Joseph Carter Abbott
Joseph Carter Abbott | |
|---|---|
Matthew W. Ransom | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1825 Concord, New Hampshire |
| Died | October 8, 1881 (aged 56) Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank |  Colonel Bvt. Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War
|
Joseph Carter Abbott (July 15, 1825 – October 8, 1881) was a
Early life
Abbott was born in Concord, New Hampshire to farmer Aaron Carter Abbott and Nancy Badger, and graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1846, having studied there and under private auspices.[1] He studied law at Concord, and was admitted to the bar in 1852. From 1852 to 1857, Abbott was the owner and editor of the Daily American newspaper, in Manchester, New Hampshire. His success with it led to his being given the position of editor of the Boston Atlas and Bee, which he held from 1859 through 1861.[2]
He served as
Civil War
In December 1861, Abbott became the
During the
Postbellum
Following the war, Abbott remained in North Carolina. He was active in state politics, serving as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1868. During this time, his political strength came primarily through the black population. He believed in their capacity and assisted in organization and politically counseling them in ways which brought him blunt warnings from the white population. He was elected to the United States Senate that same year, representing North Carolina in that body for the first time since July 1861, when the state's two senators were expelled following the North Carolina's secession from the Union. He served as a senator from July 14, 1868 to March 4, 1871.
He also served as a member of the Republican National Committee from North Carolina from 1870 through 1872. During this period, he was also found to be in the pay of a "ring" whose major interests seemed substantially similar to Abbott's own political positions. During his tenure in the Senate, he spoke in orthodox terms on matters of suffrage, and was helpful in handling the details of army administration. He devoted a good deal of time to improve the harbor of Wilmington, and hoped that the railroads of the Carolinas would be consolidated and made part of a southern transcontinental system. However, for all his efforts, his single greatest achievement was the imposition of a duty on peanuts. He was not nominated for a second term to the Senate.
Upon leaving the Senate, he conducted a lumber manufacturing business and served as editor of the Wilmington Post. He also received federal offices from both Presidents
He was originally buried in the National Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was reinterred in 1887 at Valley Cemetery in Manchester, New Hampshire. Despite three marriages, he died childless. His political legacy is not much better, with the Dictionary of American Biography writing that "The historians of the state even now mention him only to condemn him."[5]
See also
- List of American Civil War Generals (Union)
Notes
- . Retrieved August 22, 2022.
Abbott, Joseph Carter (15 July 1825–08 October 1881), senator and journalist, was born in Concord, New Hampshire, the son of Aaron Carter Abbott, a farmer and laborer, and Nancy Badger.
- ^ Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Abbott, Joseph Carter". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 29. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Hunt and Brown, 1990, p. 2
- ^ Eicher and Eicher, 2001, p. 748
- ^ Johnson, Volume 1, page 24.
References
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989: Bicentennial Edition. United States: Government Printing Office, 1989. ISBN 0-16-006384-1.
- Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J. Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R. Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue. Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. ISBN 1-56013-002-4.
- Johnson, Allen. Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964.
- Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
External links
- United States Congress. "Joseph Carter Abbott (id: A000006)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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