Conservative in his nature, he was sure to advise against rashness.

Sturdy in his principles, he always counseled firmness.

In the periods of excitement through which the party was about to pass, his judgment was sure to prove of highest value--influenced, as it always was, by patriotism, and guided by conscience.

Without power as an orator, he was listened to in the Senate with profound attention, as one who never offered counsel that was not needed.

He carried into the Senate the gravity, the dignity, the weight of character, which enabled him to control more ardent natures; and he brought to a later generation the wisdom and experience acquired in a long life devoted to the service of his State and of his country.
UNITED-STATES SENATORS.
Zachariah Chandler had been the recognized leader of the Republican party in Michigan from its formation.