Samuel Knox (March 21, 1815 – March 7, 1905) was an American politician and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

who represented

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

in the

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

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Born in Blandford, Massachusetts, Knox attended the common schools. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1836 and subsequently studied law at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Upon receiving his degree in 1838, he moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and was admitted to the bar. In the early 1850s, Knox helped to provide the land for the Alpine Presbyterian Church in Menlo, Georgia after participating in the approval for a committee to organize the church. Knox was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from

Missouri's 1st congressional district Missouri's 1st congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state. It includes all of St. Louis, St. Louis City and much of northern St Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, including the cities of Maryland Heights, Missouri, Mar ...

1862 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...

against incumbent Republican Francis P. Blair Jr. The campaign revolved around competing proposals for the

abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...

in Missouri, with Blair endorsing a plan for gradual compensated emancipation backed by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Hamilton Rowan Gamble Hamilton Rowan Gamble (November 29, 1798 – January 31, 1864) was an American jurist and politician who served as the Chief Justice of the Missouri Supreme Court at the time of the Dred Scott case in 1852. Although his colleagues voted to ov ...

, leader of the state's conservative Unionists. This conformed to the moderate position occupied by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

in the summer of 1862, but disappointed radical Unionists, including many of Blair's

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

supporters, who favored immediate emancipation. This group nominated Knox to run on the People's Emancipation ticket. The election was chaotic and closely contested, with success hinging on the votes of active service Union soldiers. Blair led early in the count and was seated at the start of the 38th Congress, but his plurality was reversed by late returns favoring Knox; the latter successfully challenged the certified result and replaced Blair on June 10, 1864, serving until the expiration of his term on March 4, 1865. Knox was not reelected to the 39th Congress and retired to his law practice. He returned to Blandford, where he died on March 7, 1905, and was interred in Peabody Cemetery, in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knox, Samuel 1815 births 1905 deaths People from Blandford, Massachusetts Unconditional Union Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Lawyers from St. Louis Williams College alumni Harvard Law School alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives