"Godlove S. Orth is a fat, fluffy, pudgy-cheeked, good-humored old boy, with a volubility co-equal with the necessities of a politician, and a smile that is broad, bewitching, childlike, and bland," the Chicago Times reported in 1876. "He has a good head, well stocked with information and experience, and is no fool." He was, in fact, a politician skilled at political survival, and had to be: as was so often the case with congressmen, local jealousies kept even the most able members from serving more than one or two terms, before some other county in the district demanded the nomination in recognition.
"Godlove S. Orth is a robust, affable, round-faced politician with an abundance of talkative qualities and a wide smile," the Chicago Times reported in 1876. "He has a capable mind and is not naive." He was a skilled politician who had to be adept at survival: as was often the case with congressmen, local rivalries prevented even the most talented individuals from serving more than one or two terms before another county demanded his nomination.