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     These sketches are designed to be brief, biographical, historic and statistical, with an occasional change incident to redistricting.  In the list will be found many eminent statesmen who were honored by our people.  It has been endeavored to give the place and time of their birth, education, occupation, the public offices held and their politics when elected to congress of the subjects treated.  No district in the United States has been represented by such an array of political giants as the Third Ohio district.  We point with pride to our Morrow, Harrison, Woods, Corwin, Weller, the Campbells, Vallandigham, Schenck, McMahon, Sorg and others, who have sat in our federal councils and achieved distinction and success in other ways.

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     What is familiarly known as the Third congressional district of Ohio, has had the following representatives in the lower house of the national congress:

     WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON

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     WILLIAM McMILAN

     JEREMIAH MORROW

     JOHN McLEAN

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continued in this office by President Jackson, but declined.  He was appointed a Justice of the United States Supreme court in 1829, continuing in this office until his death, Apr. 4, 1861.

     THOMAS R. ROSS was born in 1798; studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice at Lebanon, Ohio.  He was elected to Congress in 1818, 1820 and 1822, as a Whig; retired from politics in 1825 and engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1849.  He lost his eye-sight in 1866 and died June. 28, 1869.

     JOHN WOODS was born in Jonestown, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, Oct. 18, 1794.  He removed with his father to Warren county, Ohio, in 1797.  He was reared in a long cabin and as soon as he was old enough he had to participate in the labors of the farm.  He received his education in the common schools of the county; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1810.  He served as a soldier in the war of 1812 and on his return from the army he opened an English school near Springboro, Warren county, which he continued about two years. 
     On Aug. 19, 1819, he opened an office in Hamilton and commenced the practice of his profession.  At the general election in October, 1824, he was elected a Representative in Congress as a Whig, from the Second congressional district, composed of the counties of Butler and Warren, over Thomas R Ross, of Lebanon, who had been the former representative.  In 1824, Mr. Woods formed a partnership with Michael B. Sargeant, a fine scholar and a thorough lawyer, who attended to the business affairs of the office while Mr. Woods was absent attending Congress.  In 1828, John Woods, then the leading lawyer of the Butler couuty county bar, became part owner of the Hamilton Intelligencer.  Subsequently he purchased the other half of the establishment from Edward Shaffer and sold it to Michael B. Sargeant, his law partner.  On June 21, 1831, Mr. Woods became sole proprietor, when he employed L. D. Campbell to assist him in publishing the paper.  On Jan. 30, 1845, the Legislature of Ohio elected him Auditor of State  

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for a term of three years.  He introduced important reforms in the office and left indelible marks on the policy and history of the state.  After his term expired he was again re-elected and served until March. 1851, when he returned to Hamilton, to assume the presidency of the Junction railroad.  He faithfully and energetically discharged the duties of this office, with credit to himself and to the advantage of the company.  He died at Hamilton, July 30, 1855.

     JAMES SHIELDS

     THOMAS CORWIN

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     TAYLOR WEBSTER was born in Pennsylvania.  In 1806 his parents came to Butler county.  He was educated in the schools of that early day, and subsequently pursued his studies at Miami university.  He was identified with the press of Butler county from 1828 until the year 1836; was in 1829 elected clerk of the house of representatives of Ohio.  Mr. Webster represented Butler county in the legislature from 1830 to 1832; was in 1832, '34 and '36 elected to Congress from the district composed of the counties of Butler, Preble and Darke.  He was succeeded by John B. Weller in 1838.  Mr. Webster was an untiring worker for the cause of his party and his strength was in what was called the "button hole and fence corner system" of electioneering.  He had few equals and no superiors in organizing and handling his political forces.  He died at New Orleans, Apr. 27, 1876.

     JOHN B. WELLER

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     FRANCIS A. CUNNINGHAM was born in South Carolina; removed to Eaton, Preble county, Ohio, and was elected a representative from Ohio, in the Twenty-ninth congress as a Democrat, serving from Dec. 1, 1845, to Mar. 3, 1847.

     DAVID FISHER was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, Dec. 1, 1794; removed to Clinton county, Ohio; was reared as a farmer, a lay preacher and newspaper contributor.  He was elected to Congress as a Whig in 1846, defeating Elijah Vance, of this county.

