John P. Hale

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John Parker Hale
Junior Senator, New Hampshire
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853 July 30, 1855 – March 3, 1865
Preceded by	Joseph Cilley Jared W. Williams
Succeeded by	Charles G. Atherton Aaron H. Cragin
Born	March 31, 1806 Rochester, New Hampshire, USA
Died	November 19, 1873, age 67 Dover, New Hampshire, USA
Political party	Democrat, Free Soil, Opposition, Republican
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

John Parker Hale (March 31, 1806 – November 19, 1873) was an American politician and lawyer from New Hampshire. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 and in the United States Senate from 1847 to 1853 and again from 1855 to 1865. He was a leading member of the Free Soil Party and was its presidential nominee in 1852.

Hale was born in Rochester, Strafford County, New Hampshire, the son of John Parker Hale and Lydia Clarkson O'Brien. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1827. After passing the bar examination, Hale lived and practiced law in Dover, NH; his house is now part of the Woodman Institute, a local museum. He married Lucy Lambert, the daughter of William Thomas Lambert and Abigail Ricker. In 1834, President Andrew Jackson appointed him to serve as a U.S. Attorney.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth Congress, serving from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1845. He was later elected as a Free Soil candidate to the United States Senate in 1846 and served from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1853. He was among the strongest opponents of the Mexican-American War in the Senate and is considered "the first US Senator with an openly anti-slavery (or abolitionist) platform".^[1]

Hale was an unsuccessful candidate for President of the United States on the Free Soil ticket in 1852. (See U.S. presidential election, 1852.)

He was again elected to the Senate in 1855 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles G. Atherton. He was re-elected in 1859, in total serving from July 30, 1855, to March 3, 1865. He became a Republican and served as the chair of the Senate Republican Conference until 1862.

President Lincoln nominated Hale to the post of ambassador to Spain and he served in that capacity 1865–1869.^[2]

Interestingly, Hale's daughter Lucy Lambert Hale was betrothed to John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin. Booth had a picture of Lucy Hale with him when he was killed in 1865.^[3] Today, portraits of President Lincoln and John Hale hang next to each other in the chambers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

John Parker Hale is buried in Dover at the Pine Hill Cemetery.

[edit] References

1. ^ J. Dennis Robinson
2. ^ United States Department of State list of ambassadors
3. ^ Ford’s Theater National Historic Site – National Park Service

[edit] External links

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• John Parker Hale at Find A Grave

Preceded by Edmund Burke	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845	Succeeded by Mace Moulton
Preceded by Joseph Cilley	United States Senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853 Served alongside: Charles G. Atherton and Moses Norris, Jr.	Succeeded by Charles G. Atherton
Preceded by Martin Van Buren	Free Soil Party presidential candidate 1852 (lost)	Succeeded by (none)
Preceded by Jared W. Williams	United States Senator (Class 2) from New Hampshire July 30, 1855 – March 3, 1865 Served alongside: James Bell and Daniel Clark	Succeeded by Aaron H. Cragin
Preceded by Gustavus Koerner	United States Ambassador to Spain 1865 – 1869	Succeeded by Daniel Sickles