, the son of Thomas Goyn Talmage and Dorothy Miller.[1] He grew up in New York City until he was eight, after which he lived in Brooklyn. His father was Mayor of Brooklyn, and his uncle Jacob W. Miller was a United States Senator from New Jersey.[2] Among his cousins were attorney George Macculloch Miller and clergyman John Van Nest Talmage and Thomas De Witt Talmage.[3]
Talmage attended the New Brunswick Grammar School in New Jersey.[4]
Career edit
In 1849, he moved to San Francisco and worked in the general merchandise establishment of Talmage, Green & Co. Two years later, he returned to Brooklyn and obtained a contract to pave and grade the streets. After seven years in that business, he established himself in the coal business. In 1860, he was elected supervisor of the Eighth Ward. A year later, he served on the committee of volunteers that relieved families of soldiers killed in the American Civil War. In 1862, he was elected alderman from the Eighth Ward, and in 1864 he was re-elected and made president of the board.[5]
During the Civil War, Talmage helped raise the 56th New York Infantry Regiment, which his brother was major of. Governor Morgan appointed him captain of the regiment, and he joined the regiment in the front during the Gettysburg campaign. He remained in active service until the end of the campaign, at which point he resigned. In 1865, he came within one vote of receiving the mayoral nomination, losing the nomination to Martin Kalbfleisch. In 1867, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor as an independent Democrat.[2]
In 1874, Talmage was elected to the New York State Assembly as a Democrat, representing the Kings County 4th District (Wards 5, 10, and 22 of Brooklyn). He served in the Assembly in 1875[6] and 1876. In the Assembly, he advocated Governor Tilden's reform measures.[7] He also introduced and carried through a readjustment of Prospect Park taxes, which shifted taxation from property holders contiguous to the Park to the entire city. In 1882, he went from the retail coal business to the wholesale coal trade.[2] He was also involved in real estate.[4]
Personal life edit
In 1853, he married Magdalene Van Nest de Forest (1836–1905), a daughter of John J. de Forest and Madeline (née Van Nest).[8] Their children were:[2]
- Magdalen Talmage Dodge (1854–1941), who married Francis Edward Dodge (1841–1926) of New York City.[9]
- William De forest Talmage (1860–1941)
- Katherine Arvilla Talmage (1863–1939),[10] who married William H. Force in 1889.[11]
Talmage was affiliated with the Crescent Athletic Club. He was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church[5] until 1898, when he became a member and trustee of the Park Congregational Church.[8]
Talmage died at home at 216 Eighth Avenue following a 18-week illness that left him bedridden the entire time on November 28, 1909.[1] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.[12]
Descendants edit
Through his daughter Katherine,[9] he was a grandfather of Katherine Emmons Force (1891–1956),[13] (wife of Lorillard S. Spencer),[14][15] and Madeleine Talmage Force (wife of John Jacob Astor IV, William Karl Dick, and Enzo Fiermonte).[16]
References edit
- ^ a b "Tunis Van Pelt Talmage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 70, no. 330. New York, N.Y. 29 November 1909. p. 3 – via Brooklyn Public Library Historical Newspapers.
- ^ a b c d Ross, Peter (1902). A History of Long Island, From Its Earliest Settlement To The Present Time. Vol. II. The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 108–109 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Tunis Van Pelt Talmage". New-York Tribune. Vol. LXIX, no. 23024. New York, N.Y. 29 November 1909. p. 7 – via Chronicling America.
- ^ a b McElroy, William H.; McBride, Alexander (1875). Life Sketches of Government Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York for 1875. Albany, N.Y.: Weed, Parsons and Company. pp. 294–295 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Howard, Henry W. B.; Jervis, Arthur N., eds. (1893). The Eagle and Brooklyn: The Record of the Progress of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. Two. Brooklyn, N.Y.: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 1054 – via Google Books.
- ^ McBride, Alexander (1875). The Evening Journal Almanac 1875. Albany, N.Y.: Weed, Parsons & Co. p. 145 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ McBride, Alexander (1876). The Evening Journal Almanac, 1876. Albany, N.Y.: Weed, Parsons & Co. p. 123 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Ross, Peter (1902). A History of Long Island: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time. Lewis publishing Company. p. 109. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b Somerset County Historical Quarterly. Somerset County Historical Society. 1914. pp. 102–103. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ TIMES, Special to THE NEW YORK (14 August 1939). "MRS. WILLIAM H. FORCE; The Grandmother of John Jacob Astor Dies in Newport". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "WILLIAM H. FORCE DEAD. | Father of Mrs. William K. Dick Was a Commission Merchant". The New York Times. 20 May 1917. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "Civil War Biographies: Sumner-Utassy". Green-Wood Cemetery. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
- ^ "Mrs. Lorillard Spencer. Widow of New York Banker, a Resident of Newport, Dies" (PDF). The New York Times. September 9, 1956. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
Mrs. Katherine Force Spencer of Chasteullux, Newport, died at her home this morning of a heart attack. She was 63 years old....
- ^ "How the Beautiful Katherine Force, Sister of Madeleine, Who Was Mrs. John Jacob Astor and Is Now Mrs. Dick, and Other Society Girls Are Carving Out Careers for Themselves' by Hard Work". The Milwaukee Journal. July 25, 1920.
- ^ "LORILLARD SPENCER DEAD IN NEWPORT; Was Decorated by France and the U.S. for 'Extraordinary Heroism in Action' AN EX-AIRPLANE OFFICIAL He Had Served With Several Corporations--III Since He Suffered Stroke in 1934 Took Up Aviation in 1921 Landing Fields Chairman Legion of Valor Member" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 June 1939. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "Mrs. Fiermonte Dead In Florida". The New York Times. Associated Press. March 28, 1940. Retrieved October 19, 2010.