ROBERT ROBERTS HITT
HITT, ROBERT ROBERTS, of Mount Morris, Illinois, son of a Methodist minister, reporter of the debates between Lincoln and Douglas in 1858, secretary of Paris Legation 1874 to 1881, assistant secretary of state, 1881, and representative in congress since 1882, was born in Urbana, Ohio, January 16, 1834; son of the Reverend Thomas Smith and Emily (John) Hitt, and a descendant of Peter Hitt, who came from Nassau-Siegen, Germany, to Germanna, Virginia, in 1714, and on the maternal side, of John Philip John, who came from Pembrokeshire, Wales, to Chester county, Pennsylvania, in 1709. Removed to Mount Morris, Illinois, in 1837; he was a student at Rock River seminary, at Asbury university and at Indiana university, from which he was graduated A.B., 1855; A.M., 1858. He reported the memorable series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Arnold Douglas in 1858; and his excellent stenographic reports of Mr. Lincoln's speeches first made known to the people of America the striking originality, strength and admirable literary form of the public addresses of the future president. In fact, Mr. Hitt was charged with "touching them up" — which he positively denied. He was official reporter of the general assembly of Illinois, 1858, 1859 and 1860; secretary of the Holt-Davis commission to investigate the troubles in the Department of Missouri under General Fremont, 1861; confidential clerk to Secretary Stanton and in the department of military justice, 1862-63; secretary of the senate committee to investigate the naval expeditions of Generals Burnside and Banks in 1863; to the board of treaty commissioners and accompanied the commission to the Northwest Indian country, in 1865; recorder of military courts at Washington, District of Columbia, and Raleigh, North Carolina, 1866; visited Scotland, Switzerland, Greece, Egypt and Palestine, 1867-68; secretary to the Santo Domingo annexation commission of 1871. He reported for the Kuklux joint committee of both houses and prepared a large portion of their voluminous reports in thirteen volumes in 1871; was private secretary to Senator Oliver P. Morton, 1872-73; secretary of
