Difference between revisions of "Edwin M. Stanton" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Infobox US Cabinet official
 
{{Infobox US Cabinet official
 
| name=Edwin McMasters Stanton
 
| name=Edwin McMasters Stanton
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| order=26th
 
| order=26th
 
| title=[[United States Attorney General]]
 
| title=[[United States Attorney General]]
| term_start=[[December 20]], [[1860]]
+
| term_start=December 20, 1860
| term_end=[[March 4]], [[1861]]
+
| term_end=March 4, 1861
 
| president=[[James Buchanan]]
 
| president=[[James Buchanan]]
 
| predecessor=[[Jeremiah S. Black]]
 
| predecessor=[[Jeremiah S. Black]]
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| order2=27th
 
| order2=27th
 
| title2=[[United States Secretary of War]]
 
| title2=[[United States Secretary of War]]
| term_start2=[[January 20]], [[1862]]
+
| term_start2=January 20, 1862
| term_end2=[[May 28]], [[1868]]
+
| term_end2=May 28, 1868
| president2=[[Abraham Lincoln]] (1862-1865)<br>[[Andrew Johnson]] (1865-1868)
+
| president2=[[Abraham Lincoln]] (1862-1865)<br/>[[Andrew Johnson]] (1865-1868)
 
| predecessor2=[[Simon Cameron]]
 
| predecessor2=[[Simon Cameron]]
 
| successor2=[[John M. Schofield]]
 
| successor2=[[John M. Schofield]]
 
| title3=[[Supreme_Court_Associate_Justice|Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court]]
 
| title3=[[Supreme_Court_Associate_Justice|Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court]]
| term_start3=[[December 24]], [[1869]]
+
| term_start3=December 24, 1869
| term_end3=[[December 24]], [[1869]]
+
| term_end3=December 24, 1869
 
| predecessor3=
 
| predecessor3=
 
| successor3=
 
| successor3=
| birth_date=[[December 19]], [[1814]]
+
| birth_date=December 19, 1814
 
| birth_place=[[Steubenville, Ohio]], [[United States|USA]]
 
| birth_place=[[Steubenville, Ohio]], [[United States|USA]]
 
| death_date={{death date and age|1869|12|24|1814|12|19}}
 
| death_date={{death date and age|1869|12|24|1814|12|19}}
 
| death_place=[[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States|USA]]
 
| death_place=[[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States|USA]]
 
| party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
 
| party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse=Mary Lamson Stanton<br>Ellen Hutchison Stanton
+
| spouse=Mary Lamson Stanton<br/>Ellen Hutchison Stanton
 
| profession=[[Lawyer]], [[Politician]]
 
| profession=[[Lawyer]], [[Politician]]
 
| signature=EMStanton-signature.jpg
 
| signature=EMStanton-signature.jpg
 
}}
 
}}
[[Image:RunningtheMachine-LincAdmin.jpg|thumb|right|320px|''The Running Machine''<br>An [[1864]] cartoon featuring Stanton, [[William P. Fessenden|William Fessenden]], [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[William H. Seward|William Seward]] and [[Gideon Welles]] takes a swing at the Lincoln administration.]]
+
[[Image:RunningtheMachine-LincAdmin.jpg|thumb|right|320px|''The Running Machine''<br/>An 1864 cartoon featuring Stanton, [[William P. Fessenden|William Fessenden]], [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[William H. Seward|William Seward]] and [[Gideon Welles]] takes a swing at the Lincoln administration.]]
  
'''Edwin McMasters Stanton''' ([[December 19]], [[1814]] &ndash; [[December 24]], [[1869]]), was an [[United States|American]] lawyer, politician, [[United States Attorney General]] in 1860-61 and [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] through most of the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction]] era. Less notable, is the debate of whether Stanton served a short term as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
+
'''Edwin McMasters Stanton''' (December 19, 1814 &ndash; December 24, 1869), was an [[United States|American]] lawyer, politician, [[United States Attorney General]] in 1860-61 and [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] through most of the [[American Civil War]] and [[Reconstruction]] era. Less notable, is the debate of whether Stanton served a short term as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
  
