Graham N. Fitch
Graham Newell Fitch (December 5, 1809 – November 29, 1892) was an Indiana politician and Civil War officer. Born in Le Roy, New York, he studied medicine and began practicing in Logansport, Indiana, in 1834. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1836 and 1839, and taught anatomy at Rush Medical College in Chicago (1844–1848) and at the Indianapolis Medical College in 1878.
As a Democrat, Fitch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Indiana's 9th district, serving March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1853. He did not seek reelection in 1852. He then served in the U.S. Senate from February 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861 and chaired the Senate Committee on Printing. He did not seek reelection in 1860.
When the Civil War began, Fitch organized and led the 46th Indiana Infantry, starting as colonel and earning promotion to command of a brigade under General John M. Palmer. He fought at New Madrid and Island Number Ten, helped capture Fort Pillow and Memphis, and led Union infantry at Saint Charles, Arkansas. Injuries forced him to resign in late 1862. He returned to medicine in Logansport, where he died in 1892 and was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.
His grandson Edwin Denby later served as a U.S. Representative from Michigan and as Secretary of the Navy.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:32 (CET).