Edwin Stanton

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

INTRO MUSIC

Hey everyone. Welcome back. 

When I started putting together episode ideas for covering the Civil War, I put out a call on social media to see just what you all wanted to learn. You came up with some great suggestions, including today’s episode topic: Edwin Stanton. 

A man who is attributed to saying Abraham Lincoln belonged to the ages, Edwin Stanton lived a tumultuous life. Having his economic security robbed from him in his youth, Stanton had to grow up fast and learned life’s lessons in some of the harshest way possible. 

So this week, I am diving into the life and career of Edwin Stanton. Who was he? How did he meet the future president? And what impact did he have on the war? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Before I get too far into the episode, I did want to give listeners a bit of a content warning this week. Edwin Stanton went through and witnessed some pretty terrible tragedies, and this episode goes into some of those details, including a story about suicide. I will provide another warning beforehand if you want to skip that section, but I wanted to make sure you had plenty of warning in case you decide to skip this week. 

In culling through the names of potential people to focus on when building the Civil War episodes, I have to admit Edwin Stanton did not originally hit my list. I knew I had to talk about the big names - Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S Grant, and of course, Abraham Lincoln. However, I also knew this could very quickly turn into a people of the Civil War podcast real quick if I included every general, secretary, or military leader who was involved in the War. 

Luckily, you all made your voices heard and helped persuade me into diving into Stanton’s life. So without further ado, let’s begin. 

Ediwn McMasters Stanton was born on December 19, 1814 in Steubenville, Ohio. He was the oldest of four children born to his father David Stanton and Lucy Norman. Stanton’s father earned his living as a physician and, as a result, the family enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle during the young man’s childhood. Stanton was apparently an early learner, reaching for the treasure trove of books held in his father’s library. According to family legend, Stanton learned to read at just three years old and was frequently on the hunt for his next literary challenge. Stanton was educated at the local school, the Old Academy and was apparently a very dedicated student. 

However, the sense of comfort and security was short-lived when the patriarch of the family passed away suddenly in 1827 at the age of 39. Stanton’s death left the family in financial peril and completely erased any sense of normalcy for the young Edwin, who at just 13, took on the responsibilities normally assigned to a husband during this period. Left without any estate or other way to earn an income, the Stantons were forced to sell off their assets, including the beloved books from the library and the family home. 

The loss of his father, and the loss of economic security that followed, permanently altered Edwin Stanton. For the rest of his life, Stanton would be particularly focused on ensuring he had sufficient financial means, working tirelessly in the pursuit. Still grasping onto his educational dreams, Stanton enrolled into Kenyon College where he attended at least a year, if not two - my sources differ on the exact length. However, without money to pay the fees associated with his studies, Stanton was forced to withdraw and took on work in order to support his family. 

In need of a way to pay the bills and support his mother and younger siblings, Stanton began to study law until the man who was named as his guardian, Daniel Collier. Stanton took to the study of law easily and was admitted to the bar in 1835. Stanton was very effective, as historian Doris Kearns Goodwin notes quote, “success in law came quickly, the result of an intuitive mind, a prodigious capacity for work, and a forceful courtroom manner,” end quote. His financial success as a lawyer meant he could send his younger brother, Darwin, to college, perhaps fulfilling Staton’s own unrealized education dreams. Stanton helped finance the expenses associated with attending Harvard, where his brother studied medicine. 

While establishing his legal career, Stanton met and fell in love with a woman who would arguably become the love of his life, Mary Ann Lamson. The couple married on New Years Eve, 1836 and had two children together, Lucy and Edwin, Jr. The newlyweds shared a passion for education and Mary appeared to be a good match for the sometimes surly Stanton as the couple enjoyed a true partnership. But something that would become a bit of a theme for the future Secretary of War, his sense of security and happiness did not last long as the couple’s daughter Lucy died as a young girl, followed by Mary just three years later. 

