William Ferry also was the pastor of the Protestant church on the island. Thomas moved in 1834 with his parents to Grand Haven,Michigan,attended the public schools.[5] He worked as a store clerk in Elgin,Illinois,for two years from 1843 to 1845 before returning to Michigan. At the age of 21 he was elected clerk of Ottawa County.[6]
In 1862 Ferry became a director of the new Grand Haven Union High School and was superintendent for ten years. He went into the lumbering business with his brother,Edward Payson Ferry. Before the Civil War he served on the Republican State Central Committee for eight years and was delegate-at-large and one of the vice presidents of the national convention that nominated Abraham Lincoln. Upon President Abraham Lincoln's death,he was appointed by the U.S. Senate to a committee that accompanied Lincoln's body to Springfield.[6]
One of Ferry's lasting legacies in the house is the clearing of the floor prior to the start of a session. On March 31,1869,Ferry moved that the House adopt a rule which required the House Doorkeeper to clear the floor of visitors and non-privileged employees ten minutes before the start of a session. The rule was later changed to fifteen minutes.[9]
United States Senator
Ferry was re-elected to the Senate in 1871,and served from March 4,1871 to March 3,1883. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1882. Ferry was the first person from Michigan to have served in both houses of the Michigan State Legislature and in both houses of the United States Congress.
During the "Panic of 1873",economic deflation caused serious problems and Ferry became a face of the Republican inflationist movement.[citation needed] Congress hoped inflation would stimulate the economy and passed the Ferry Bill (introduced by Senator Ferry),which became known as the "Inflation Bill" in 1874. Many farmers and workingmen favored the bill,which would have added $64 million in greenbacks to circulation,but some Eastern bankers opposed it because it would have weakened the dollar.[10] The bill passed the Senate and House of Representatives,but was vetoed by President Grant. An override attempt failed 34–30 in the Senate. This is one of the few bills vetoed by a member of the same party as a bills sponsor.[11][12]
The 1877 Electoral Commission which Ferry presided over as Acting Vice President. He can be seen in the lower left of this picture
On November 22,1875,Vice President Henry Wilson died. Ferry,being president pro tempore of the Senate,became first in the line of presidential succession,[13] and remained so until March 3,1877. During this time he was regarded as the acting vice president of the United States[14][15][16] The title of "acting vice president" is not defined in the Constitution,but was widely used at the time (including by Ferry himself).[17][3][4]
On July 4,1876,the United States celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a ceremony in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. President Grant was supposed to attend and lead the ceremony,but instead sent Ferry (as acting vice president) in his place. While Ferry was officiating,five women,headed by Susan B. Anthony,walked onto the platform and handed their "Declaration of Rights" to Ferry. As they were being taken off the stage,they threw out copies to the crowd. Anthony also read the Declaration to a large crowd and invited everyone to a National Woman Suffrage Association convention nearby.[19][20]
Ferry's 1882 election saw national attention. Political opponent Jay Hubbell, created the "Grand Army Journal" newspaper. This libelous publication was almost universally denounced.[21] Its sole purpose was to defame Senator Ferry. Hubbell sought to take his place in the Senate by throwing slanderous headlines in his "Journal" which he mailed out by the thousands.[22]
Word of this fake publication took its toll on both men. Thousands of Michiganders had read this publication and, though untrue, it had tarnished Ferry's image. Hubbell was despised by many Michiganders for fabricating lies about Michigan's most powerful politician. Hubbell withdrew from the election.[23]
Hubbell was not the only one waging war with Ferry. The Grand Rapids Times published a story labeling Ferry as unfit for office. They accused Ferry of drunkenly insulting patrons of a Washington DC Hotel. There were no first hand accounts that this took place. The Hotel proprietor, staff, and many colleagues on both sides of the aisle disputed the story and claimed Ferry did not drink and had been the perfect guest for the 12 years he had spent there.[24]
It was said in the Chicago Inter-Ocean newspaper that, "A more malignant and unscrupulous campaign has never been conducted against any man, and whether Ferry wins or losses, the effect of this contest will be felt in Michigan for some time to come."[24] The story continues to say, "If Michigan withdraws him and sends a new man, the State will thus surrender its standing on committees in Congress, much of its relative influence there; and what Michigan thus loses other States will gain."
