Elihu B. Washburne
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| Elihu Benjamin Washburne | |
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| In office March 5, 1869 – March 16, 1869 |
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| Preceded by | William H. Seward |
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| Succeeded by | Hamilton Fish |
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| Born | September 23, 1816 Livermore, Maine, USA |
| Died | October 23, 1887 (aged 71) Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Spouse | Adele Gratiot |
| Profession | Politician |
Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816, Livermore, Maine – October 23, 1887, Chicago, Illinois) was one of seven brothers that played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party. He later served as United States Secretary of State in 1869.
A member of United States House of Representatives, Washburne was known for his courage, and met President-elect Lincoln upon his arrival in Washington, DC on February 23, 1861. An assassination attempt was feared and other Republican Party leaders were afraid to take on this duty. Washburne had hidden the whereabouts of President-elect Lincoln by personally cutting telegraph wires in key locations.
Originally a Whig, Washburne was an early member of the Republicans and a leader of the Radical Republicans. He was among the original proponents of legal racial equality. After the Civil War, Washburne advocated that large plantations be divided up to provide compensatory property for freed slaves.
Washburne served as President Ulysses S. Grant's Secretary of State, replacing William H. Seward, for twelve days in March, 1869; the shortest term of any Secretary of State. He then became ambassador to France, where he was influential in negotiating the peace treaty for the Franco-Prussian War.
Washburne retired from government in 1876, although he was mentioned as a presidential candidate at the Republican conventions in 1880 and 1884. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, and served as president of the Chicago Historical Society from 1884 to 1887.
Three of Washburne's brothers (Cadwallader C. Washburn, William D. Washburn, and Israel Washburn, Jr.) also became politicians. His son, Hempstead Washburne, was mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1891 to 1893.
[edit] Trivia
Washburne Street at 1230 south in Chicago is named in honor of Washburne.
[edit] External links
- An Online Biography of Washburne
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Elihu Washburne's Gravesite
| Preceded by William H. Bissell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st congressional district 1853-1863 |
Succeeded by Isaac N. Arnold |
| Preceded by Owen Lovejoy |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 3rd congressional district 1863-1869 |
Succeeded by Horatio C. Burchard |
| Preceded by William H. Seward |
United States Secretary of State March 5, 1869 – March 16, 1869 |
Succeeded by Hamilton Fish |
| Preceded by John A. Dix |
United States Ambassador to France March 17, 1869 – September 5, 1877 |
Succeeded by Edward F. Noyes |
| United States Secretaries of State |  |
|---|---|
| Jefferson • Randolph • Pickering • J Marshall • Madison • Smith • Monroe • Adams • Clay • Van Buren • Livingston • McLane • Forsyth • Webster • Upshur • Calhoun • Buchanan • Clayton • Webster • Everett • Marcy • Cass • Black • Seward • Washburne • Fish • Evarts • Blaine • Frelinghuysen • Bayard • Blaine • Foster • Gresham • Olney • Sherman • Day • Hay • Root • Bacon • Knox • Bryan • Lansing • Colby • Hughes • Kellogg • Stimson • Hull • Stettinius • Byrnes • G Marshall • Acheson • Dulles • Herter • Rusk • Rogers • Kissinger • Vance • Muskie • Haig • Shultz • Baker • Eagleburger • Christopher • Albright • Powell • Rice |
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Categories: 1816 births | 1887 deaths | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois | United States Secretaries of State | People of Illinois in the American Civil War | United States Whig Party | People from Maine | United States ambassadors to France | Illinois politician stubs
