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Elihu B. Washburne

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American politician (1816–1887)

Elihu B. Washburne
Washburne, 1860–1875
23rdUnited States Minister to France
In office
March 23, 1869 – September 5, 1877
PresidentUlysses S. Grant
Rutherford B. Hayes
Preceded byJohn Dix
Succeeded byEdward F. Noyes
25thUnited States Secretary of State
In office
March 5, 1869 – March 16, 1869
PresidentUlysses S. Grant
Preceded byWilliam H. Seward
Succeeded byHamilton Fish
Dean of the United States House of Representatives
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 6, 1869
Preceded byJohn S. Phelps
Succeeded byHenry L. Dawes
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
fromIllinois
In office
March 4, 1853 – March 6, 1869
Preceded byWilliam Bissell
Succeeded byHoratio C. Burchard
Constituency1st district (1853–63)
3rd district (1863–69)
Personal details
BornElihu Benjamin Washburne
(1816-09-23)September 23, 1816
DiedOctober 22, 1887(1887-10-22) (aged 71)
Resting placeGreenwood Cemetery,Galena, Illinois
Political partyWhig (before 1856)
Republican (1856–1887)
SpouseAdele Gratiot
Children7, includingHempstead
EducationMaine Wesleyan Seminary
Harvard University
Signature

Elihu Benjamin Washburne (September 23, 1816 – October 22, 1887) was an American politician. A member of theWashburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of theUnited States Republican Party, he served as a congressman fromIllinois before, during and after theAmerican Civil War. He was a political ally ofPresidentAbraham Lincoln and General (later President)Ulysses S. Grant. During Grant's administration, Washburne was the 25thUnited States Secretary of State briefly in 1869, and was theUnited States Minister to France from 1869 to 1877.

In his youth, when his family became destitute, Washburne left home inMaine at the age of 14, to support himself and further his education. After working for newspapers in Maine and studying law, Washburne passed the bar and moved toGalena, Illinois, where he became a partner in a successful law firm. Washburne was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1852 and served from 1853 to 1869, which included the American Civil War and the first part ofReconstruction. While advocating Lincoln's war policy, Washburne sponsored an up-and-coming Grant; they were acquainted because Grant had moved to Galena shortly before the war to work in his father's leather goods business. Washburne advocated for Grant's promotions in theUnion Army, and protected him from critics in Washington and in the field. Washburne was Grant's advocate in Congress throughout the war, and their friendship and association lasted through Grant's two terms as president.

As a leader of theRadical Republicans, Washburne opposed theReconstruction policies of PresidentAndrew Johnson and supportedAfrican American suffrage and civil rights. Washburne was appointedUnited States Secretary of State in 1869 by President Grant, out of respect for his championship of Grant's career during the Civil War, and to give Washburne diplomatic clout after being appointed minister to France. Washburne's tenure as Secretary of State lasted for only eleven days, but he served in France for eight years, where he became known for diplomatic integrity and his humanitarian support of Americans, other neutrals, and Germans in France during theFranco-Prussian War. For his efforts, he received formal praise from governments in both France and Germany. Washburne's friendship with Grant ended after the contentious1880 Republican convention, when Washburne was a candidate for president. He did not garner wide support, but Grant had been the front runner for an unprecedented third term, and was disappointed when the party eventually turned to dark horseJames A. Garfield. In retirement, Washburne published a biography of anti-slavery politicianEdward Coles, and a memoir of his own diplomatic career in France.

Early life, education, and legal career

[edit]

Washburne was born on September 23, 1816, inLivermore, whenMaine was part ofMassachusetts.[1] He was the third oldest of eleven children born to Israel and Martha (née Benjamin) Washburn.[2] Washburne was the grandson of Captain Israel and Abiah (King) Washburne.[2] His grandfather served as an officer in theContinental Army during theAmerican Revolution and was a descendant of John Washburne, who served as Secretary of thePlymouth Colony while in England.[2] John Washburne was a Puritan colonist who emigrated to America in 1631 and settled inDuxbury, Massachusetts.[2]

