Samuel Jordan Kirkwood

Mill owner Samuel Kirkwood (1813–1894) helped found Iowa's Republican Party and became that state's popular Civil War governor, staunchly supporting President Lincoln's policies. When U.S. Senator James Harlan—a fellow Iowan—was selected as President Johnson's secretary of the Interior, Kirkwood filled his senate seat though eventually returned home for another stint as governor. Kirkwood was reelected to the U.S. Senate in 1877 but resigned when he, too, was appointed to head the Department of the Interior. Kirkwood was 67 years of age, making him the oldest Interior secretary upon taking office. In his short term of just over a year, Kirkwood tried to further reform Indian Affairs by requesting more funds for Indian education and advocating for fewer, smaller Indian reservations. Today, a statue of Kirkwood is one of two representing Iowa in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.