LEWIS D. CAMPBELL

     LEWIS D. CAMPBELL  was born in Franklin, Warren county, Ohio, Aug. 9, 1811.  He received a public school education; was apprenticed to the art of printing in the Cincinnati Gazette office, in 1829-1830, published and edited the Hamilton Intellingencer - a Clay Whig newspaper from 1831 to 1836; studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in this city.  He was elected a Representative from the Third district in the Thirty-first congress as a Whig, receiving 6,914 votes against 6,497 votes for Baldwin, Democrat.  He was re-elected to the Thirty-second congress as a free-soil Whig, receiving 6,092 votes against 5,279 votes for Elijah Vance, Democrat.  He was re-elected to the Thirty third congress, receiving 8,680 votes against 8,353 votes for C. L. Vallandigham, Democrat; was re-elected to the Thirty-

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fourth congress, receiving 9,058 votes against 8,493 votes for C. L. Vallandigham, (claimed to have been re-elected to the Thirty-fifth congress, but the house gave the seat to C. L. Vallandigham) serving from Dec. 3, 1849, to May 25, 1858.  He served in the Union army as Colonel of the gallant 69th regiment O. V. I., from 1861 to 1862; resigning on account of ill health.  He was commissioned Minister to Mexico, May 4, 1866, to succeed Tom Corwin.  In November of that year, accompanied by General W. T. Sherman, he proceeded on his mission.  He was unable to reach the Mexican capital.  The French under Maximilian occupied the city of Mexico and other important cities.  He resigned in June, 1866.  The great question in congress during the first ten years he spent there, was slavery. He participated prominently in the debates on this question, maintaining the position, that while the southern states should enjoy all their rights guaranteed by the constitution, slavery should be excluded from the territories by an act of Congress.  His discussion with Alexander H. Stephens, on the relative advantages of free and slave labor gave him rank with the ablest debaters of congress.  He was nominated for Speaker of the Thirty-fourth congress and received the votes of a large majority of his party.  He withdrew from the contest in favor of N. P. Banks, of Massachussets, to whom he had promised his support.  During this congress Mr. Campbell was chairman of the ways and means committee.  He discharged his duties with great ability.
     During the session of this Congress Preston S. Brooks murderously assaulted Charles Sumner in the Senate chamber.  Mr. Campbell was one of the first to reach the Senator after he was stricken down by a heavy cane in the hands of a Southern bully.  The next day he introduced a resolution calling for an investigation; was made chairman of the committee appointed for that purpose, and made a report favoring the expulsion of Brooks. One of the fruits of the assault on Senator Sumner was Brooks' challenge to Anson Burlingame for a duel.  Mr. Campbell took charge of the affair at the solicitation of Mr. Burlingame, who was carried safely through without a stain

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upon his honor.  During the war and subsequently Mr. Campbell was frequently called to Washington, by Lincoln, Seward and Johnson, who had great confidence in him as a man of great experience.  On the accession of Andrew Johnson to the presidency he tendered Mr. Campbell a seat in the cabinet, which he declined, as his business affairs would not permit the sacrifice.

     CLEMENT L. VALLANDIGHAM

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     ROBERT C. SHENCK

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     JOHN Q. SMITH was born in Warren county, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1824.  He was educated at the common schools, followed farming; was a member of the State Senate in 1860-61 and 1863; was elected a Representative in the Forty-third congress as a Republican, receiving 14,929 votes, against 13,700 votes for John W. Sohn, Liberal.  He served from Dec. 1, 1873, to Mar. 3, 1875.

     JOHN S. SAVAGE

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votes for Mills Gardner. Mr. Savage became identified with the Republican party a short time previous to his death.

     MILLS GARDNER

     JOHN A. McMAHON

     HENRY L. MOREY

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     JAMES E. CAMPBELL [See Hamilton's Ex-Governors]

     GEORGE W. HOUK

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PAUL J. SORG

     PAUL J. SORG was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, and was educated in the public schools.  Subsequently he came to Cincinnati and learned the molding trade.  He embarked in the manufacture of tobacco on a small scale.  Afterward he formed a partnership with John Auer in the same business and removed to Middletown.  An immense building was erected in 1879 for the manufacture of the best brands of plug tobacco.  Large additions have been added since this time, and now the establishment is the second largest in the United States and is known as "The P. J. Sorg Company."  The annual output is about 2,000,000 pounds.  Three hundred hands are employed.  The internal revenue tax is $300,000 annually.  Mr. Sorg was nominated for Congress by acclamation at Miamisburg, Apr. 4, 1894, to fill the unexpired term of Judge Houk, deceased, and was elected May 2, defeating E. G. Rathbone, Republican, by 1,800 majority.  He was re-elected Nov. 6, 1894, for a full term, which expires Mar. 3, 1897.  As a politician he is prompt, reliable and straight forward.  He is a gentleman of experience, capacity and ability, with whom it is always a pleasure to come in contact.  He is a persevering and unflinching advocate of the soldiers of the late Civil War.  He is a devout champion of their pension claims and as such has won their esteem and regard.