Hugh R. Belknap
Hugh Reid Belknap (September 1, 1860 – November 12, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.[1]
Biography
He was born in Keokuk, Iowa on September 1, 1860 to William W. Belknap.[1]
Belknap attended the public schools, Adams Academy in Quincy, Massachusetts, and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. At the age of eighteen he entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. and worked in various capacities until he retired in 1892 to become superintendent of the South Side Rapid Transit Railroad of Chicago, Illinois. He successfully contested as a Republican the election of Lawrence E. McGann to the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was reelected to the Fifty-fifth Congress and served from December 27, 1895, to March 3, 1899. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898 to the Fifty-sixth Congress. He resided in Chicago until 1901.
In March 1899. Belknap was appointed a Volunteer Paymaster in the U.S. Army. Two years later he was appointed a major in the regular Army. In July 1901, Belknap (accompanied by his wife) sailed for the Philippines. He started on his first pay trip within two weeks after arriving in Manila. His first stop was at Calamba (on the island of Laguna), where he became ill and required surgery. Word was immediately sent to Major Elijah W. Halford, Chief Paymaster, and his wife. Upon Major Halford’s arrival, Belknap told him: “Major, I have two requests to make. I want you to be kind as possible to my poor wife, whom I must leave far away from her home and among strangers. And I want you to pray for me.”[citation needed] Belknap died the next day, November 12, 1901, from intestinal problems.[1] He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
References
External links
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 3rd congressional district 1895-1899 |
Succeeded by George P. Foster |
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Articles with unsourced statements from September 2014
- Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- 1860 births
- 1901 deaths
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
- Politicians from Chicago, Illinois
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people
- 19th-century American railroad executives
- United States Army officers
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- Illinois Republicans
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- 19th-century American politicians
