Edwin L. Stanton

Edwin Lamson Stanton (August 12, 1842 – August 29, 1877) was an American lawyer and politician. A native of Steubenville, Ohio, he was the son of Edwin Stanton and his first wife, Mary.

Edwin L. Stanton
Portrait of Stanton, c. 1870s
Attorney for the District of Columbia
In office July 3, 1874 – October 31, 1876
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	William A. Cook
Succeeded by	William Birney
2nd Secretary of the District of Columbia
In office 1871–1873
President	Ulysses S. Grant
Governor	Henry D. Cooke
Preceded by	Norton P. Chipman
Succeeded by	Richard Harrington
Personal details
Born	Edwin Lamson Stanton (1842-08-12)August 12, 1842 Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.
Died	August 29, 1877(1877-08-29) (aged 35) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Union Cemetery-Beatty Park
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Matilda Wilkins Carr ​ ​ (m. 1874)​
Parents	Edwin M. Stanton Mary Lamson Stanton
Education	Kenyon College
Occupation	Lawyer politician

After the American Civil War, Stanton established himself as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., and he was appointed as Secretary of the District of Columbia by Republican president Ulysses S. Grant in 1871. In 1874, Grant appointed Stanton as city attorney of the District of Columbia.

Childhood and family

Stanton with his father, c. 1853

Early life and education

Stanton was born in Steubenville, Ohio on August 12, 1842, the second child of Edwin McMasters Stanton, then a local attorney, and Mary (Lamson) Stanton. His birth brought joy to the household after his elder sister, Lucy, had died of an unknown illness the previous year, but the happiness was short-lived, as Stanton's mother died in March 1844. Though devastated by the loss of his wife, Stanton's father later remarried and moved to Washington, D.C., where he established himself in legal and political circles, eventually being appointed United States Attorney General by James Buchanan and Secretary of War by Buchanan's successor, Abraham Lincoln.

Stanton attended Kenyon College, his father's alma mater, and graduated as valedictorian in 1863.^[1][2]

Marriage

Stanton became engaged to Matilda Wilkins "Tennie" Carr, a maternal granddaughter of William Wilkins, in late 1874.^[3] The couple married on November 3 of that year, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.^[4]

Career

In 1863, when Stanton graduated from Kenyon College, the American Civil War was at its height. He returned to Washington to serve as a secretary under his father at the United States War Department.^[2]

Stanton was admitted to the bar of the District of Columbia in January 1868 and began practicing law. His father was nominated by President Ulysses S. Grant in late 1869 to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate but died before he could take office. Meanwhile, the younger Stanton was made counsel of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad.^[1]

Shortly after the passing of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, which established a new municipal government in Washington, D.C., Stanton was appointed by President Grant to serve as Secretary of the District of Columbia. Norton P. Chipman, who was the first to be given the position, stepped down after 50 days to serve as the District's first non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives.^[5] Stanton served until his resignation in 1873.^[1]

In 1874, Stanton again took up public office when he was appointed Attorney for the District of Columbia (predecessor to the office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia) and served until 1876.^[1]

Death

Stanton died on August 29, 1877, at his residence on Rhode Island Avenue, after a short illness.^[1] Following services at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, his remains were temporarily brought to Oak Hill Cemetery, after which they were transported to Steubenville, Ohio for burial alongside his mother and sister at Union Cemetery.

He is the namesake of Stanton Elementary School, run by the District of Columbia Public Schools.