Charles T. Gorham
| Charles Truesdell Gorham | |
|---|---|
 |
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| U.S. Minister to the Netherlands | |
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In office December 15, 1870 – July 9, 1875 |
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| President | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Joseph Pomeroy Root |
| Succeeded by | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 29, 1812 Danbury, Connecticut |
| Died | March 11, 1901 (aged 88) Marshall, Michigan |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Eaton Hart |
| Children | 3 |
Charles T. Gorham (May 29, 1812 – March 11, 1901) was a Michigan banker and diplomat. He was one of the founders of the Republican party, an anti-slavery activist and a Major General and division commander in the Michigan Militia during the years immediately preceding the American Civil War. After the war he served as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands and Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
Charles Truesdell Gorham was born in Danbury, Connecticut on May 29, 1812. He was raised in Oneonta, New York and trained for a business career.
In 1836 Gorham moved to Marshall, Michigan where he was a merchant. In 1840 he started a bank, which he operated privately until 1865. That year he incorporated the institution as the First National Bank of Marshall, and he served as President until retiring in 1898.
Originally a Democrat and later a Whig, Gorham was one of the founders of the Republican party when it was organized in the mid-1850s. In 1855 he was appointed Major General and commander of one of three divisions in the state militia, and in 1859 he was elected to one term in the Michigan State Senate. Gorham used both positions to recruit, train, and reorganize the militia in anticipation of the Civil War. He was a Delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1864 and 1868, and served as a Presidential elector from Michigan in 1868, casting votes for the ticket of Ulysses S. Grant and Schuyler Colfax.
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