David Bennett Hill Papers, 1872-1926
SC15275

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Biographical Note

David Bennett Hill was born at Havana, Schuyler County, New York, on August 29, 1843. He was educated in common schools and at Havana Academy, and worked for a time as a clerk in a village store. In 1862 he went to Elmira, Chemung County, New York, and studied law in the office of Erastus P. Hart. He was admitted to the bar in 1864 and rapidly became prominent in the legal profession in Elmira. Becoming interested in local politics, he took an active part in Democratic Party campaigns.

In 1871 and 1872 Hill served in the New York State Assembly and was an ally of Governor Samuel B. Tilden. He was elected mayor of Elmira in 1881 and in 1882 was nominated for lieutenant governor of New York State as the running mate of Grover Cleveland. When Cleveland resigned in 1885 to assume the Presidency of the United States, Hill became governor. He was elected governor in 1886 and re-elected in 1888.

Governor Hill's administration was notable for its fiscal conservatism and limiting the expansion of bureaus and commissions. He was an advocate of home rule for cities and other municipalities, especially in regards to opposing special laws that concerned one particular place. He also supported reform of the codes of civil and criminal procedure, the substitution of electrocution for hanging in cases of capital punishment, the abolition of contract labor in relation to state prisons, the institution of Labor Day and the Saturday half holiday, and the establishment of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. He also is remembered for his opposition to legislation restricting the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and for his veto of the state census bill.

Hill's reputation was that of a strong party man and a machine politician. Winning elections and partisan advantage were top priorities even if unscrupulous methods were used to win elections. Perhaps his greatest skill was playing upstate New York against New York City and Tammany.

Hill was elected to the United States Senate in 1891 despite the covert had increasingly disliked Hill's policies and methods. The principal feature of his Senate career was his battle with Cleveland over control of New York patronage, a struggle which Hill won. They also sparred when both Hill and Cleveland sought the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 1892. Hill gained control of the New York State delegation as the result of the "snap convention" of February 22, 1892, but it was not enough to deny Cleveland the nomination. Hill's service in the Senate was also noted for his interest in fiscal and revenue legislation, including opposing an income tax and supporting the repeal of the McKinley Tariff Act and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.

Hill ran for governor again in 1894 but lost to Levi P. Morton. The Republican sweep of the New York State Legislature in 1896 effectively ended his career in the Senate in 1897. Hill returned to Albany to resume the practice of law that was quite lucrative up to the time of his death. He remained active in politics until 1905, although he did not again hold an elected office. Hill died October 20, 1910, at his residence, "Wolfert's Roost," near Albany, New York.

Scope and Content Note

The papers of David Bennett Hill consist of two series. The first series (Boxes 1-38 and Box 66) consists of papers created by Hill mostly in relation to his political and official activities as governor of New York State, 1885-1891, and as a member of the United States Senate, 1892-1897. The second series (Boxes 39-65) is the papers of George Stephenson Bixby related primarily to his work on an unpublished biography of David B. Hill.

The David Hill papers consist chiefly of correspondence which is arranged chronologically through 1886, then alphabetically for each year thereafter. Generally, the correspondence concerns election campaign activities and matters of political patronage as well as official duties. Prominent correspondents include Grover Cleveland, Daniel S. Lamont, Roswell P. Flower, and Samuel J. Tilden. Other papers include reports and proceedings of various legal cases, petitions regarding several bills pending in the New York State Legislature, and copies of printed speeches. There also are correspondence and related legal documents compiled by Peter Manwiller, who served as the principal executor of Hill's estate.

The papers of George S. Bixby include two typed drafts of the unpublished biography: "The Life and Times of David Bennett Hill." In addition, preparatory material for the biography is included such as research notes, annotated speeches, and news clippings. Also included is correspondence of Bixby, William C. Osborn, George Parker, Alton B. Parker, and others regarding subscription sales of the biography. Together the papers of David B. Hill and George Bixby provide a rich source of information on New York State and national politics and government in the post-reconstruction period of the nineteenth century.

Related Resources

The George S. Bixby Papers was originally a separate collection, SC12136. There are additional George S. Bixby papers not related to Hill in the Bixby Family Collection, SC16585.

Box and Folder List

Series I: David Bennett Hill Papers

Series II: George S. Bixby Papers