Washburne's father settled inMaine in 1806 and set up a shipbuilding trade at Whites Landing on theKennebec River in 1808.[2] Following Puritan heritage, Israel was a strict disciplinarian and Washburne and his siblings were instructed in the Bible and put to work daily in the fields and on other chores, with no time for leisure.[3] During the winter months Washburne attended district schools that used "birch rod" corporal punishment.[3] Washburne's family fell on financial hard times in 1829, and his father, who was then in the mercantile business, was forced to sell his general store.[1][2] The family was destitute and forced to rely on farming for subsistence, while Washburne and several of his brothers had to fend for themselves.[1] At the age of 14, Washburne added the letter "e" to his name, as was the original ancestral spelling, and left home in search of education and a career.[1]

After attending public schools, Washburne worked as a printer on theChristian Intelligencer inGardiner, Maine, from 1833 to 1834.[2] From 1834 to 1835 Washburne taught school and from 1835 to 1836 he worked for theKennebec Journal inAugusta, Maine.[2] Washburne attendedMaine Wesleyan Seminary,studied law with Judge John Otis, and completed his legal studies with a year atHarvard Law School from 1839 to 1840.[4] In 1840 hepassed the bar exam,[4] and moved west to Galena, Illinois.[4] In Galena, Washburne entered into law partnership withCharles S. Hempstead.[2]

Marriage and family

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On July 31, 1845, Washburne married Adele Gratiot, the niece of his law partner and the daughter of Colonel Henry Gratiot and Susan Hempstead Gratiot, members of one of Galena's most prominent families.[5][6] Washburne had met Adele shortly after arriving in Galena;[5] she was 10 years younger than Washburne, and known to be attractive, well-educated, and charming.[5] The Washburnes had seven children including sons Gratiot,Hempstead, William P., and Elihu B. Jr., and daughters Susan and Marie L.[6] The Washburnes were married for 42 years, which ended with Washburne's death.[5]

U.S. Congressman (1853–1869)

[edit]
Washburne, a political ally, welcomed president-elect Abraham Lincoln upon his 1861 arrival in Washington D.C.

Washburne became active in politics as aWhig, and served as a delegate to the Whig National Conventionin 1844 and againin 1852.[2] In 1848 he was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress.

In 1852, Washburne was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives. He was reelected eight times, and represented northwestern Illinois from 1853 to 1869. While in Congress, Washburne was chairman of theCommittee on Commerce (34th Congress, and36th through40th Congresses), and theCommittee on Appropriations (40th Congress).[7][2]

In 1854 Washburne supportedAbraham Lincoln's unsuccessful candidacy for theUnited States Senate. In the mid-1850s the Whig Party dissolved, and the Republican Party was founded as the major anti-slavery party. Washburne joined the Republican Party, andin 1856 supported its first candidate for president,John C. Frémont.

Washburne backed Lincoln'sunsuccessful candidacy for theUnited States Senate in 1858.In 1860, Washburne enthusiastically supported Lincoln's successful presidential campaign.

American Civil War

[edit]

During Lincoln's presidency Washburne supported the Union. As a trusted friend, he advised Lincoln informally, and kept him abreast of political news from Illinois.[8]

As Lincoln made his way toWashington, D.C., in early 1861 to begin his presidential term, his supporters feared an assassination attempt. Washburne consultedWinfield Scott, the commander of the Army, who increased security in Washington and the surrounding area. Lincoln arrived in Washington incognito on February 23, 1861, and Washburne was on hand to meet him.[9]

Sponsored Ulysses S. Grant

[edit]
In 1861 Washburne began his sponsorship of Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War.

Washburne was one of only a few men in Washington, D.C., who had previously known Ulysses S. Grant, a fellow resident of Galena.[10] Grant was a graduate ofWest Point and had served in the Army for eleven years, including theMexican–American War. Initially, Grant and Washburne seemed like an odd political pairing; Grant was aDouglas Democrat and Washburne an ardent abolitionist and founder of the Republican Party.[11] Despite those differences, Washburne became an early and ardent Grant supporter, and helped secure his promotions to the general officer ranks.

Though Grant had no rank or commission at the start of the war, he took the initiative to recruit a company of volunteers in Galena, and accompanied them toSpringfield, the state capital.[12] Grant discussed with Washburne his hope that his West Point education and previous military experience would lead to a field command; Washburne promised to discuss the matter with GovernorRichard Yates.[13] Yates quickly offered Grant a militia commission to serve as mustering officer and continue training the volunteer units which were being raised to rapidly expand the Army.[11] Grant accepted, but continued his efforts to obtain a field command.