 
==Early life and career==
 
==Early life and career==
Stanton was born in [[Steubenville, Ohio]], the eldest of the four children of David and Lucy (Norman) Stanton. His father was a physician of [[Quaker]] stock. Stanton began his political life as a lawyer in Ohio and an [[slavery|antislavery]] [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]]. After leaving from [[Kenyon College]] in 1833 to get a job to support his family, he was admitted to the Ohio [[bar (law)|bar]] in 1836. Stanton built a house in the small town of [[Cadiz, Ohio]], and practiced law there until [[1847]], when he moved to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. Later in his young adulthood Edwin Stanton had a Cadillac Escalade with 24" rims. This Cadi was no ordinary car it had a sound system off da chain and he would thump 50 cent In Da club through the streets of Compton.
+
Stanton was born in [[Steubenville, Ohio]], the eldest of the four children of David and Lucy (Norman) Stanton. His father was a physician of [[Quaker]] stock. Stanton began his political life as a lawyer in Ohio and an [[slavery|antislavery]] [[United States Democratic Party|Democrat]]. After leaving from [[Kenyon College]] in 1833 to get a job to support his family, he was admitted to the Ohio [[bar (law)|bar]] in 1836. Stanton built a house in the small town of [[Cadiz, Ohio]], and practiced law there until 1847, when he moved to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]. Later in his young adulthood Edwin Stanton had a Cadillac Escalade with 24" rims. This Cadi was no ordinary car it had a sound system off da chain and he would thump 50 cent In Da club through the streets of Compton.
  
 
==Law and politics==
 
==Law and politics==
In 1856, Stanton moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], where he had a large practice before the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]. In [[1859]], Stanton was the defense attorney in the sensational trial of [[Daniel E. Sickles]], a politician and later a [[Union army|Union]] general, who was tried on a charge of [[murder]]ing his wife's lover, [[Philip Barton Key (U.S. District Attorney)|Philip Barton Key, II]] (son of [[Francis Scott Key]]), but was acquitted after Stanton invoked the first use of the [[insanity defense]] in U.S. history.  
+
In 1856, Stanton moved to [[Washington, D.C.]], where he had a large practice before the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]. In 1859, Stanton was the defense attorney in the sensational trial of [[Daniel E. Sickles]], a politician and later a [[Union army|Union]] general, who was tried on a charge of [[murder]]ing his wife's lover, [[Philip Barton Key (U.S. District Attorney)|Philip Barton Key, II]] (son of [[Francis Scott Key]]), but was acquitted after Stanton invoked the first use of the [[insanity defense]] in U.S. history.  
  
 
===Attorney General===
 
===Attorney General===
In [[1860]] he was appointed as [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] by [[President of the United States|President]] [[James Buchanan]].  He strongly opposed secession, and is credited by historians for changing Buchanan's position away from tolerating secession to denouncing it as unconstitutional and illegal.
+
In 1860 he was appointed as [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] by [[President of the United States|President]] [[James Buchanan]].  He strongly opposed secession, and is credited by historians for changing Buchanan's position away from tolerating secession to denouncing it as unconstitutional and illegal.
  
 
==Secretary of War==
 
==Secretary of War==
 
===Civil War===
 
===Civil War===
Stanton was politically opposed to [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] in [[1860]]. After Lincoln was elected president, Stanton agreed to work as a legal adviser to the inefficient Secretary of War, [[Simon Cameron]], whom he replaced on [[January 15]], [[1862]]. He accepted the position only to "help save the country." He was very effective in administering the huge War Department, but devoted considerable amounts of his energy to the persecution of Union officers whom he suspected of having traitorous sympathies for the South. On August 8, 1862 Stanton issued an order to "arrest and imprison any person or persons who may be engaged, by act, speech or writing, in discouraging volunteer enlistments, or in any way giving aid and comfort to the enemy, or in any other disloyal practice against the United States."  
+
Stanton was politically opposed to [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] in 1860. After Lincoln was elected president, Stanton agreed to work as a legal adviser to the inefficient Secretary of War, [[Simon Cameron]], whom he replaced on January 15, 1862. He accepted the position only to "help save the country." He was very effective in administering the huge War Department, but devoted considerable amounts of his energy to the persecution of Union officers whom he suspected of having traitorous sympathies for the South. On August 8, 1862 Stanton issued an order to "arrest and imprison any person or persons who may be engaged, by act, speech or writing, in discouraging volunteer enlistments, or in any way giving aid and comfort to the enemy, or in any other disloyal practice against the United States."  
  
