Edwin McMasters Stanton
| Edwin Stanton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 27th United States Secretary of War | |
|
In office January 20, 1862 – May 28, 1868 |
|
| President |
Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson |
| Preceded by | Simon Cameron |
| Succeeded by | John Schofield |
| 25th United States Attorney General | |
|
In office December 20, 1860 – March 4, 1861 |
|
| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | Jeremiah Black |
| Succeeded by | Edward Bates |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edwin McMasters Stanton December 19, 1814 Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 1869 (aged 55) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party |
Democratic (Before 1862) Republican (1862–1869) |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Lamson (m. 1836–44) Ellen Hutchison (m. 1856; his death 1869) |
| Education | Kenyon College (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814 – December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize the massive military resources of the North and guide the Union to victory. He also organized the manhunt for Lincoln's killer, John Wilkes Booth. However, he was criticized by many Union generals for perceived over-cautiousness and micromanagement.
After Lincoln's assassination, Stanton remained as the Secretary of War under the new President Andrew Johnson during the first years of Reconstruction. He opposed the lenient policies of Johnson towards the former Confederate States. Johnson's attempt to dismiss Stanton ultimately led to President Johnson being impeached by the Radical Republicans in the House of Representatives. Stanton returned to law after retiring as Secretary of War, and in 1869 was nominated as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court by Johnson's successor, Ulysses S. Grant; however, he died four days after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate.
Before the American Revolution, Stanton's paternal ancestors, the Stantons and the Macys, both of whom were Quakers, moved from Massachusetts to North Carolina. In 1774, Stanton's grandfather, Benjamin Stanton, married Abigail Macy. Benjamin died in 1800. That year, Benjamin's widow moved to the Northwest Territory, accompanied by much of her family. Soon, Ohio was admitted to the Union, and Macy proved to be one of the early developers of the new state. She bought a tract of land at Mount Pleasant, Ohio from the government and settled there. One of her sons, David, became a physician in Steubenville, and married Lucy Norman, the daughter of a Virginia planter. Their marriage was met with the ire of Ohio's Quaker community, as Lucy was a Methodist, and not a Quaker. This forced David Stanton to abandon the Quaker sect.
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