With Washburne's sponsorship, Grant was commissioned a colonel of volunteers on June 14, 1861, and appointed to command the21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.[14] During his command of the regiment and through theVicksburg Campaign, Washburne kept in close touch with Grant through his brother, Major GeneralCadwallader C. Washburn.[15]

Washburne continued as Grant's advocate and defender in Washington. In September 1861, Washburne sponsored Grant's promotion tobrigadier general and command of a brigade, and supported his subsequent promotion tomajor general and assignments to district, field army, and military division command.[16] Washburne was also an advocate for Grant's promotion tolieutenant general and command of the entire Union Army.[17] During the war Grant aligned himself with the Republican goals of ending slavery[18][19] and incorporatingAfrican Americans into the military.[20][21] His changed political outlook and success on the battlefield made him a likely contender for president as a Republican,[22] and Washburne supported Grant's successful campaign in 1868.[23]

Investigation into Western War Department

[edit]

During the first months of the Civil War under President Lincoln, Washburne launched an investigation into corruption charges of GeneralJohn C. Frémont's Western War Department.[24] Lincoln had appointed Frémont commander of the Western War Department in July 1861.[25] Rumors spread of a "horde of pirates" under Frémont's authority of defrauding the army and the federal government and that Frémont himself was "extravagant".[24] Washburne's investigation revealed that Frémont had awarded his California associates with lucrative army contracts.[25] Also Frémont had favored sellers who were given exorbitant contracts for railroad cars, horses, mules, tents, and equipment that was inferior in quality.[25] In October, Lincoln relieved Frémont of command on corruption charges and for insubordination.[25]

Radical Republican leader

[edit]

Washburne became a leader of theRadical Republicans, those most ardently opposed to slavery, and was among the original proponents of racial equality. As a congressman, he served on theJoint Committee on Reconstruction which drafted theFourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. After theCivil War, Washburne advocated that large plantations be divided up to provide compensatory property for freedslaves.

Secretary of State (1869)

[edit]
President Grant in 1869

When Grant became president in 1869, he appointed Washburne to succeedWilliam H. Seward as Secretary of State, with the understanding that he would hold the post only briefly and then serve as minister toFrance.[26]

Illness and resignation

[edit]

He became ill after becoming Secretary of State, and resigned after only eleven days; his term remains the shortest of any Secretary of State.

Minister to France (1869–1877)

[edit]

As Minister to France, Washburne played a major diplomatic and humanitarian role during theFranco-Prussian War.[27] This was the first major war in which all belligerents appointedprotecting powers to represent their interests in enemy capitals, and the United States agreed to be the protecting power for theNorth German Confederation and several of the German states.[28][29] Washburne arranged for railroad transportation to evacuate 30,000 German civilians who had been living in France, and was responsible for feeding 3,000 Germans during theSiege of Paris. Although the State Department gave him permission to evacuate the American Legation at his discretion, Washburne chose to remain in Paris throughout the war and theCommune of Paris.[30][31]

Washburne was the only diplomat from a major power to remain in the French capital through the Siege of Paris. As protecting power, he transmitted messages between the French and German governments. He was permitted by the Germans to receivesealed diplomatic communications from outside the city, a privilege that was denied to the smaller neutrals. Washburne was also entrusted with the protection of seven Latin American consulates that lacked diplomatic representation in France. TheFrench Republic finally exchangedchargés d'affaires with theGerman Empire in June 1871, after an eleven-month breach in diplomatic relations between France and Germany. Washburne, who had lost 17 pounds during the ordeal, returned immediately to theCarlsbad springs to recuperate; he had been visiting the springs when he learned of the start of the war.[31][32]

Washburne's tireless efforts set a precedent for the role of protecting power in future wars. He received special honors from German EmperorWilhelm I and German ChancellorOtto von Bismarck, as well as from the French leadersLéon Gambetta andAdolphe Thiers.[33]

Presidential candidate (1880)

[edit]
Further information:1880 Republican National Convention
1880 Republican Convention.James A. Garfield (center, right) won the presidential nomination.