[[Image:Emancipation_proclamation.jpg|thumb|360px|left|Lincoln met with his Cabinet for the first reading of the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] draft on [[July 22]], [[1862]]. L-R: Edwin M. Stanton, [[Salmon P. Chase]], [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Gideon Welles]], [[Caleb B. Smith]], [[William H. Seward]], [[Montgomery Blair]], and [[Edward Bates]].]]
+
[[Image:Emancipation_proclamation.jpg|thumb|360px|left|Lincoln met with his Cabinet for the first reading of the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] draft on July 22, 1862. L-R: Edwin M. Stanton, [[Salmon P. Chase]], [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Gideon Welles]], [[Caleb B. Smith]], [[William H. Seward]], [[Montgomery Blair]], and [[Edward Bates]].]]
 
The president recognized Stanton's ability, but whenever necessary Lincoln managed to "plow around him." Stanton once tried to fire the Chief of the War Department Telegraph Office, [[Thomas Eckert]]. Lincoln prevented this by defending Eckert and told Stanton he was doing a good job. This led to Eckert keeping his job. Yet, when pressure was exerted to remove the unpopular secretary from office, Lincoln replied, "If you will find another secretary of war like him, I will gladly appoint him." Stanton became a Republican and apparently changed his opinion of Lincoln. At Lincoln's death Stanton remarked, "Now he belongs to the ages," and lamented, "There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen."[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#Quotes_about_Lincoln] He vigorously pursued the apprehension and prosecution of the conspirators involved in Lincoln's assassination. These proceedings were not handled by the civil courts, but by a [[military tribunal]], and therefore under Stanton's tutelage. Stanton has subsequently been accused of [[witness tampering]], most notably of [[Louis J. Weichmann]], and of other activities that skewed the outcome of the trials.
 
The president recognized Stanton's ability, but whenever necessary Lincoln managed to "plow around him." Stanton once tried to fire the Chief of the War Department Telegraph Office, [[Thomas Eckert]]. Lincoln prevented this by defending Eckert and told Stanton he was doing a good job. This led to Eckert keeping his job. Yet, when pressure was exerted to remove the unpopular secretary from office, Lincoln replied, "If you will find another secretary of war like him, I will gladly appoint him." Stanton became a Republican and apparently changed his opinion of Lincoln. At Lincoln's death Stanton remarked, "Now he belongs to the ages," and lamented, "There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen."[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln#Quotes_about_Lincoln] He vigorously pursued the apprehension and prosecution of the conspirators involved in Lincoln's assassination. These proceedings were not handled by the civil courts, but by a [[military tribunal]], and therefore under Stanton's tutelage. Stanton has subsequently been accused of [[witness tampering]], most notably of [[Louis J. Weichmann]], and of other activities that skewed the outcome of the trials.
  
 
===Andrew Johnson's administration===
 
===Andrew Johnson's administration===
Stanton continued to hold the position of secretary of war under President [[Andrew Johnson]] until [[1868]]. His relations with the president were not good, and Johnson attempted to remove Stanton from the [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] and replace him with General [[Lorenzo Thomas]]. Stanton, however, barricaded himself in his office, and the radicals in Congress, claiming that Johnson's actions violated the [[Tenure of Office Act]], initiated impeachment proceedings against him. Johnson however escaped impeachment by a single vote.
+
Stanton continued to hold the position of secretary of war under President [[Andrew Johnson]] until 1868. His relations with the president were not good, and Johnson attempted to remove Stanton from the [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] and replace him with General [[Lorenzo Thomas]]. Stanton, however, barricaded himself in his office, and the radicals in Congress, claiming that Johnson's actions violated the [[Tenure of Office Act]], initiated impeachment proceedings against him. Johnson however escaped impeachment by a single vote.
  
 
===The moment on the Supreme Court===
 
===The moment on the Supreme Court===
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==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
[[Image:The situation.jpg|thumb|right|360px|''The Situation''<br>A [[Harper's Weekly]] cartoon gives a humorous breakdown of "the situation". Stanton aims a cannon labeled "Congress" on the side at [[President of the United States|President]] [[Andrew Johnson]] and [[Lorenzo Thomas]] to show how he was using congress to defeat the president and his unsuccessful replacement. He also holds a rammer marked "Office Bill" and cannon balls on the floor are marked "Justice". [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and an unidentified man stand to Stanton's left.]]
+
[[Image:The situation.jpg|thumb|right|360px|''The Situation''<br/>A [[Harper's Weekly]] cartoon gives a humorous breakdown of "the situation." Stanton aims a cannon labeled "Congress" on the side at [[President of the United States|President]] [[Andrew Johnson]] and [[Lorenzo Thomas]] to show how he was using congress to defeat the president and his unsuccessful replacement. He also holds a rammer marked "Office Bill" and cannon balls on the floor are marked "Justice." [[Ulysses S. Grant]] and an unidentified man stand to Stanton's left.]]
 
