Maunsell B. Field (1822-1875) Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury from 1861 to 1865, Maunsell B. Field became the proximate cause of Salmon P. Chase’s departure from the Cabinet.   Chase attempted to appoint Field assistant United States Treasurer in New York in June 1864 to replace… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Thomas T. Eckert (1825-1910) Thomas T. Eckert was an Army major, telegraph superintendent of the War Department and trusted emissary of the President. President Lincoln prevented Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton from firing Eckert in early 1862. Before Stanton… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Cassius M. Clay (1810-1903) Nicknamed “Cash”, Cassius M. Clay was a Kentucky Republican leader and fervent abolitionist newspaper editor. He sought to maneuver the Republican presidential nomination for himself in 1860 and later… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

David K. Cartter (1812-1877) One-time Democratic congressman (1849-1853) and chairman of the Ohio delegation to the 1860 Republican National Convention, David K. Cartter placed Salmon Chase’s name in nomination but actually supported… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

Henry Wilson (1812-1875) Henry Wilson, nicknamed “Natick Cobbler,” was a Senator from Massachusetts (Republican, 1854-73). Possessed of strong principles and a strong character, he chaired the 1852 national Free Soil Convention. Like fellow Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner, Wilson was a strong… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

William A. Sprague (1830-1915) Senator from Rhode Island (Democrat, 1863-75), William A. Sprague had more money than sense. As heir to a cotton mill fortune, he organized the Providence Marine Artillery Company in the 1850s. As Governor of Rhode Island (1861-63), he put himself in charge of state militia but refused… Abraham Lincoln’s White House […]

Henry Winter Davis (1817-1866) An attorney and Congressman from Maryland (Know-Nothing, Republican, 1854-61, 63-64), Henry Winter Davis was considered for Lincoln’s first cabinet and had heavy support from New England, his cousin David Davis, Thurlow Weed and William Seward, but lost out to… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

John A. McClernand (1812-1900) Union General who was an Illinois Congressman (Democrat, 1843-51, 1859-61) before the Civil War, John A. McClernand was a bundle of political egotism proclaiming “Glorious! Glorious” when he thought things on the battlefield were contributing to his political ambition… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

David Hunter (1802-1886) David Hunter was the Union Army General who issued an order freeing slaves in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida in 1862, which President Lincoln countermanded. A Whig turned Democrat and a one-time Chicago businessman, he was a professional soldier before the… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >

John C. Frémont (1813-1890) In March 1862, President Lincoln appointed General Frémont to head the “Mountain Department” in western Virginia. Before he did so, Mr. Lincoln consulted with Henry C. Bowen, a businessman who owned the… Abraham Lincoln’s White House >