Signed CIVIL War Major General Free Cuba Indian Tribes Col Senator Secy Interior

  
The Terror of Native American Indian Tribes. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT CHESTER A.

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE FOR THE SHORT-LIVED SILVER REPUBLICAN PARTY IN 1896. CIVIL WAR MAJOR GENERAL IN THE COLORADO MILITIA!

Among his most prominent achievements was authoring the Teller Amendment which definitively stated that, following the Spanish-American War, the U. Would not annex Cuba rather that the purpose of their involvement would be to help it gain independence from Spain. HERE'S A LEAF SIGNED BY TELLER, REMOVED FROM A 19. CENTURY AUTOGRAPH ALBUM, AND SIGNED. The document measures 6" x 4" and is in.

Very Fine, Crisp and Clean. Was born in Grange, New York, May 23, 1830 to a large family of ten children. He attended Rushford and Alford Academy in New York. After, he taught school, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1858. In 1858, Teller moved to Morrison, Illinois to become part of Johnson and Teller, attorney at law. The firm was advertised regularly in the Whiteside Sentinel. Johnson soon caught the " Go West, young man " bug, advocated in 1851 by Indiana newspaper writer John Soule.

He left Illinois to set up his practice in Colorado. Henry Teller's brother then joined him in the law firm. By 1861 Henry, too, could no longer resist the big things going on out west, and he, too, moved to Colorado. There, he maintained his law practice, and was also involved in real estate, mining, and railroad development. The Civil War was in progress, and from 1862 to 1864 he served as a Major General in the Colorado Militia.

Teller served in the Senate and Cabinet for over thirty years, and was connected with the Free Silver question, beginning in 1880. During that time, he did much in and out of Congress with tongue and pen.

In 1892, he was instrumental in securing in the Republican National Convention a declaration in favor of bimetallism, and he was a conspicuous actor in the prolonged fight in the senate against unconditional repeal. His standing in the Republican Party, together with his great ability and high character, made him the leader of the Silver Republican Party. As Secretary of the Interior in 1883, he promulgated a "Code of Indian Offenses" which sought to prohibit Native American ceremonial activity throughout the United States. The clear intent of the Code was to eliminate Indian culture on reservations.

The Five Civilized Tribes were exempt from the code. At the Republican National Convention of 1896 in St. Louis, he was at the head of the revolt against the Republican platform and his withdrawal from the party that year cost the Republican candidate thousands of votes. The silver Republicans favored his nomination for the Presidency, and his state of Colorado voted for him on the first ballot in the Democratic Convention. After the nomination had been made he joined with other leading Silver Republicans in an address supporting the Democratic ticket.

Teller helped the Democratic Party gain more power in Colorado, which was previously dominated by Republicans. Teller was one of the most outspoken opponents of the allotment of Indian land. In 1881, Teller said that allotment was a policy to despoil the Indians of their lands and to make them vagabonds on the face of the earth. " Teller also said, "the real aim [of allotment] was to get at the Indian lands and open them up to settlement.

The provisions for the apparent benefit of the Indians are but the pretext to get at his lands and occupy them.... Teller would be proven correct. Land owned by Indians decreased from 138 million acres (560,000 km2) in 1887 to 48 million acres (190,000 km2) in 1934. Historically, Teller is probably best known for sponsoring an amendment to the Joint Resolution for war with Spain, passed by the House and Senate on April 19, 1898.

Teller died on February 23, 1914 and was buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.