Losing his wife and daughter so young nearly destroyed Stanton, who reportedly could do no work for several months after his wife passed away. He commissioned a seamstress to fashion a wedding dress, stating quote, “she is my bride and shall be dressed and buried liked a bride,” end quote. Stanton, who was incredibly successful at this point, brought the local legal system to a virtual standstill due to the fact that he was involved in most of the cases pending before the court. Instead of preparing legal briefs, Stanton turned his attention to writing his son a letter all about Mary. The elder Stanton was worried that at just two years old, his son would have no recollection of his mother and would never know just how amazing she was and how deeply she cared for her children. The letter, which covered everything from his mother’s history to the couple’s love story, ran over one hundred pages in length. 

As if losing his wife and child weren’t traumatic enough, Stanton would soon enough face more family turmoil when his younger brother Darwin, the one he worked so hard for to provide an education for, and someone who likely felt more like a son than a brother, began suffering from a bad fever. The fever became so intense that it caused brain damage, impairing Darwin’s ability to function. And here, dear friends, is where I will add my second warning about the content. Please skip forward about 10 seconds if you want to avoid the gory details.

His situation grew so severe that Darwin ended his life in a terribly violent manner, using a sharp lance-head to cut his throat, causing him to bleed out. Stanton was called and arrived quickly. Upon seeing the macabre nature of what took place, withdrew into the local woods to process. Given his reaction to his wife’s death, those closest to Stanton worried about his mental health and sent people into the woods to look for him, fearing he too may be lost to suicide. 

While Stanton persevered, the deaths of his daughter, wife, and brother permanently altered the young lawyer’s disposition. A man who was once jovial turned gloomy and became increasingly focused on his developing legal career. His shift in attitude became obvious in his courtroom antics. Stanton showed little mercy for witnesses he questioned and thought nothing of going after opposing counsel in as harsh a manner as possible. Again from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin quote, “he derived his only satisfaction from his growing reputation and his increasing wealth,” end quote. He was described by contemporaries as being careless to others and their feelings, caring only about winning his next legal challenge. 

One of the largest legal cases of his career would also be the first introduction Stanton would have to future president Abraham Lincoln. It all stemmed from an 1831 invention intended to help ease the workload of farming. From what I can gather from my research, the main issue at hand was who held the proper patent. Lincoln and Stanton were on opposing sides and, the story goes, that upon seeing the rough around the edges scrawny backwoods lawyer, Stanton apparently quipped quote, “where did that long armed baboon come from?” end quote. Stanton was very standoffish toward Lincoln, but apparently the future president still admired what he saw in his opposition. The Reaper case as it is commonly known was a major career boost for Stanton, who recognized the importance of the case and what it could mean for future career prospects. Armed with his impressive legal talents and dedication to winning at all costs, Stanton threw himself into the case, winning a favorable judgment for his client.  

Burying his grief with work, Stanton remained a widower for over a decade, not marrying until after the conclusion of the Reaper trial. Given the period and the fact that Stanton had a young son, it is a bit of an anomaly that he remained single for as long as he did. He married his second wife, Ellen, on June 25th, 1856 before moving to D.C. where he hoped to continue building his practice. While in the nation’s capital, Stanton argued cases in front of the Supreme Court and continued to improve his personal wealth. Stanton’s hope to increase his profile worked and in the final months of his presidency in 1860, James Buchanan appointed Stanton as the Attorney General. 

Despite his lack of grace during their initial meeting, Stanton’s impressive legal abilities remained with Lincoln after he was elected president in 1860. Under the new administration, Stanton initially served as the legal advisor for Secretary of War Simon Cameron. However, Lincoln and Cameron did not see eye to eye and, after coming to an impasse on proper war strategy, Cameron was replaced by Stanton. 

It is thought that Stanton may have been recommended by Secretary of State Willilam Seward who thought of the-then Democrat Stanton as a moderate. Despite being named as the Secretary of War, Stanton held no military training or experience. However, he was highly organized and a bit of a workaholic, and threw himself into learning all he could about military strategy, making him a perfect fit for the job. As Secretary of War, Stanton played a quote “central role in appointing and removing commanders, overseeing military operations, and even shaping strategy” end quote. He was a pivotal part of the Civil War, but that does not mean he got along well with others. In fact, Stanton’s tenure was the cause of a lot of hostility for others in the federal government, including Lincoln’s cabinet and union commander George McClellan. 

