Gen. Rufus R. Dawes (1838-1899)

He was born in Ohio and after graduating from Marietta College in 1860 he organized a volunteer company in Wisconsin when the Civil War began. He served with distinction in the famed Iron Brigade, notably at the Battle of Gettysburg, where on July 1, 1863, he led a legendary counterattack that captured over 200-Confederate soldiers trapped in a railroad cut. Rising through the ranks from Captain to Lieutenant-Colonel, he fought at several major battles including Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He was brevetted Brigadier General in 1865 after mustering out in August 1864. After the war, he returned to Marietta, Ohio, where he built a successful lumber business and married Mary Beman Gates in 1864. He served as a Republican Congressman from Ohio from 1881-1883, losing re-election after voting against the Chinese Exclusion Act. In 1890, he authored the well-received memoir "Service with the 6th Wisconsin Volunteers" and served as a trustee of Marietta College for 28-years. His eldest son became Vice President of the United States and won the Nobel Peace Prize.