Godlove S. Orth letters
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: S1033
Scope and Contents
The collection contains original and photostat correspondence from Godlove S. Orth to Schuyler Colfax, James A. Garfield, Stephen Neal, and others in Lafayette, Indiana and Washington, D.C., ranging from discussing Whig, Know Nothing, and Republican party politics, the Indiana General Assembly, and other state and national issues, including the the 14th Amendment.
Dates
- 1845-1881
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Godlove S. Orth was born April 22, 1817, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He attended
Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he studied law. Orth was admitted
to the bar in 1839 and began his practice in Lafayette, Indiana. He first married Sarah Elizabeth Miller and they had a daughter, Julia Elizabeth (1847-1850). After Sarah's death in 1849, he married Mary A. Ayres (1837-1880) in 1850 and they had two children, Mary (1851-1902) and Harry A. (1855-1920).
He was a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1843 to 1848 where he served as president for one year and was the president elector on the Whig ticket in 1848. Orth served as a delegate to the peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in 1861. During the U.S. Civil War he served as captain of a company of volunteers.
A member of the Republican Party, Orth was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1863 and served until 1871 and again from 1873 to 1875. While in the House, he served as the chairman for the Committee on Private Land Claims and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Orth was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary on March 9, 1875 and served until he resigned on May 23, 1876. He was then elected to the U.S. House again in 1879 and served until 1882. Godlove S. Orth died on Dec. 16, 1882 and is buried in Springvale Cemetery in Lafayette, Indiana.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Findagrave.com. "Godlove Stein Orth." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9295067/godlove-stein-orth.
United States Congress. "Orth, Godlove Stein." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed November 16, 2006. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/O000106.
He was a member of the Indiana State Senate from 1843 to 1848 where he served as president for one year and was the president elector on the Whig ticket in 1848. Orth served as a delegate to the peace convention held in Washington, D.C., in 1861. During the U.S. Civil War he served as captain of a company of volunteers.
A member of the Republican Party, Orth was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1863 and served until 1871 and again from 1873 to 1875. While in the House, he served as the chairman for the Committee on Private Land Claims and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Orth was appointed envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Austria-Hungary on March 9, 1875 and served until he resigned on May 23, 1876. He was then elected to the U.S. House again in 1879 and served until 1882. Godlove S. Orth died on Dec. 16, 1882 and is buried in Springvale Cemetery in Lafayette, Indiana.
Sources:
Items in the collection.
Findagrave.com. "Godlove Stein Orth." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed May 7, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9295067/godlove-stein-orth.
United States Congress. "Orth, Godlove Stein." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed November 16, 2006. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/O000106.
Extent
0.02 Cubic Feet (2 folders)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from A. G. Mitten during March 1928.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing and finding aid completed 2006/12 by Barbara Hilderbrand. Finding aid updated by 2015/11/14 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created by 2018/05/21 by Lauren Patton. EAD finding aid revised 2025/05/07 by Brittany Kropf.
- Colfax, Schuyler, 1823-1885
- Constitutional amendments
- Correspondence
- Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881
- Indiana -- Politics and government
- Indiana -- Politics and government -- 19th century
- Lafayette (Ind.)
- Neal, Stephen, 1817-1905
- Photostats
- Politicians
- Politicians -- Indiana
- Politicians -- United States -- 19th century
- United States -- Politics and government --19th century
- United States. Congress. House
- Washington (D.C.)
Creator
- Title
- Godlove S. Orth letters
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