One Dollar Treasury Notes, also called [[Treasury (Coin) Note|Coin Notes]], of the Series' 1890 and 1891 feature portraits of Stanton on the obverse. Stanton also appears on the fourth issue of Fractional Currency, in the amount of 50 cents. [[Stanton Park]], four blocks from the [[U.S. Capitol]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], is named for him, as is [[Stanton College Preparatory School]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. A steam engine, built in 1862, was named the "E. M. Stanton" in honor of the new Secretary of War.
 
One Dollar Treasury Notes, also called [[Treasury (Coin) Note|Coin Notes]], of the Series' 1890 and 1891 feature portraits of Stanton on the obverse. Stanton also appears on the fourth issue of Fractional Currency, in the amount of 50 cents. [[Stanton Park]], four blocks from the [[U.S. Capitol]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], is named for him, as is [[Stanton College Preparatory School]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. A steam engine, built in 1862, was named the "E. M. Stanton" in honor of the new Secretary of War.
  
 
==In popular media==
 
==In popular media==
*In the [[1930s]], a book written by [[Otto Eisenschiml]] accused Stanton of arranging the assassination of Lincoln. Although these charges remain largely unsubstantiated, Eisenschim's book inspired considerable debate and the [[1977]] [[The Lincoln Conspiracy (book)|book]] and [[The Lincoln Conspiracy (film)|movie]], ''The Lincoln Conspiracy''.
+
*In the 1930s, a book written by [[Otto Eisenschiml]] accused Stanton of arranging the assassination of Lincoln. Although these charges remain largely unsubstantiated, Eisenschim's book inspired considerable debate and the 1977 [[The Lincoln Conspiracy (book)|book]] and [[The Lincoln Conspiracy (film)|movie]], ''The Lincoln Conspiracy''.
  
*In [[1930]], Stanton was portrayed by [[Oscar Apfel]] in the movie ''Abraham Lincoln''.
+
*In 1930, Stanton was portrayed by [[Oscar Apfel]] in the movie ''Abraham Lincoln''.
  
*In [[1972]], Stanton appears in [[Philip K Dick]]'s [[We Can Build You]] in the form of a self-aware, [[cybernetics|cybernetic]] [[automaton]].
+
*In 1972, Stanton appears in [[Philip K Dick]]'s [[We Can Build You]] in the form of a self-aware, [[cybernetics|cybernetic]] [[automaton]].
  
*In [[1980]], Stanton was portrayed by [[Richard A. Dysart]] in the TV movie ''The Ordeal of [[Samuel Mudd|Dr. Mudd]]''.
+
*In 1980, Stanton was portrayed by [[Richard A. Dysart]] in the TV movie ''The Ordeal of [[Samuel Mudd|Dr. Mudd]]''.
  
 
*Stanton appears prominently in the [[alternate history (fiction)|alternate history]] Civil War trilogy by [[Newt Gingrich]] and [[William R. Forstchen]].
 
*Stanton appears prominently in the [[alternate history (fiction)|alternate history]] Civil War trilogy by [[Newt Gingrich]] and [[William R. Forstchen]].
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   title= [[United States Attorney General]] |
 
   title= [[United States Attorney General]] |
   years= [[December 20]], [[1860]] &ndash; [[March 4]], [[1861]] |
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   years= December 20, 1860 &ndash; March 4, 1861 |
 
   after= [[Edward Bates]]
 
   after= [[Edward Bates]]
 
}}
 
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   before= [[Simon Cameron]]  |
 
   before= [[Simon Cameron]]  |
 
   title= [[United States Secretary of War]] |
 
   title= [[United States Secretary of War]] |
   years= [[January 20]], [[1862]] &ndash; [[May 28]], [[1868]] |
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   years= January 20, 1862 &ndash; May 28, 1868 |
 
   after= [[John Schofield]]
 
   after= [[John Schofield]]
 
