STANTON, EDWIN McMASTERS Ameri can statesman, was born at Steubenville, 0., on Dec. 19, He attended Kenyon college at Gambier, 0., and was admitted to the bar in 1836. In 1847 he removed to Pittsburgh, Pa. As counsel for the State, he invoked successfully the aid of the Federal Government in preventing the construction of a bridge over the Ohio river at Wheeling, Va., (now West Virginia)—on the ground that the structure would interfere with the navigation of that stream by citizens of Pennsylvania. He removed to Washington in 1856. In 1858 he was sent to California by the United States attorney general as special Federal agent for the settlement of land claims. Before the Civil War, Stanton was a Democrat, opposed to slavery, but a firm defender of the con stitutional rights of the slaveholders, and was a bitter opponent of Lincoln, whose party he then hated and distrusted. In the re organization of President Buchanan's cabinet in 186o Stanton became attorney general, and he did what he could to strengthen the weak policy of the President. Although he had often violently denounced President Lincoln, the latter thought he saw in Stanton a good war minister, and in January, 1862, invited him into his cabinet. Stanton was often harsh, and his peremptory manner was the cause of friction with the generals, an instance being his controversy with Gen. Sherman over the terms of surrender granted to J. E. Johnston's army. But he removed a horde of fraudulent contractors, kept the armies in the field well equipped and infused energy into procrastinating generals. Not the least of his achievements was the peaceable disbandment of 800,000 soldiers at the end of the war.
Remaining in the cabinet of President Andrew Johnson, Stan ton exerted all his energies toward thwarting the policies of that executive, especially those related to the reconstruction of the Southern States. He expressed disapproval of the Tenure of Office
Act, making the consent of the Senate necessary for the removal of civil officers, and drafted the supplementary act on reconstruc tion, passed over the President's veto on July 19, 1867. Stanton was finally asked to resign, and on his refusal to do so the Presi dent suspended him (Aug. 12) from office and appointed Gen. Grant (who had disapproved of the secretary's removal) secre tary ad interim. When the Senate, however, under the terms of the Tenure of Office Act, refused (Jan. 13, 1868) to concur in the suspension, Grant left the office and Stanton returned to his duties. On Feb. 21, 1868, Johnson appointed Gen. Lorenzo Thomas secretary of war ad interim, and ordered Stanton to vacate, but on the same day the Senate upheld Stanton, and by way of reply the secretary made oath to a complaint against Thomas for violating the Tenure of Office Act, and invoked mili tary protection from Gen. Grant, while Congress came to Stan ton's rescue by impeaching the President, the principal article of impeachment being that based on the removal of Stanton (see JOHNSON, ANDREW). When the impeachment proceedings failed (May 26) Stanton resigned and returned to the practice of law. Stanton had a violent temper and a sharp tongue, but he was courageous, energetic, thoroughly honest and a genuine patriot. He died in Washington on Dec. 24, 1869.
See George C. Gorham, Life and Public Services of Edwin M. Stanton (Boston, 1899) and Frank A. Flower, Edwin McMasters Stanton: The Autocrat of Rebellion, Emancipation, and Reconstruc tion (19o5).