Reviews, Notes and Comments 215
OTHNIEL LOOKER
For many years the biographies that
have appeared
from time to time of Governor Othniel
Looker have
been far from satisfactory. The
text of the sketch
which has appeared in many publications
is reproduced
in the note below.* As will be seen, it
is incorrect in
almost every particular. The editor recently learned
that Governor Looker died in the
village of Palestine,
Illinois. A very obliging correspondent
was found in
the person of Mrs. Manford E. Cox of
Robinson, Illi-
nois.
Through her assistance data has been gathered
for a satisfactory biographical
sketch. An interesting
and helpful letter has also been
received from Mrs.
Angeline Alexander, a
great-granddaughter of Gov-
ernor Looker who lives in Palestine,
Illinois. Among
the papers and letters furnished is a
copy of the Pales-
tine Weekly Register of February
13, 1919, containing
a sketch compiled by A. D. Gogin. This
sketch in the
main has been found correct. A mistake
was made in
regard to the service of Governor
Looker in the New
York Assembly. This has been corrected
by informt-
tion furnished through the Legislative
Reference Sec-
tion of the New York State Library. Following
are
*"Othniel Looker was born in the
State of New York, of humble
parentage, in 1757. He enlisted as a
private in the Revolutionary Army;
serving through the war. In 1784, having
received a grant of land in the
wilderness of the Northwest, he crossed
the Alleghenies, and locating his
grant, built his cabin, and commenced
ris life labor as a hard working
farmer. He devoted himself strictly to
the business of a farmer, and
on the organization of the state was
elected a member of the Legislature.
Here he availed himself of the
advantages such a school afforded, and
so rose in public esteem as to be sent
to the Senate. He became Speaker
of that body, and when Governor Meigs
resigned the Governorship in
1814, he became the fourth Governor of
Ohio. He served but eight
months, returning to his farm, respected
by all as a man of clear mind,
much intelligence and peaceful
disposition. Strange to say, no records
are available to make a more
satisfactory sketch. He died unmarried."
216
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
the facts in regard to the life history
of Governor
Looker:
Othniel Looker was born at Hanover,
Morris
County, New Jersey, October 4, 1757. He died at
Palestine, Illinois, August 29, 1846.*
In 1777 at the age of twenty years he
volunteered in
the New Jersey militia, Obadiah
Kitchel's company,
Colonel Martin's regiment, and served
through the
Revolutionary War. His services as a soldier, it is
asserted by those associated with him,
developed the
high qualities that later gained him
the confidence of
his fellowmen. In his long and useful
life he was
"guilty of no act which tarnished
the high reputation
thus early acquired."
After the close of the war, he, in
1782, moved to
New York where he became a member of
the Assembly
of that state in 1803 and 1804, serving
in the twenty-
sitxh and twenty-seventh sessions of
that body as repre-
sentative from Saratoga County.
In 1804 he moved to Hamilton County,
Ohio, which
he served in the House of
Representatives from 1807-
1809.
He was a member of the state Senate from
1810 to 1811 and again from 1813 to
1816. He was
speaker of the Senate when Governor
Meigs resigned in
1814 and thereupon became acting
governor, a position
which he filled from March 24, 1814, to
December 8 of
that year. At the conclusion of his
service he returned
to his farm in Harrison Township,
Hamilton County.
He was afterwards Associate Judge for
seven years.
*This is the date on his tombstone at
Palestine, Illinois. Strange
to say, however, the Cincinnati Gazette
of July 31, 1845, contains an
obituary notice with the statement that
Governor Looker died July 23,
1845. This difference of dates is yet to
be reconciled.
Reviews, Notes and Comments 217
In 1844 he went to Palestine, Illinois,
to spend his
remaining days with his daughter, Mrs.
Rachel L.
Kitchel. Here he was highly honored by the citizens
of the village. On July 4, 1845, he delivered his last
public address. "Appearing in his
continental uniform,
bowed with the infirmities of age, his
emotions almost
overcame him as he contrasted the
feeble beginnings of
the Republic with the splendid
destinies assured in the
future." In an obituary notice it is recorded that his
last words were, "My life has been
spared; I have tried
to be useful; God calls and I obey the
summons." Gov-
ernor Looker married Pamela Clark.
Their children
were B. F., James Harvey, Pamela and
Rachel L.
Rachel L. Looker married Joseph Kitchel
who was the
first receiver of the land office at
Palestine, Illinois.
Governor Looker had a large number of
grand-
children and many of his descendants
are still living.
A grandson, Thomas H. Looker, entered
the navy as
midshipman November 6, 1846. He served
through
the Mexican War and through the Civil
War. He was
promoted to the position of pay
director in the navy
March 3, 1871, and in 1890 was living
in Washington,
D. C.
CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF ULYSSES S.
GRANT.
We are under special obligations to
Honorable Hugh
L. Nichols, former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court
of Ohio and at present Chairman of the
U. S. Grant
Memorial Centenary Association, for a
general program
of the exercises attending the one
hundredth anniver-
sary of the birth of Ohio's most
illustrious son. The
celebration will extend from the 27th
to the 29th of