Salmon P. Chase, American Politician

Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808 - May 7, 1873) was a American politician and lawyer. He became an anti-slavery activist and frequently defended fugitive slaves in court. Chase left the Whig Party in 1841 to become the leader of Ohio's Liberty Party. In 1848, he helped establish the Free Soil Party and recruited former President Martin Van Buren to serve as the party's presidential nominee. Chase won election to the Senate the following year, and he opposed the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In the aftermath of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Chase helped establish the Republican Party, which opposed the extension of slavery into the territories. After leaving the Senate, Chase served as the Governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860. After Lincoln won the election, he asked Chase to serve as Secretary of the Treasury. Chase served in that position from 1861-64, working hard to ensure the Union was well-financed during the Civil War. Lincoln nominated Chase to fill the Supreme Court vacancy that arose following Chief Justice Roger Taney's death. Chase served as Chief Justice from 1864-73. He presided over the Senate trial of President Andrew Johnson during the impeachment proceedings of 1868. He died of a stroke, in 1873, at the age of 65. Study for First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Francis Bicknell Carpenter, 1863

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12696618

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47672334

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3300px x 4200px (2.4MB)

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NYPL/Science Source/Mary Evans