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Arthur
Perry
Twineham
Arthur
Perry Twineham, a well-liked attorney and politician, was the eighth Mayor
elected to serve the citizens of Princeton. Twineham was, and probably
still is, the only Mayor of Princeton to be appointed to official post by
two different United States Presidents.
Arthur
Perry Twineham was born to William and Sarah “Brant”
Twineham in Switzerland County Indiana on August 16, 1847. Mr. Twineham
began his education in a small country school and later at the Hartsville
Academy in Bartholomew County.
At the age of
fourteen Arthur worked in a wood mill and began to make his own way in
life. Around age seventeen Arthur ran away from home and enlisted in the
fifth Ohio cavalry, in 1864. His father was also a soldier in the civil
war and this was one of the few cases where a father and son were both in the
service during the civil war. Mr. Twineham was honorably mustered out of
the service July 1, 1865.
With
his soldier career behind him, Mr. Twineham attended Wabash college in
Crawfordsville. He later went to Indiana University in Bloomington where
he received his A. B. degree in 1870; and then came his law study at
Bloomington and St. Louis.
While
a student at Indiana University, Arthur Twineham was the captain of the
first baseball team ever organized at the University. He also became a
member of the Sigma Chi fraternity; the chapter at the time having among
its members John Ewing, the first Mayor of Princeton, and James E.
McCullough, also of Princeton.
Mr.
Twineham taught school for a short time in Rockville and Greenfield and
then read law at the office of Daniel W. Voorhees of Terre Haute.
Arthur
came to Princeton in November of 1873 and began a successful law practice
and took an immediate interest in politics.
Twineham
soon became a prominent figure in politics and with his leadership skills
was highly regarded in the Republican Party. Many political honors were
bestowed upon Mr. Twineham over the years that followed.
Twineham
was the republican county chairman 1878 to 1882 and later that year was
district chairman from 1882 to 1886 which made him a member of the
republican state committee. Twineham was a delegate to the national
convention in 1888 and was one of Indiana’s delegates that voted for
Benjamin Harrison who went on to become President.
President
Harrison would later appoint Arthur Twineham to the Round Valley Indian
Commission.
Mr.
Twineham was the Republican Party’s nominee for congress in 1892, but it
wasn’t to be a republican year and he was defeated by Arthur H. Taylor.
Mr.
Twineham served as City and County attorney and was a member of
legislature in the lower house of Indiana representatives from this county
from 1884 to 1885.
Arthur
P. Twineham was elected Mayor of Princeton in 1903, took office in 1904
and would later resign before his term was up in 1906 to accept the
appointment of postmaster from President Roosevelt. Twineham remained
postmaster for four and a half years.
In his later years
Twineham was a well known and sought after speaker. He was a natural
orator with great wit and humor and was invited to many dinner parties to
be the after dinner speaker.
Twineham
was twice married, his first wife was Letta R. Behymer, Arthur remarried
following the death of Letta to Agnes Lockhart of Princeton in 1894.
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Name:
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Age elected:
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Born:
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Arthur Perry Twineham
1904 – 1906
Republican
57
Attorney
August 16, 1847
August 28, 1921
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