1842-1902
Historical figure and civil war veteran Octavius Longworth Pruden was born on this date in 1842. His place of birth is currently not recorded in public records. He is likely to have been born somewhere north of the Mason/Dixon Line, as he served as Union soldier during the Civil War. He was a lifelong civil servant who served as assistant secretary to many president's ranging from Grant to Teddy Roosevelt. He is here because of his appearance in two Edison "newsreels" (one of which is embedded for viewing above). The first of these was Admiral Dewey Taking Leave of Washington Committee on the U.S. Cruiser 'Olympia' and was shot in 1899. The second is the film embedded above in which Pruden can be seen Admiral Dewey Receiving the Washington and New York Committees and also dates from 1899. Pruden died on the 19th of April in 1902 at the age of 60, location not recorded, but possibly Washington D.C. His burial details are likewise not currently part of the public record.
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| Still from the first Edison short that he appeared in. |
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SNAC (University of Virginia)
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