STEVENS, THADDEUS ( 1792-1868). An American statesman and Congressional leader, born at Danville, Vt., April 4, 1792. He gradu ated at Dartmouth College in 1814; taught school in York. Pa., and studied law: began to prac tice in Gettysburg, and removed to Lancaster, Pa., in 1842. In 1833 he became a member of the State Legislature, in which he sat for a number of years, serving with credit. In 1836 he was a delegate to the State Constitutional Convention, winning notoriety by his advocacy of negro suf frage. Stevens affiliated with the Anti-Masonic (see ANTI-MxsoNs), and was an active member of its Baltimore convention in 1831; but from the time of his election to the Legis lature he acted with the Whigs. His career in the Legislature was varied, but indicative of his energy and ability, and although his business in terests suffered severely, he conquered the 'ma chine' in his own party, and in December, 1849, took his seat in Congress. During two terms that he filled there he opposed not only the Fugitive Slave Law, but also every form of concession to the South. After an interval of six
years devoted to the practice of law he returned to Congress in 1859, and from then until his death was the recognized leader of the House of Representatives, being chairman of the Com mittee on Ways and Means throughout the war. and later chairman of what was then the equally important Committee on Reconstruc tion. He was regarded as the most radical anti slavery advocate in Congress. He was one of the authors of the so-called Wade-Davis Recon struction Bill of 1865 and reported the Re construction Act of 1867 from the committee of which he was chairman. (See RECONSTRUCTION.) He was chairman of the House committee in charge of the impeachment of President Johnson (q.v.). He died at Washington• August 11, 1868. Biographies have been written by E. B. Callender (Boston, 1882), and by S. W. McCall (Boston• 1899), the latter being one of the "American Statesmen Series."