Zachariah Chandler
| Zachariah Chandler | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 12th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
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In office October 19, 1875 – March 11, 1877 |
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| President |
Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | Columbus Delano |
| Succeeded by | Carl Schurz |
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United States Senator from Michigan |
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In office February 22, 1879 – November 1, 1879 |
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| Preceded by | Isaac P. Christiancy |
| Succeeded by | Henry P. Baldwin |
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In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | Lewis Cass |
| Succeeded by | Isaac P. Christiancy |
| 6th Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
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In office 1876–1879 |
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| Preceded by | Edwin D. Morgan |
| Succeeded by | J. Donald Cameron |
| Mayor of Detroit | |
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In office 1851–1852 |
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| Preceded by | John Ladue |
| Succeeded by | John H. Harmon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 10, 1813 Bedford, New Hampshire |
| Died | November 1, 1879 (aged 65) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Letitia Douglas |
| Profession | Politician, Teacher |
| Signature |  |
Zachariah Chandler (December 10, 1813 – November 1, 1879) was an American politician, one of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. He was mayor of Detroit, a four-term senator from the state of Michigan, and Secretary of the Interior under President Ulysses S. Grant.
As a successful young businessman in Detroit, Chandler supported the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, he advocated for the Union war effort, the abolition of slavery, and civil rights for freed African Americans. As Secretary of the Interior, Chandler eradicated serious corruption in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, fully endorsing President Grant's Peace Policy initiative to civilize American Indian tribes. In 1879, he was re-elected U.S. Senator and was a potential Presidential candidate, but he died the following morning after giving a speech in Chicago.
Zachariah Chandler was born in Bedford, New Hampshire on December 10, 1813. His father was Samuel Chandler and his mother was Margaret Orr. Samuel Chandler was a descendant of William Chandler who had migrated to Roxbury, Massachusetts from England in 1637. Margaret Orr was the oldest daughter of military officer Col. John Orr. Chandler was educated in the common schools. Upon graduation, deciding not to attend college, Chandler moved west in 1833 to Detroit, at that time the capital of Michigan Territory. In Detroit, Chandler opened a general store and through trade, banking, and land speculation became one of the weathiest men in the state of Michigan.
On December 10, 1844 Chandler married Letitia Grace Douglas, a native of Baltimore, who moved to New York. A social entertainer, Letitia lived in Washington during the Winter throughout Chandler's career. Chandler and Letitia had one daughter, Mary Douglas Chandler, who married Senator Eugene Hale of Maine. Chandler's and Letitia's grandchildren include, Frederick Hale, elected U.S. Senator from Maine, and Chandler Hale, who served as a U.S. Diplomat in Rome, and Eugene Hale, Jr. Letitia died on February 19, 1899 known to have a "gentle and kindly disposition" and to be "much beloved."
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