Sydney E. Mudd I

Sydney Emanuel Mudd I
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5thdistrict
In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1911
Preceded by	Barnes Compton
Succeeded by	Thomas Parran Sr.
Speakerof the Maryland House of Delegates
In office 1896
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's5thdistrict
In office March 20, 1890 – March 3, 1891
Preceded by	Charles Edward Coffin
Succeeded by	Barnes Compton
Member of theMaryland House of Delegates
In office 1879, 1881, 1896
Personal details
Born	(1858-02-12)February 12, 1858 Charles County, Maryland
Died	October 21, 1911(1911-10-21)(aged 60) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania
Resting place	St. Ignatius’ Catholic Church Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ida Griffin ​ ​ (m.1882; died 1907)​
Children	4, includingSydney Emanuel Mudd II
Relatives	Samuel Mudd(uncle)
Alma mater	St. John's College University of Virginia
Occupation	Politician

Sydney Emanuel Mudd I(February 12, 1858 – October 21, 1911) was a politician, elected asSpeaker of the Maryland House of Delegates(1896) and as aRepublicanto theUnited States House of Representatives(1890–1891; 1897–1911), at a time of dominance byDemocratsin much of the state. He was first seated by Congress in 1890 after it found in his favor in relation to the contested 1888 election inMaryland's 5th congressional district,which was marked by fraud and intimidation.

Early life and education

Sydney Emanuel Mudd was born to Jeremiah T. Mudd on February 12, 1858.He was born into the planter class at the family plantation,Gallant Green,inCharles County, Maryland,Mudd was reared Catholic and first educated locally. He was the nephew ofSamuel Mudd,the doctor that aidedJohn Wilkes Boothafter he assassinated PresidentAbraham Lincoln.

He attendedGeorgetown Universityand graduated fromSt. John's CollegeofAnnapolis, Marylandin 1878.He "read the law" as an apprentice with an established firm and also attended the law department of theUniversity of VirginiaatCharlottesville.He was admitted to the bar in 1880 and returned to Charles County to begin his practice.

Marriage and family

Ida Mudd (née Griffin)

Mudd married Ida Griffin, the daughter of Walter Griffin of Surrattsville (now part ofClinton, Maryland), in 1882.She died in 1907.Together, they had four children, one daughter and three sons.Among their children wasSydney Emanuel Mudd II,who became an attorney and politician like his father. The son was elected to several terms as a Congressman from Maryland's 5th district beginning in 1914, after his father's death.

Career

Mudd was elected a member of theMaryland House of Delegatesin 1879 and 1881.

As a Republican candidate, he challenged and successfully contested the 1888 election ofBarnes Comptonas US Representative from the5th districtto the Fifty-first Congress. At a time when many Maryland elections were surrounded by violence and fraud as Democrats sought to re-establishwhite supremacy,Mudd filed charges ofelection fraud.He claimed that election officials had turned away qualified voters and that, in Anne Arundel County, Democrats posing as US Marshals intimidated blacks, forcing them from the polls. TheHouse Committee on Electionsinvestigated and decided in his favor.Congress awarded the seat to Mudd in 1889, and he served in the next session, from March 20, 1890, to March 3, 1891. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress, defeated by Compton.

In 1895 Mudd was elected again to the state House of Delegates, where he served as Speaker of the House. He moved to ruralLa Plata, Marylandin 1896. He served as a delegate to theRepublican National Conventionthe same year.

In 1896 Mudd benefitted by the coattails of a winning Republican biracial coalition that gained the governorship.He was elected from the 5th district to the Fifty-fifth and to the six succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1897 to March 3, 1911.(His chief Democratic rival in the district, Barnes Compton, died in 1898.) In Congress, Mudd served as chairman of theCommittee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice(Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses).

He was popularly known as "Marse Sydney" by his constituents.

Death

Mudd died of a stroke inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvaniaon October 21, 1911.He was interred inSt. Ignatius’ Catholic Church Cemeteryat Chapel Point near La Plata.

References

• United States Congress."Sydney E. Mudd I (id: M001059)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• "Mudd, Sydney Emanuel",Maryland Biographical Dictionary,p. 388