Edwin McMasters Stanton (1814 - 1869)

Born 19 Dec 1814 in Steubenville, Jefferson, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 24 Dec 1869 at age 55 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Preceded by 26th Secretary Simon Cameron

Edwin McMasters Stanton 27th United States Secretary of War 1862—1868

Succeeded by 28th Secretary John Schofield

Biography

Edwin Stanton was born in Appalachia, in Ohio.

Edwin Stanton is Notable.

Edwin Stanton, son of David and Lucy (Norman) Stanton, was born 19 Dec 1814 in Ohio. For a factual and detailed rendering of his early years and early law practice, the work "Edwin McMasters Stanton" by Frank Abial Flower is recommended.^[1]

Stanton was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1836 where at 21, he argued his first court case. Practicing law there until 1847, Stanton's legal career would bring him to practice in Ohio, then Pittsburgh, and finally moving to Washington, D.C. in 1856 where he served under three presidential administrations.

Four years after arriving in Washington D.C. Stanton would give up his successful law practice and be appointed United States Attorney General where he first served under the presidential administration of James Buchanan. His opposition to secession is credited by historians for changing Buchanan's governmental position where it would be denounced not only as unconstitutional but also illegal.

Stanton then served under President Lincoln as Secretary of War during the Civil War. He is responsible for the organization of the massive military resources of the North which would guide the Union to victory. He also organized the manhunt for Lincoln's killer, John Wilkes Booth. In the 1970s, a conspiracy theory by David Balsiger was published in book form which with wild distortion of fact claimed Stanton and others had plotted to impeach or assassinate Lincoln. Historians view the work (and subsequent movie, both the product of the same company) with derision.^[2]

His last appointment was under President Andrew Johnson during the first years of reconstruction where he would continue as Secretary of War. He opposed many of Johnson's lenient policies toward the former Confederate States. Ultimately President Johnson was impeached by the House of Representatives.

In 1868 President Johnson removed Stanton from the Cabinet and replaced him with Ulysses S Grant. Overruled by the Senate, Johnson unsuccessfully tried again this time with Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas. The machinations were very much in the public eye with a full page political cartoon appearing in the 1 February 1868 edition of Harper's Weekly in which we find Secretary Seward as Shakespeare's Romeo standing over a slain President Johnson as Mercutio with Stanton appearing only as the Sword of Reinstatement. Seward says, "Courage man; the hurt cannot be so much." Johnson replies with the immortal lines ending with, "...A plague o' both your Houses." Republicans began impeachment proceedings against Johnson stating the removal of Stanton without Senate approval violated the Tenure of Office Act. Stanton would retire as Secretary of War and returned to being a lawyer.

In 1869, President Ulysses S Grant nominated Stanton as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was confirmed by the Senate but passed away four days later on Christmas Eve of 1869. His death was attended by Surgeon General Joseph Barnes. He is interred at Oak Hill Cemetery, Washington, DC. See Find A Grave: Memorial #973 for memorial images.

Historian and artist George Stuart created a figure of Stanton which on display at the Museum of Ventura County.

Legacy

• Stanton County, Kansas and Stanton County, Nebraska are named in his honor.
• Also named after him is Stanton Park located in Washington D.C., Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville Florida, A 1862 steam engine, Stanton Middle School in Hammondsville Ohio and the neighborhood Stanton Heights in Pittsburgh which includes Stanton Avenue.
• Stanton is featured on a 7-cent postage stamp released on March 6, 1871. This stamp was the only release that year.
• Additionally Stanton appears in U.S. paper money from 1890 and 1891. Known as treasury or coin notes are considered some of the finest examples of detailed engraving and are still highly collectible today.
• An attorney, Stanton was the first to successfully use the "temporary insanity" defense in a criminal case.
• Appointed as US Attorney General by President James Buchanan. Served as Secretary of War under Abraham Lincoln, continuing to served under Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson.
• President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him to the US Supreme Court. He died four days after the Senate had confirmed his nomination.

Sources

1. ↑ Flower, Frank A., Edwin McMasters Stanton, Akron, Ohio, New York & Chicago, Saalfield Publishing, 1905.
2. ↑ Steers, Edward Jr., Lincoln Legends: Myths, Hoaxes, and Confabulations Associated with Our Greatest President, ISBN 1-60671-007-9, p 185

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_M._Stanton
• http://www.galleryhistoricalfigures.com/figuredetail.php?abvrname=EdwinMStanton

From behind the ancestry.com subscription wall:

• US Census, 1860 (Washington, DC)

Resource Notes

familysearch.org | LCPN-J41 (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LCPN-J41)