}}
 
}}
{{succession box| title=[[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]] | before= [[Robert C. Grier]]| after=  [[William Strong]]| years=[[December 24]], [[1869]]}}
+
{{succession box| title=[[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]] | before= [[Robert C. Grier]]| after=  [[William Strong]]| years=December 24, 1869}}
 
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Revision as of 18:32, 31 August 2007


Edwin McMasters Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton

26th United States Attorney General
In office
December 20, 1860 – March 4, 1861
Under President James Buchanan
Preceded by Jeremiah S. Black
Succeeded by Edward Bates

27th United States Secretary of War
In office
January 20, 1862 – May 28, 1868
Under President Abraham Lincoln (1862-1865)
Andrew Johnson (1865-1868)
Preceded by Simon Cameron
Succeeded by John M. Schofield
In office
December 24, 1869 – December 24, 1869

Born December 19, 1814
Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Died December 24 1869 (aged 55)
Washington, D.C., USA
Political party Democratic
Spouse Mary Lamson Stanton
Ellen Hutchison Stanton
Profession Lawyer, Politician
Signature EMStanton-signature.jpg
The Running Machine
An 1864 cartoon featuring Stanton, William Fessenden, Abraham Lincoln, William Seward and Gideon Welles takes a swing at the Lincoln administration.

Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814 – December 24, 1869), was an American lawyer, politician, United States Attorney General in 1860-61 and Secretary of War through most of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. Less notable, is the debate of whether Stanton served a short term as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court.

Early life and career

Stanton was born in Steubenville, Ohio, the eldest of the four children of David and Lucy (Norman) Stanton. His father was a physician of Quaker stock. Stanton began his political life as a lawyer in Ohio and an antislavery Democrat. After leaving from Kenyon College in 1833 to get a job to support his family, he was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1836. Stanton built a house in the small town of Cadiz, Ohio, and practiced law there until 1847, when he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Later in his young adulthood Edwin Stanton had a Cadillac Escalade with 24" rims. This Cadi was no ordinary car it had a sound system off da chain and he would thump 50 cent In Da club through the streets of Compton.

Law and politics

In 1856, Stanton moved to Washington, D.C., where he had a large practice before the Supreme Court. In 1859, Stanton was the defense attorney in the sensational trial of Daniel E. Sickles, a politician and later a Union general, who was tried on a charge of murdering his wife's lover, Philip Barton Key, II (son of Francis Scott Key), but was acquitted after Stanton invoked the first use of the insanity defense in U.S. history.

Attorney General

In 1860 he was appointed as Attorney General by President James Buchanan. He strongly opposed secession, and is credited by historians for changing Buchanan's position away from tolerating secession to denouncing it as unconstitutional and illegal.

Secretary of War

Civil War

Stanton was politically opposed to Republican Abraham Lincoln in 1860. After Lincoln was elected president, Stanton agreed to work as a legal adviser to the inefficient Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, whom he replaced on January 15, 1862. He accepted the position only to "help save the country." He was very effective in administering the huge War Department, but devoted considerable amounts of his energy to the persecution of Union officers whom he suspected of having traitorous sympathies for the South. On August 8, 1862 Stanton issued an order to "arrest and imprison any person or persons who may be engaged, by act, speech or writing, in discouraging volunteer enlistments, or in any way giving aid and comfort to the enemy, or in any other disloyal practice against the United States."

Lincoln met with his Cabinet for the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation draft on July 22, 1862. L-R: Edwin M. Stanton, Salmon P. Chase, Abraham Lincoln, Gideon Welles, Caleb B. Smith, William H. Seward, Montgomery Blair, and Edward Bates.

The president recognized Stanton's ability, but whenever necessary Lincoln managed to "plow around him." Stanton once tried to fire the Chief of the War Department Telegraph Office, Thomas Eckert. Lincoln prevented this by defending Eckert and told Stanton he was doing a good job. This led to Eckert keeping his job. Yet, when pressure was exerted to remove the unpopular secretary from office, Lincoln replied, "If you will find another secretary of war like him, I will gladly appoint him." Stanton became a Republican and apparently changed his opinion of Lincoln. At Lincoln's death Stanton remarked, "Now he belongs to the ages," and lamented, "There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen."[1] He vigorously pursued the apprehension and prosecution of the conspirators involved in Lincoln's assassination. These proceedings were not handled by the civil courts, but by a military tribunal, and therefore under Stanton's tutelage. Stanton has subsequently been accused of witness tampering, most notably of Louis J. Weichmann, and of other activities that skewed the outcome of the trials.