After these personal attacks, Ferry could see his political life coming to an end. He withdrew from the election and advocated for the nomination of close friend Thomas Palmer. Palmer went on to replace Ferry in the Senate, much to the dismay of Ferry's political rivals.[25]
Later life and death
Ferry's grave
Following his political defeat, Ferry travelled in Europe for three years to recover his mental and physical health. When he returned to Grand Haven in 1886 he worked to manage his businesses and repay his debts.[26]
Ferry had interests in mining, lumber, and iron businesses. Towards the late 1800s the west Michigan lumber Industry had dried up. This along with political foes targeting his Ottawa Iron Works business caused Ferry's companies to declare bankruptcy. Along with liquidating business assets, Ferry spent over $1,250,000 ($43,000,000 in 2025 dollars) to pay his personal debts.[27]
Ferry never married, but was engaged on multiple occasions.[28] Ferry was considered to be one of Washington's most eligible bachelors. He was described as being wealthy, charismatic, handsome, and powerful.[29] One Philadelphia newspaper called him the "lady-killer" of his day who "never fails to gather a harvest of hearts during their proper season."[30]
Once an immensely wealthy man, Ferry fell into financial disaster following his political defeat. He spent his final years hidden from the national spotlight.[31][32] Ferry died in Grand Haven, Michigan, at age 69.[3] He is interred in Grand Haven's Lake Forest Cemetery in the Ferry family plot.[33] His epitaph reads,
"I have done what I could to extend our commerce over the world for the security of life and property along our seacoast, upon our great inland seas. T.W.F. The Sailors' and Soldiers' Friend. For 62 years a citizen of Grand Haven, Mich."[6]
12Michigan Historical Commission, and S. D Bingham (1924). Michigan biographies, including members of Congress, elective state officers, justices of the Supreme Court, members of the Michigan Legislature, Board of Regents of the University of Michigan, State Board of Agriculture and State Board of Education. The Michigan Historical Commission. pp.453–454.
123"Ferry, Thomas White," Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, retrieved February 28, 2021.
123Harrison, J. L. (1950). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774–1949: The Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States from the First to the Eightieth Congress, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 1949, Inclusive (Page 1143). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
↑Ewing, Wallace K. (2017). NORTHWEST OTTAWA COUNTY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HISTORY Volume I People.
↑Feerick, John D.; Freund, Paul A. (1965). From Failing Hands: the Story of Presidential Succession. New York City: Fordham University Press. p.116. LCCN65-14917. The New York Herald of November 23, 1875, noted that as President pro tempore, Senator Thomas W. Ferry* of Michigan "would act as President in case the present incumbent of the office should die before the expiration of his term . . . . " In an editorial on the following day, the New York Herald viewed Ferry's possible succession as cause for alarm: "According to his record he [Ferry] is a fanatical inflationist. ... If President Grant should suddenly be taken away Thomas W. Ferry, of Michigan, would be his successor. The country has reason to shudder at the possibility .... [I]f Mr. Ferry is still an inflationist it would be inexcusable for the Senate to retain him in his present position, when only a single life stands between so dangerous a man and the Presidency of the United States."
↑O'Neill, Charles (1926). Williams, Charles Richard (ed.). Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, Nineteenth President of the United States: 1891-1892. Vol.V – via Google Books. I was also in the convention of the Senate and the House when it was declared from the desk, Mr. Speaker, you now occupy, by the acting Vice-President of the United States (Senator Ferry of Michigan), that Rutherford B. Hayes had received a majority of the electoral votes of the States and was elected President.
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