Nathaniel Banks, politician from Massachusetts

Nathaniel Banks, politician from Massachusetts, became the Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Feb. 2, 1856. He left school to work as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill at 16. Through reading and Democratic Party politics he rose to prominence in Congress, and became the first anti-slavery Speaker of the House. He was elected by an anti-Democratic Party coalition of the American Party (Know Nothings), the disintegrating Whigs, and Northern Democrats. In 1857 Banks, running as a Republican, was elected governor of Massachusetts

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Anti-slavery Capitol Congressmen Democrat Lcgr1807 Lcgr2018 Legislature Majority Nathaniel Nothings Sectional Speaker Three-quarter

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