Washburne left France at the end of Grant's term in 1877, and returned to Galena. When Grant decided to run for an unprecedented third term in 1880, Washburne agreed to support him, and disavowed attempts by his own supporters to make Washburne a candidate.[34] Despite Washburne's disavowals, he was a contender at the1880 Republican National Convention in Chicago. With 379 votes required to win the nomination, he consistently received support from 30 to 40 delegates; Grant had been the early front runner, and consistently received between 300 and 315 votes.[35] Recognizing after more than 30 ballots that neither Grant nor the other leading contenders,James G. Blaine andJohn Sherman could be nominated, delegates began to search for adark horse.[36] Having failed to build momentum for Washburne on an earlier ballot, on the 34th ballot 16 Washburne delegates fromWisconsin cast their votes for James A. Garfield without warning.[37] This surprise action started a groundswell of support for Garfield, and he was nominated on the 36th ballot.[38]

Most of Grant's delegates held firm even as most of those supporting Blaine and Sherman shifted to Garfield.[39] Grant was angry at Washburne, believing that Washburne had not strongly supported Grant's candidacy, as Washburne had pledged to do.[40] Grant was convinced that if Washburne's delegates switched to him, it might have generated momentum sufficient for him to win the nomination. For Washburne's part, he believed that if Grant had withdrawn, as Blaine and Sherman had, Washburne and not Garfield might have been the dark horse who obtained the nomination.[41] Grant and Washburne never met each other again and their friendship ended.[41]

Retirement

[edit]

In 1882, Washburne published a biography of former Illinois governorEdward Coles, an anti-slavery Virginian who had emancipated his slaves.[42] Washburne later moved toChicago, and he served as president of theChicago Historical Society from 1884 to 1887. In 1887, he published a memoir of his time as a diplomat,Recollections of a Minister to France.[33]

Death and burial

[edit]

Washburne died at his son Hempstead's home in Chicago on October 22, 1887, following a two-week period of ill health and a heart ailment. His wife had died only a few months earlier.[3] He was buried atGreenwood Cemetery in Galena.

Physical description and character

[edit]
Washburne's son Hempstead; elected Mayor of Chicago in 1891

Washburne was a tall, broad shouldered man, having light gray eyes.[43] Washburne was respected as a person of honesty and seriousness.[43] When he moved west to Galena, Washburne vowed he would not drink, smoke, play cards, or attend the theater.[43] After his marriage to Adele Gratiot in 1845, he adopted the practice of drinking a single glass of wine with dinner.[44]

Notable relatives

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Three of Washburne's brothers (Cadwallader C. Washburn,William D. Washburn, andIsrael Washburn, Jr.) also became politicians. His son, Hempstead Washburne, was the 32ndMayor of Chicago serving from 1891 to 1893.[2]

Honors

[edit]

In 1885 Washburne received thehonorary degree ofLL.D. fromBowdoin College.[45]

Washburne Avenue at 1232 South in Chicago is named in honor of Elihu Washburne.[46]

