George H. Pendleton

George H. Pendleton
United States Minister to Germany
In office June 21, 1885 – April 25, 1889
President	Grover Cleveland Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	John A. Kasson
Succeeded by	William Phelps
Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1885
Preceded by	William A. Wallace
Succeeded by	James B. Beck
United States Senator from Ohio
In office March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1885
Preceded by	Stanley Matthews
Succeeded by	Henry B. Payne
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 1st district
In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1865
Preceded by	Timothy C. Day
Succeeded by	Benjamin Eggleston
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 1st district
In office January 2, 1854 – January 6, 1856 Served with John Schiff, William Converse
Preceded by	Edwin Armstrong Adam Riddle John Vattier
Succeeded by	Stanley Matthews George Holmes William Converse
Personal details
Born	George Hunt Pendleton (1825-07-19)July 19, 1825 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	November 24, 1889(1889-11-24) (aged 64) Brussels, Belgium
Resting place	Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Alice Key
Parent(s)	Jane Frances Hunt Pendleton Nathanael Greene Pendleton
Relatives	Francis Scott Key (father-in-law)
Education	University of Cincinnati Heidelberg University

George Hunt Pendleton (July 19, 1825 – November 24, 1889)^[1] was an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1864.

After studying at the University of Cincinnati and Heidelberg University in Europe, Pendleton practiced law in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the son of Congressman Nathanael G. Pendleton and the son-in-law of poet Francis Scott Key. After serving in the Ohio Senate, Pendleton won election to the United States House of Representatives. During the Civil War, he emerged as a leader of the Copperheads, a group of Democrats who favored peace with the Confederacy.^[2] After the war, he opposed the Thirteenth Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

The 1864 Democratic National Convention nominated a ticket of George B. McClellan, who favored continuing the war, and Pendleton, who opposed it. The ticket was defeated by the National Union ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, and Pendleton's term as a Congressman expired shortly thereafter. Pendleton was a strong contender for the presidential nomination at the 1868 Democratic National Convention, but was defeated by Horatio Seymour. After Pendleton lost the 1869 Ohio gubernatorial election, he temporarily left politics.

He served as the president of the Kentucky Central Railroad before returning to Congress. Pendleton won election to the U.S. Senate in 1879 and served a single term, becoming Chairman of the Senate Democratic Conference. After the assassination of President James A. Garfield, he wrote and helped pass the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. The act required many civil service hires to be based on merit rather than political connections. Passage of the act lost him support in Ohio and he was not nominated for a second term in the Senate. President Grover Cleveland appointed him as the ambassador to the German Empire. He served in that position until 1889, dying later that same year.