Congress passed the Enrollment Act in March of 1863 which established a quote “militarized provost marshal general’s bureau” end quote that came under Stanton’s control. The bureau was basically a police force that the Secretary used to strictly enforce the draft and fend off dissent. Stanton is described as being the quote “tip of the spear” end quote for some of the more unpopular policies during the Lincoln administration, most notably the suspension of habeas corpus. 

Regardless of how off-putting he was or resistance he faced, Edwin Stanton was effective in his post. Despite initially feeling superior to the man who would later become president, Stanton grew to greatly admire Lincoln. Perhaps he appreciated the level of commitment the president brought to the job. Like Stanton, Lincoln was a bit of a workaholic and spent hours pouring over material in his mission to save the union. His admiration was so strong for the president that when Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, Stanton was again inconsolable. He was described as being unable to control his emotions for weeks after Lincoln’s death.

But in the immediate hours after the attempts on Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward’s lives, Stanton remained calm. While Lincoln battled for his life at the Preston house after being shot by actor John Wilkes Booth, William Seward faced off with an intruder who attacked the secretary with a knife, stabbing his face and throat before Seward’s son was able to successfully fend off the attack. As the chaos ensued and the cabinet tried to figure out how to save the dying president, Stanton went into action. He was described as stoic, but in command while the president lay dying across from Ford’s Theater. He immediately sent word to General Ulysses S. Grant, asking he return to the capitol city and requested that the remaining cabinet secretaries be placed under guard.

Stanton also carelessly forced Lincoln’s wife Mary out of the room, unable to deal with her tremendous grief. As I covered in my episodes about Mrs. Lincoln, it was due to Stanton barring Mary from the room that the soon to be widow was unable to sit with her husband in his final moments, robbing her of a right of passage. While Stanton remained in control of his emotions in the moment, he finally broke once the president passed away and is credited as the one who said of the now dead leader, “he now belongs to the ages.”

Contemporaries described Stanton’s grief as uncontrollable, but that did not stop the Secretary from overseeing the hunt for Lincoln’s assassin. He issued telegrams calling on soldiers to be on high alert and demanded that Booth be captured, identifying him early on as the man responsible for the president’s death. 

Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in shortly after Lincoln’s death on April 15th and, despite intending on retiring at the war’s conclusion, Stanton stayed on in his post for another three years. Stanton and Johnson did not see eye to eye on how to properly bring the country back together in the aftermath of Civil War, particularly as it related to advancing the rights for Black Americans. Things became so contentious between the two men that when Johnson tried to ceremoniously oust Stanton from office in 1867 and again in 1868, the House of Representatives began the process of impeachment. At issue was the fact that President Johnson had violated the Tenure of Office Act which prevented the firing of executive officers previously appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate without their approval first. 

Meanwhile Stanton, who was ruthless and unafraid of a fight, sought a warrant to arrest his interim replacement, a General Lorenzo Thomas, for participating in violating the law. Thomas was jailed, only to be released and head to the office of the Secretary of War to demand that Stanton vacate so that Thomas could take over. Stanton refused and instead announced his intention to remain in his office until the conclusion of Johnson’s impeachment trial. Not even the pleas of his wife could persuade the embattled Secretary to vacate the office. 

And if you know your history, then you are likely already aware that Johnson avoided impeachment by a single vote. But by that time, Stanton felt he had made his point and announced his resignation just after the conclusion of the trial, returning to private practice. 

After Ulysses S. Grant won the presidency in 1868, he sought to bring Stanton back into the national scene, appointing him to the Supreme Court in 1869. However, Stanton never served on the bench. Just four days after being confirmed by the Senate on December 20th, the former Secretary of War died. He was just 55 years old. President Grant hoped to hold a state funeral for the fallen cabinet official, however Staton’s widow insisted upon a small ceremony. 

Instead, Grant ordered all public offices to be closed and that federal buildings be draped accordingly. Despite Stanton’s widow’s hopes for a small, private affair, his funeral was attended by the president, members of the cabinet, and the Supreme Court. 

While Stanton is now remembered by most as the man who oversaw the pursuit for Lincoln’s killer, he was nevertheless a pivotal piece of the Union’s ability to win the war. His dedication to work and singular focus on winning may have rubbed people the wrong way, but ultimately he was the right man at the right time. 

Thanks, peeps. I’ll see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together.