ALiberty ship launched in 1943 was named after Washburne.[47]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdEllis 1936, p. 504.
  2. ^abcdefghijklBiographical Dictionary of America 1906, p. 341.
  3. ^abcNew York Times (October 22, 1887).
  4. ^abcCarroll (1883),Twelve Americans Their Lives And Times, pp. 402–404
  5. ^abcdHill 2012, p. 9.
  6. ^abIndustrial Chicago: The Commercial Interests (1894), pp. 254–255.
  7. ^"An American in Paris, American Heritage". Archived fromthe original on December 4, 2008. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2009.
  8. ^Ellis 1936, p. 505.
  9. ^Winkle 2013, p. 104.
  10. ^Catton (1969), p. 3
  11. ^abSmith 2001, pp. 103–104.
  12. ^Bunting, Josiah III (2004).The American Presidents Series: Ulysses S. Grant; The 18th President, 1869–1877. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. p. 37.ISBN 978-0-8050-6949-5.
  13. ^Smith 2001, p. 103-104.
  14. ^Conger, Arthur Latham (1996).The Rise of U.S. Grant. New York, NY: Da Capo Press. pp. 4–5.ISBN 978-0-306-80693-3.
  15. ^Catton (1969), p. 26
  16. ^Mihalkanin, Edward S. (2004).American Statesmen: Secretaries of State from John Jay to Colin Powell. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 521.ISBN 978-0-313-30828-4.
  17. ^Hill, Michael (2012).Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. p. 15.ISBN 978-1-4516-6528-4.
  18. ^Harris, M. Keith (2014).Across the Bloody Chasm: The Culture of Commemoration Among Civil War Veterans. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press. p. 152.ISBN 978-0-8071-5772-5.
  19. ^Smith 2001, p. 610.
  20. ^Simpson, Brooks D. (2000).Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph Over Adversity, 1822–1865. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. p. 221.ISBN 978-0-7603-4696-9.
  21. ^Flood 2005, p. 133.
  22. ^Valelly, Richard M., ed. (2014).Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History. Vol. 7. Seattle, WA: Amazon Digital Services LLC. p. 177.ISBN 978-0-87289-320-7.
  23. ^Neely, Mark E. (1982).The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. p. 324.ISBN 9780070461451.
  24. ^abOates 1974, pp. 111–112.
  25. ^abcdOates 1974, p. 112.
  26. ^Bunting III (2004)
  27. ^David McCullough,The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, Simon & Schuster, 2011,ISBN 978-1-4165-7176-6
  28. ^Levie, Howard (1961)."Prisoners of War and the Protecting Power".American Journal of International Law.55 (2):374–397.doi:10.2307/2196124.JSTOR 2196124.S2CID 147044516. Archived fromthe original on July 14, 2014.
  29. ^Newsom, David D., ed. (1990)."Appendix A: The United States as a Protecting Power, by Country and Date".Diplomacy Under a Foreign Flag : When Nations Break Relations. New York: St. Martin's Press.ISBN 0312040512.
  30. ^Hill, Michael, ed. (2012).Elihu Washburne: the Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France during the Siege and Commune of Paris. New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 9781451665307.
  31. ^abWashburne, E. B. (1887).Recollections of a Minister to France, Volume I. New York: Scribner.
  32. ^Washburne, E. B. (1887).Recollections of a Minister to France, Volume II. New York: Scribner.
  33. ^abReynolds, Francis J., ed. (1921)."Washburne, Elihu Benjamin" .Collier's New Encyclopedia. New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company.
  34. ^Church, Charles A. (1912).History of the Republican Party in Illinois 1854–1912. Rockford, IL: Wilson Brothers Press. p. 143.
  35. ^La Fevre, Benjamin; Fenton, Hector Tyndale (1884).Campaign of '84. Chicago, IL: Baird & Dillon. p. 242.
  36. ^Emerson, Jason (2012).Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University. p. 213.ISBN 978-0-8093-3055-3.
  37. ^Webb, Theodore A. (2002).Impassioned Brothers: Ministers Resident to France and Paraguay. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. p. 201.ISBN 978-0-7618-2264-6.
  38. ^Freidel, Frank (1999).Presidents of the United States of America. Washington, DC: White House Historical Association. p. 46.ISBN 978-0-912308-72-2.
  39. ^Grant, Ulysses S.; Simon, John Y. (2008).The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. Vol. 30. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. p. 89.ISBN 978-0-8093-2776-8.
  40. ^Hill, Michael (2012).Elihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp. 215–217.ISBN 978-1-4516-6530-7.
  41. ^abEllis 1936, pp. 505–506.
  42. ^Washburne, Elihu Benjamin (1882). Sketch of Edward Coles. Negro Universities Press. p. 253.
  43. ^abcWhite 2016, p. 140.
  44. ^White 2016, p. 141.
  45. ^Little, George Thomas (1902).General Catalogue of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine, 1794-1902. Brunswick, ME: Bowdoin College. p. 217 – viaInternet Archive.
  46. ^Don, Hayner (1988).Streetwise Chicago: A History of Chicago Street Names. Chicago, IL: Loyola University Press. p. 130.ISBN 978-0-8294-0597-2.
  47. ^"CALIFORNIA SHIPBUILDING". Shipbuildinghistory. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2025.

Sources

[edit]
External videos
video iconQ&A interview with Michael Hill onElihu Washburne: The Diary and Letters of America's Minister to France During The Siege and Commune of Paris, December 2, 2012,C-SPAN

Books

New York Times

External links

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