he bore much the largest expense, and, filially, he drove the storming party which drove Tweed and his predatory associates to prison or into exile. He purified the judiciary of the city and state of New York by procuring the adoption of measures which resulted in the removal of one judge by impeachment and of two judges by resignation. He induced the Democratic convention of 1874 to declare, in no uncertain tone, for a sound currency, when not a single state convention of either party had yet ventured to take a stand against the financial delusions begotten of the war, which for years had been sapping the credit of the country. It was at his instance that the Democratic party of New York, in the same convention, pronounced against third-term presidents, and effectively strengthened the exposed intrenchments which the country, for eighty years and more, had been erecting against the insidious encroachments of dynasticism. During his career as governor Mr. Tilden applied the principles of the political school in which he had been educated to the new questions which time, civil war and national affluence had made paramount. He overthrew the " canal ring," which had become ascendant in all the departments of the state government. He dispersed the lobby which infested the legislative bodies. He introduced a practical reform in the civil service of this state, and elevated the standard of official morality. In his messages he exposed the weakness and inadequacy of the financial policy of the party in power, the mismanagement of our canal system, the federal assaults upon state sovereignty, and the pressing need of radical reforms both in the state and federal administrations.
It is due to Mr. Tilden, also, to say that he rarely discussed any matter of public concern without planting the structure of his argument upon the solid ground of fundamental principles. Always cautious in the selection of his facts, singularly moderate in his statements and temperate in his language, he, better than perhaps any other statesman of our time, can afford to be judged by his record. Who that has figured so prominently in public affairs has said or written less that he would prefer not to have said; less that will not commend itself to the deliberate judgment of thoughtful men and to an unprejudiced posterity. His last important contribution to the history of his time was a communication addressed to John G. Carlisle, speaker of the house of representatives, in regard to the urgent necessity of liberal appropriation for such a system of coast defences as would place the United States in a position of comparative safety against naval attack.
Mr. Tilden passed away at his country house, Graystone, August 4, 1886. He never married, and under the provision of his will the greater portion of his fortune, estimated at five million dollars, was devoted to public uses; but the will was successfully contested by relatives.
RUSHMORE, THOMAS L.
Few men are more widely known in Westchester county than Thomas L. Rushmore. He is the son of William and Rebecca Rushmore, and is a descendant of one of the first English families who settled in America. He was born in Brooklyn, in 1822. At twelve years of age he entered business life as a clerk, and a few years later accepted a position in the wholesale house of Gould, Germond & Company, in which firm he afterward became a partner. For fifty years he was well known in mercantile circles of New York city, being a member of the dry-goods firms of Hamlin, Rushmore & Company, and Rushmore, Cone & Company.
His public spirit was shown when, at the outbreak of the civil war, the firm of Rushmore, Cone & Company equipped sixteen of their clerks for ninety days' service, and guaranteed their salaries. In response to a call from Abraham Lincoln for sixty-day volunteers, Mr. Rushmore enlisted in the Thirty-seventh Regiment, and was made a member of Colonel Roome's staff.
In 1856 he located at Crienta Point (Mamaroneck), where for forty years he identified himself with church, municipal and educational affairs. For two years Mr. Rushmore served the town of Mamaroneck as supervisor, and was for many years a trustee of the public schools. Upon the incorporation of the village he served as president for two years, and, having reached the age limit for active service, declined a renomination. Few men have had the Sunday-school record of Mr. Rushmore. Upon his resignation, after a service of thirty-five years as superintendent, he received a handsome testimonial of respect and love. For thirty years Mr. Rushmore was president of the board of trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was very active in the lay-delegation movement in that church, and one of the founders of a paper called The Methodist, of which he remained a trustee until the movement was successful. A testimonial received from the children of the Roman Catholic church in Mamaroneck is an evidence of his kindlier interest in other churches.
Mr. Rushmore was married in 1845 to Miss Eliza Vail Moser, and they have had eight children: Samuel Moser, Everett, Thomas Hoyt, Bertha,. Mrs. W. T. Cornels, Mrs. W. H. Carpenter, Mrs. F. H. Bell and Mrs. H. G. Tobey.
IRVING, WASHINGTON
Of all the writers who have in any way been associated with the history of Westchester county, Washington Irving is perhaps the most illustrious. Born in New York city, his whole life, with brief intervals, was spent within the borders of the county, and some of his very best work bears the impress of local influences. On the "Lordly Hudson" Irving "chose and built the home where he lived for many years, and in which he did much of his life's best work, and here he died."
"Westchester," said another eulogist of Irving, "has a claim peculiarly her own, for while we are joint heirs with others of his fame, Irving was here honored during his life for other qualities besides those of the gifted author, as he was here also known as the good citizen, the genial neighbor, and the Christian gentleman."
Irving first came to know Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow when a lad of fourteen or fifteen. He spent some of his holidays here, and formed an attachment for the spot which never left him. Irving was born on the 3rd of April, 1783, in a house which stood on William street, New York city, next to the corner of Fulton. He was the youngest son of William Irving, a merchant and a native of Scotland, who had married an English lady. He had an ordinary school education, but early developed a taste for literature. At the age of sixteen he began the study of law. His brother, Dr. Peter Irving, edited the Morning Chronicle, and for this paper Washington Irving wrote a series of essays of the theatres, manners of the town, and kindred topics, with the signature of "Jonathan Oldstyle." In 1804, for the benefit of his health, he visited the south of Europe, returning by way of Switzerland to France, and proceeding thence, after a sojourn of a few months in Paris, to England via Flanders and Holland. While at Rome he formed the acquaintance of Washington Allston, the artist, with whom he studied painting for a time with the idea of himself becoming a painter. After an absence of two years, however, he returned to New York, in March, 1806, and again took up the study of law. He was admitted to the bar, but never practiced. About this time he wrote and published his portion of the "Salmagundi" papers, which appeared as a serial. Paulding wrote a portion of the work, William Irving the poetry, and Washington Irving the remainder. In December, 1809, he published "Knickerbocker's History of New York," an extravagant burlesque, which excited general laughter, although it was gravely held up to reprehension in an address before the Historical Society of New York. Its grotesque descriptions of Dutch manners and customs in the colony of New Netherlands are full of humor. After the publication of this work, Irving engaged as silent partner with two of his brothers in mercantile business. The second war with Great Britain breaking out, he joined the military staff of Governor Tompkins, with the rank of colonel. After the war he paid a visit to the British islands, and intended to make a tour of the continent, but business reverses, involving the ruin of his firm, compelled him to abandon his purpose. Irving now turned to 'literature for support, and through the friendly aid of Sir Walter Scott secured the publication of the "Sketch Book" by Murray, the great English publisher, who bought the copyright for two hundred pounds, which he subsequently increased to four hundred pounds.
In 1820 Irving took up his residence in Paris, where he formed the acquaintance of Tom Moore. While in Paris he wrote " Bracebridge Hall." The winter of 1822 was spent in Dresden. Returning to Paris in 1823, he published, in December of the following year, his "Tales of a Traveler." In 1826, after spending a winter in the south of France,
