On This Date American History Blogmanac Honors Vice President Schuyler Colfax’s Birthday: From Frontier Printer to Speaker of the House and Vice President

Schuyler Colfax was born on March 23, 1823, in New York City, the posthumous son of a struggling printer. His father died before he was born, and his mother supported the family through sewing and boarding work before remarrying. When Colfax was ten, the family moved to Indiana, where he grew up amid the rough‑and‑tumble politics of the western frontier. With little formal education, he taught himself through voracious reading and early work in journalism, a path that would shape his political identity.

Colfax’s rise began in the world of newspapers. At age nineteen, he became editor of the St. Joseph Valley Register, a Whig‑leaning paper that quickly became one of the most influential voices in northern Indiana. His editorials championed internal improvements, free labor, and anti‑slavery principles, helping to shape the region’s political culture. His skill with the pen and his ability to articulate emerging northern sentiment propelled him into public life.

He entered Congress in 1855 as part of the new Republican Party, formed in opposition to the expansion of slavery. Colfax quickly distinguished himself as an energetic legislator and a gifted parliamentarian. During the Civil War, he became one of the House’s most visible leaders, known for his unwavering support of the Union cause and his close alliance with President Abraham Lincoln. In 1863, he was elected Speaker of the House, a position he held through the final years of the war and the beginning of Reconstruction.

As Speaker, Colfax presided over some of the most consequential legislation in American history, including measures supporting the war effort, the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, and early Reconstruction policies. His genial personality and reputation for fairness earned him the nickname “Smiler Colfax,” though critics sometimes accused him of excessive ambition.

In 1868, Colfax was nominated as Ulysses S. Grant’s running mate, bringing youth, political experience, and Midwestern balance to the ticket. Elected as the 17th Vice President, he served from 1869 to 1873. His vice presidency coincided with the tumultuous early years of Reconstruction, when the nation struggled to define citizenship, civil rights, and federal authority in the post‑war South. Colfax supported strong federal enforcement of civil rights protections, though his influence within the Grant administration was limited.

His political career, however, was marred by the Crédit Mobilier scandal, a major corruption investigation involving railroad construction contracts and congressional stock deals. Although Colfax denied wrongdoing, testimony implicated him in accepting stock while serving in Congress. The scandal destroyed his national standing and ended any hope of future office.

After leaving Washington, Colfax rebuilt his life as a lecturer, traveling widely and speaking on temperance, patriotism, and the lessons of the Civil War. He remained a popular public figure, admired for his oratory and his commitment to reform causes.
Schuyler Colfax died suddenly of a heart attack on January 13, 1885, while walking through a snowstorm in Mankato, Minnesota. He is buried in South Bend, Indiana, where his grave remains a reminder of a complex figure who rose from poverty to the nation’s second‑highest office.

• Presidential Campaign 1868 Ulysses S Grant And Schulyer Colfax As The Republican Party Candidates For President And Vice-President On A Lithograph Campaign Poster Of 1868