Who is George Hunt Pendleton? He was a lawyer and politician from Ohio who served Ohio as a US Representative in four consecutive Congresses, and one term as a US Senator (with a gap of 14 years between).
Pendleton began his political career by serving as a Senator in the Ohio legislature from January 1954 to January 1856. He was elected as a US Representative from Ohio in 1856 and served in the US House of Representatives from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1865 (the 35th through 38th Congresses). After losing his bid to be re-elected to the 39th Congress, Pendleton remained in politics for several years. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President in the 1864 presidential election, running with George McClellan; the pair lost to the Abraham Lincoln-Andrew Johnson ticket. He failed to secure his party's presidential nomination in 1868 and lost the 1869 election for Ohio Governor.
George Hunt Pendleton
(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)After these political defeats, Pendleton left politics and re-entered the business world - he was the President of the Kentucky Central Railroad from 1869 to 1879. Politics called again, however, and Pendleton won election as a US Senator from Ohio. He served a single term, March 1879 to March 1885, then was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as the US Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (i.e., Ambassador) to Germany in June 1885; he served as Ambassador until April 1889. Pendleton died a few months later in Brussels, Belgium (November 24, 1889).
While a Senator in Congress, Pendleton's most memorable contribution was his effort to reform the process used to fill many government civil service positions. Pendleton sought to replace the traditional political appointment process (i.e., "Thank You!" appointments for friends, family and those who had done favors) with a merit-based system that helped ensure a minimum competency in the job being sought. Pendleton was successful, and his bill became Public Law in 1883.
A bill calling for "silver 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of former Senator George Hunt Pendleton." was introduced in the House of Representatives in January 1939 by Charles Henry Elston (R-OH). It was referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.
The bill was introduced on behalf of the George Hunt Pendleton Memorial Committee, with proceeds from coin sales to be used to defray expenses related to commemorating the golden anniversary of the Senator's death.
A maximum total of 50,000 coins was proposed, with a minimum order size of 25,000; all coins were to be produced at a single US Mint facility. The coins were to be dated "1939" regardless of when struck, and authority for the coin would expire one year after the bill's enactment.
The bill was never reported out of Committee and died for lack of action. The bill followed the guidelines established for commemorative coin proposals by the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency - so its failure to advance can't be blamed on inappropriate provisions. I believe the bill suffered from: a) being introduced at a time that Congress did not favor such coins (and would soon pass a law curtailing their issue), and b) the fact that it called for a coin to honor a relatively minor player in Congress and the US Government - one with more of a local (Ohio) following than a national one - and one without multiple landmark accomplishments while in national office.
For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 10/18/2022 11:30 am
