Robert S. Rantoul (June 2, 1832 – May 1, 1922) was an American politician from

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

Early life

Rantoul was born on June 2, 1832, in

Beverly, Massachusetts Beverly is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, and a suburb of Boston. The population was 42,670 at the time of the 2020 United States census. A resort, residential, and manufacturing community on the Massachusetts North Sho ...

. His father,

Robert Rantoul Jr. Robert Rantoul Jr. (August 13, 1805August 7, 1852) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. Rantoul was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1835–1839), the commission to revise the laws of Massachusetts, an ...

, was a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Rantoul attended the Beverly Academy and

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. After graduating from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

he worked in the office of Charles G. Loring. In 1853, Rantoul began a law practice in Salem. In addition to law, Rantoul was an editorial writer for the ''

Boston Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published for over a century from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. History Founding ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James We ...

''.

Politics

In 1858, Rantoul served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

. He supported going to war against the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

in order to preserve the union. During the

United States Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded ...

, Rantoul joined the Republican Party. In 1865, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

appointed Rantoul Collector of Customs the Salem and Beverly District. In 1884 and 1885 he again served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In 1888, Rantoul served as a member of the Salem Board of Aldermen. That same year, Rantoul left the Republican Party in order to support

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

for the Presidency. From 1890 to 1892, he served as Mayor of Salem. Rantoul also served a legal counsel for a group of Salem citizens that fought for a community water supply.

Personal life and death

In 1858, Rantoul married Harriet C. Neal, daughter of

Eastern Railroad The Eastern Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine. Throughout its history, it competed with the Boston and Maine Railroad for service between the two cities, until the Boston & Maine put an end to the competi ...

president Daniel A. Neal. The couple had ten children. Rantoul died on May 1, 1922, at his summer home in

Beverly Farms Beverly Farms is a neighborhood comprising the eastern part of the city of Beverly, Massachusetts, in the state's North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region, approximately 20 miles north of Boston. Beverly Farms is an oceanfront community wi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rantoul, Robert S 1832 births 1922 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Massachusetts Boston Evening Transcript people Collectors of the Port of Salem and Beverly Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts lawyers Massachusetts Republicans Mayors of Salem, Massachusetts People from Beverly, Massachusetts Politicians from Essex County, Massachusetts 19th-century American lawyers