Benjamin Stanton (June 4, 1809 – June 2, 1872) was an American politician who served as the sixth
lieutenant governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...
from 1862 to 1864.
Early life
The son of Elias & Martha (Wilson) Stanton, he was born in
Mount Pleasant, Ohio
Mount Pleasant is a village in southern Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 394 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville metropolitan area. Founded in 1803 by anti-slavery Quakers, the village was an ear ...
, Stanton pursued academic studies, and learned the
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
's trade. Stanton studied law and was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1834, and began practicing law in
Bellefontaine, Ohio
Bellefontaine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Ohio, Logan County, Ohio, United States, located 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 13,370 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 Cens ...
.
Career
Stanton served as a member of the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the s ...
from 1841 to 1843, and as delegate to the state
constitutional convention in 1850.
Stanton was elected as a
U.S. Representative from
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
twice. He served as a
Whig to the
Thirty-second Congress
The 32nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1851 ...
, from 1851 to 1853.
From 1855 to 1861, he served as an
Opposition Party candidate to the
Thirty-fourth Congress
The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...
and reelected as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
to the
Thirty-fifth and
Thirty-sixth Congresses. Stanton served as chairman of the
Committee on Military Affairs (Thirty-sixth Congress).
Stanton served as
lieutenant governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...
in 1862, during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
. After the
battle of Shiloh, in April 1862, at
Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee
Pittsburg Landing is a river landing on the west bank of the Tennessee River in Hardin County, Tennessee. It was named for "Pitts" Tucker who operated a tavern at the site in the years preceding the Civil War. It is located at latitude 35.15222 ...
, Stanton visited the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
and soon published a statement critical of the Union generals. He opined that
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
and
Benjamin M. Prentiss, both appointed from
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, should be
court-martialed and shot. General
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
, appointed from Ohio, published a sharp rebuttal. This led to Stanton's criticizing Sherman as well. In his memoirs, Sherman claimed that after "the good people of the North ha(d) begun to have their eyes opened" (referring perhaps to his own rebuttals of Stanton) Stanton's criticisms of Grant were so soundly rejected that Stanton never again held any public office and that he was commonly spoken of as "the late Mr. Stanton". Stanton's move from Ohio to West Virginia would seem to support that statement.
Stanton moved to
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...
, in 1865, and practiced law. He moved to
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Located almost entirely in Ohio County, of which it is the county seat, it lies along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and also contains a tiny portion extending ...
, in 1867 and continued the practice of law.
Death
Stanton died in Wheeling on June 2, 1872, two days before his sixty-third birthday, and was interred in
Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling, West Virginia.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanton, Benjamin
1809 births
1872 deaths
People from Mount Pleasant, Ohio
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
Ohio Republicans
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
Lieutenant Governors of Ohio
Ohio state senators
Ohio Constitutional Convention (1850)
Ohio lawyers
People from Bellefontaine, Ohio
West Virginia lawyers
Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Wheeling, West Virginia)
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American lawyers
Lawyers from Martinsburg, West Virginia
Lawyers from Wheeling, West Virginia