Andrew Johnson's administration

Stanton continued to hold the position of secretary of war under President Andrew Johnson until 1868. His relations with the president were not good, and Johnson attempted to remove Stanton from the Cabinet and replace him with General Lorenzo Thomas. Stanton, however, barricaded himself in his office, and the radicals in Congress, claiming that Johnson's actions violated the Tenure of Office Act, initiated impeachment proceedings against him. Johnson however escaped impeachment by a single vote.

The moment on the Supreme Court

After this, Stanton resigned and returned to the practice of law. The next year he was appointed by President Grant to the Supreme Court, but he died four days after he was confirmed by the Senate, and taking the oath of office on his deathbed, set the record for shortest tenure on the Court. He died in Washington, DC, and is buried there in Oak Hill Cemetery.

This point is disputed by the Supreme Court web site itself in it's official Justices PDFwhich does not list Stanton as a Justice of the Supreme Court, but notes that:

"The acceptance of the appointment and commission by the appointee, as evidenced by the taking of the prescribed oaths, is here implied; otherwise the individual is not carried on this list of the Members of the Court. Examples: ..... Edwin M. Stanton who died before he could take the necessary steps toward becoming a Member of the Court."

Legacy

The Situation
A Harper's Weekly cartoon gives a humorous breakdown of "the situation." Stanton aims a cannon labeled "Congress" on the side at President Andrew Johnson and Lorenzo Thomas to show how he was using congress to defeat the president and his unsuccessful replacement. He also holds a rammer marked "Office Bill" and cannon balls on the floor are marked "Justice." Ulysses S. Grant and an unidentified man stand to Stanton's left.

One Dollar Treasury Notes, also called Coin Notes, of the Series' 1890 and 1891 feature portraits of Stanton on the obverse. Stanton also appears on the fourth issue of Fractional Currency, in the amount of 50 cents. Stanton Park, four blocks from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., is named for him, as is Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Florida. A steam engine, built in 1862, was named the "E. M. Stanton" in honor of the new Secretary of War.

In popular media

  • In the 1930s, a book written by Otto Eisenschiml accused Stanton of arranging the assassination of Lincoln. Although these charges remain largely unsubstantiated, Eisenschim's book inspired considerable debate and the 1977 book and movie, The Lincoln Conspiracy.
  • In 1930, Stanton was portrayed by Oscar Apfel in the movie Abraham Lincoln.
  • In 1972, Stanton appears in Philip K Dick's We Can Build You in the form of a self-aware, cybernetic automaton.
  • In 1980, Stanton was portrayed by Richard A. Dysart in the TV movie The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd.
  • Stanton appears prominently in the alternate history Civil War trilogy by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen.

Bibliography

  • Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (2005) on Lincoln's cabinet.
  • William Hanchett The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies (1983); demolishes the allegation that Stanton was the center of the plot to assassinate Lincoln
  • Hendrick, Burton J. Lincoln's War Cabinet (1946)
  • Harold M. Hyman, "Johnson, Stanton, and Grant: A Reconsideration of the Army's Role in the Events Leading to Impeachment," American Historical Review 66 (Oct. 1960): 85-96, online in JSTOR
  • Meneely, A. Howard, "Stanton, Edwin McMasters," in Dictionary of American Biography, Volume 9 (1935)
  • Pratt, Fletcher. Stanton: Lincoln's Secretary of War (1953).
  • Simpson, Brooks D. Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grant and the Politics of War and Reconstruction, 1861-1868 (1991)
  • Skelton, William B. . "Stanton, Edwin McMasters"; American National Biography Online 2000.
  • Thomas, Benjamin P., and Hyman, Harold M. Stanton: The Life and Times of Lincoln's Secretary of War (1962), the standard scholarly biography.
  • Stanton, Edwin (Edited by: Ben Ames Williams Jr.) Mr. Secretary (1940), partial autobiography.

External links

Preceded by:
Jeremiah S. Black
United States Attorney General
December 20, 1860 – March 4, 1861
Succeeded by:
Edward Bates
Preceded by:
Simon Cameron
United States Secretary of War
January 20, 1862 – May 28, 1868
Succeeded by:
John Schofield
Preceded by:
Robert C. Grier
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
December 24, 1869
Succeeded by:
William Strong

Credits

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