io6
VIRGIXIA lUOCRAIMn-
cuiulitions pointed to liim as the logical can-
<Iidate for L'nited States senator, to succeed
Cen. Eppa Hiiiiton, who had been appointed
to till out the unexpired term of Senator
.Kihn S. r.arhour, deceased. That he was
nominated over such a strong opponent as
Gen. I'itzhug-h Lee, and was elected to the
hij^h ollice when he had never sat in the
slate legislature, attests the estimation in
which he was held. In the senate he was
from the outset industrious and sagacious,
and performed highly useful labors on the
committees on claims, commerce, naval af-
fairs, and the District of Columbia. He was
reelected in 1899, 1905 and 191 1. being the
present incumbent of the office. In 1904 the
Democrats adopted the primary system of
nomination, and the appeal was to be made
directly to the people. ]\Ir. Martin had as
his opponent Governor A. J. Montague, a
man of excellent character and attainments,
and an accomplished orator. Except at the
bar, Mr. Martin was not much known as a
speaker, but in this canvass he displayed fine
oratorical qualities and won for himself new
honors. In the senate, while at the fore-
front on questions of national importance,
he has not been neglectful of local interests,
and the liberal approjiriations for the cus-
tom houses at Xew]jort News and Peters-
burg, and for other public works, have been
procured largely if not chiefly as the result
o' his effort. To him is also due the final
settlement of the debt due by the Federal
government to the state of Virginia from
the time of the war with Great Britain in
1812. Such confidence did his fellow sen-
ators have in him that they made him floor
leader of his party in the senate. He is a
m.ember of the board of visitors to the Uni-
versity of Virginia, and to the Miller Man-
ual and Labor School of .\lbemarle. He
married, in 1894, Lucy Chambliss. daughter
of Col. C. Fenton Day, of Smithfield, Vir-
ginia.
Riddleberger, Harrison Holt, horn in Edinburg, Shenandoah county, \irginia, October 4, 1844; was educated in the com- mon schools. He served three years in the Confederate army, as second and first lieu- tenant of infantry and captain of cavalry. After the war he returned home and became editor of the "Tenth Legion Banner." He studied law, was admitted to the bar, and served as commonwealth attorney, 1876-80. For two terms he was a member of the house of delegates, and state senator one term. He was editor of the "Shenandoah Democrat," and later of the "Virginian." He was a member of the state committee of the Conservative party until 1875, =i"d a piesidential elector on the Democratic ticket of 1876, and the Readjuster ticket of 1880. He was elected as a Readjuster to the United States senate in 1881. He died in Woodstock, \'irginia. January 24. 1800.
Swanson, Claude Augustus, ( q. v.).
Withers, Robert Enoch, born in Camp- bell county. Virginia. September 18, 1821, son of Robert Walter Withers. He at- tended private schools at his home until l.c was old enough to enter the Univer- sity of \'irginia, where he took up medi- cal studies, and in 1841. graduated with the M. D. degree. He engaged in the prac- tice of his profession in his native county, and later in Danville, Virginia. At the out- break of the civil war, in April, 1861, he en- tered the Confederate provisional service, as major of infantry, and under the regular
