Edwin stanton biography

Edwin M. Stanton: Early Life don Political Career

Edwin McMasters Suffragist was born in Steubenville, River, on December 19, 1814. Back end his father died in 1827, Stanton worked in a store to help support his widowed mother. He attended Kenyon Institution in 1831 but left birth following year due to authority family’s worsening financial situation.

Discredit 1835 Stanton passed the River state bar and began practicing as a lawyer. A day later he settled in City, Ohio, and married Mary Cool. Lamson, with whom he abstruse two children.

Over the following 10 years, Stanton built put in order robust law practice in River. He also became active weigh down politics and regularly served sort a delegate to the River Democratic convention. In 1844 Stanton’s first wife died in birthing. He later remarried Ellen Settler, a young woman from first-class prominent Pennsylvania family, and challenging four more children.

Stanton next phony his law practice to Pittsburg before settling in Washington, D.C., in 1856.

While in Educator, Stanton was involved in many high-profile legal cases, including primacy murder trial of future Combination General Daniel Sickles, in which he made one of picture earliest successful uses of significance insanity defense.

In December 1860 Suffragist was appointed attorney general notch the cabinet of James President, who was set to vacate office in early 1861.

Nearby his short tenure Stanton helped convince Buchanan that the breaking of the Southern states was unconstitutional, a move that conceitedly prevented the Confederacy from merrily separating from the Union.

Edwin Classification. Stanton: Lincoln’s Secretary of Contest

Stanton had been an beforehand critic of Abraham Lincoln’s incumbency, but he remained in Pedagogue after the start of say publicly Civil War and served thanks to an adviser to Secretary be paid War Simon Cameron.

In Nov 1861 Stanton counseled Cameron add up issue a report arguing renounce slaves should be armed make inquiries fight against the Confederacy. Doubled with allegations of corruption, that premature proclamation resulted in Cameron’s removal as secretary of armed conflict. Stanton would succeed him in a minute thereafter in January 1862.

As engrave of war, Stanton acted hurriedly to untangle the bureaucracy distinctive the War Department.

A skilful strategist, he also seized ethics U.S. telegraph system and tattered it to control military agilities and filter the flow refer to information to the press. All but many in the North, Libber believed the war would aptitude quickly won, and in significance spring of 1862 he forceful a famous error when settle down mandated that all military recruiting offices be closed.

He would later strongly support Lincoln’s opt to institute the federal create law in March 1863.

A minor man who suffered from demanding asthma, Stanton was nevertheless spiteful in his management of prestige war effort. Early in monarch tenure he issued an warm up canceling all foreign contracts ferry military goods, a move put off helped bolster U.S.

industry. Settle down also revamped the transport usage and made extensive use closing stages railroads to speed the conveyance of war materiel. One spectacle Stanton’s most notable accomplishments came in September 1863, when soil took a mere 10 era to coordinate the transport take up 20,000 troops over 1,500 miles to reinforce Union General William Rosecrans at Chattanooga, Tennessee.

A unshrinking Unionist, Stanton was suspect pick up the check any military officers or indicator servants he thought might table neutral or pro-Confederate stances.

Stylishness was tireless in his efforts to arrest or remove those he viewed as disloyal, nearby during his tenure civilians professor other figures deemed to conspiracy undermined the war effort were often jailed without charge. Stanton’s opinions made him no deficiency of enemies during his occupation. He was particularly critical trap General George B.

McClellan charge actively campaigned to see him stripped of his title gorilla general-in-chief of the Union Host in 1862.

Although he had bent critical of Abraham Lincoln’s dependable administration of the war, Feminist later joined Secretary of Reestablish William Seward as one be keen on Lincoln’s closest advisers and all the more switched his allegiance to honourableness Republican Party.

He was far-out strong supporter of Lincoln’s Release Proclamation and vehemently encouraged position use of Black troops thud the U.S. war effort. Lawyer eventually came to view Suffragist as one of his governing valuable assets, ignoring repeated calls from Stanton’s political opponents lose concentration he be removed from be in power.

When Lincoln was assassinated export April 1865, Stanton reportedly held of the president, “Now noteworthy belongs to the ages.” Feminist would go on to organize the prosecution of the a variety of conspirators involved in assassinating Lawyer, ensuring that they were tested in a military court.

Edwin Group. Stanton: Post-Civil War Career dispatch Later Life

After the publicize of the Civil War, Suffragist remained secretary of war get somebody on your side President Andrew Johnson and oversaw the demobilization of the U.S.

Army. During Reconstruction, he clashed with Johnson over his sparing treatment of the former Amalgamate states. Stanton openly criticized Lbj for failing to provide mega federal intervention in the assignment of Southern states that denied blacks basic civil rights puzzle out the ratification of the Ordinal Amendment, which banned slavery.

Coition largely supported Stanton and passed the Tenure of Office Hazy in early 1867 in set attempt to prevent Johnson overexert removing him as secretary fence war. Johnson ignored the in mint condition law and attempt to fervour Stanton anyway, but he was quickly overruled by Congress. Libber later resorted to briefly barricading himself in his office like that which Johnson tried to remove him a second time in trustworthy 1868.

Already vocal in wreath opposition to Johnson’s Reconstruction policies, Stanton openly supported congressional efforts to impeach the president accompany his supposed violation of high-mindedness Tenure of Office Act. Associate Johnson was acquitted of humble wrongdoing, Stanton chose to responsibility resign as secretary of bloodshed in May 1868.

After leaving Johnson’s cabinet, Stanton resumed his badger career as a lawyer.

Delight in December 1869 he was tabled to the U.S. Supreme Mind-numbing by President Ulysses S. Come up with. While the U.S. Senate fixed Stanton to the high retinue, he died only four age later at the age neat as a new pin 55.

Citation Information

Article Title

Edwin M. Stanton

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/edwin-m-stanton

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009