Zachariah Chandler
Zachariah Chandler | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Michigan | |
In office February 22, 1879 – November 1, 1879 | |
Preceded by | Isaac P. Christiancy |
Succeeded by | Henry P. Baldwin |
In office March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1875 | |
Preceded by | Lewis Cass |
Succeeded by | Isaac P. Christiancy |
Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
In office June 1876 – November 1, 1879 | |
Preceded by | Edwin D. Morgan |
Succeeded by | J. Donald Cameron |
12th United States Secretary of the Interior | |
In office October 19, 1875 – March 11, 1877 | |
President | Ulysses S. Grant Rutherford B. Hayes |
Preceded by | Columbus Delano |
Succeeded by | Carl Schurz |
Mayor of Detroit | |
In office 1851–1852 | |
Preceded by | John Ladue |
Succeeded by | John H. Harmon |
Personal details | |
Born | Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S. | December 10, 1813
Died | November 1, 1879 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 65)
Political party | Whig (before 1854) Republican (1854–1879) |
Spouse | Letitia Douglas |
Signature | |
Zachariah Chandler (December 10, 1813 – November 1, 1879) was an American businessman, politician, and one of the founders of the Republican Party, whose radical wing he dominated as a lifelong abolitionist. He was mayor of Detroit, a four-term senator from the state of Michigan, and Secretary of the Interior under President Ulysses S. Grant.
As a successful young businessman in Detroit, Chandler supported the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, he advocated for the Union war effort, the abolition of slavery, and civil rights for freed African Americans. As Secretary of the Interior, Chandler eradicated serious corruption in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, fully endorsing President Grant's Peace Policy initiative to civilize American Indian tribes. In 1879, he was re-elected U.S. Senator and was a potential presidential candidate, but he died the following morning after giving a speech in Chicago.
Early life and career
Zachariah Chandler was born in
Marriage and family
On December 10, 1844, Chandler married Letitia Grace Douglas, a native of
Political career
From his youth, Chandler had been strongly opposed to slavery, and hoped that the Northern Whig party would be able to stop Southern slave power from spreading slavery into the Western Territories. Chandler financially supported the Detroit Underground Railroad, which helped fugitive or runaway slaves find safe haven.[3]
In 1848 Chandler began his political career by making campaign speeches for the Whig party presidential candidate
U.S. Senator (1857–1875)
In January 1857, Chandler ran as a Republican and was elected as a U.S. Senator for Michigan, succeeding Lewis Cass. Chandler was reelected in 1863 and again in 1869, serving from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1875, in the 35th through the 43rd U.S. Congresses. In the Senate Chandler allied himself with the anti-slavery Radicals, although he opposed Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. Chandler was the most outspoken Senator against secession. From March 1861 to 1875 Chandler was chairman of the Committee on Commerce that controlled powerful "pork barrel" appropriations for rivers and harbors. At the outbreak of the Civil War Chandler used his Senatorial influence to raise and equip the Michigan volunteers. Chandler was a member of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.[1]
On July 6, 1862, Chandler castigated General
Chandler supported higher tariff rates, the creation of a national bank,[4] and voted for greenbacks as an emergency war measure, but strongly condemned any inflation of the currency. Chandler supported Reconstruction Acts that gave civil rights to African Americans, but criticized reconstruction for being too lax. On January 5, 1866, Chandler authored a resolution for non-intercourse with Great Britain for refusing to negotiate the Alabama Claims, but this was rejected by the Senate. During the Civil War Great Britain secretly allowed Confederate warships to be armed in British ports. These ships, including the CSS Alabama, did much to destroy Union commerce causing great monetary damage to the Union war effort. On November 29, 1867, in retaliation to Britain, Chandler submitted a resolution that Abyssinia be recognized as a belligerent nation at war against Great Britain, demanding that Abyssinia be given the "same rights which the British had recognized to the Confederacy" during the Civil War. During the election of 1868 Chandler was chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee.[1]
Chandler was known as one of the Radical Republicans who pushed for harsher punishment for the former rebels, and greater liberties for African-Americans. After the war he angrily stated that "Every man who murdered and stole and poisoned was a Democrat".[5]
During his entire Senate career Chandler used his Senatorial federal patronage to increase his own political power. Chandler's methods of obtaining power were considered "openly partisan and despotic if not actually corrupt" in obtaining control of the Republican machine in Michigan. Chandler was for many years Michigan's undisputed Republican boss. The Democratic landslide during the election of 1874 broke his Senatorial power and he was defeated by Isaac P. Christiancy while seeking election for a fourth term, when the Michigan legislature deadlocked.[1]
Secretary of Interior (1875–1877)
Chandler was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President
Reformed Bureau of Indian Affairs
When Chandler took office he found the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be the most corrupt out of the federal departments under his charge. Chandler replaced the Bureau's Commissioner and the Chief Clerk. Chandler quietly investigated the Bureau and found corrupt appointees and suspicious practices by subordinates. Chandler ordered their removal, but the new commissioner said that these men were valuable to the Bureau, so Chandler held off firing the clerks. President Grant was following Chandler's activities and asked why the corrupt clerks at the Bureau had not been fired. Chandler replied to Grant that the Commissioner said it would be impossible to run the Bureau without them. Grant, then ordered Chandler to fire the corrupt clerks even if that meant shutting down the Bureau. Chandler immediately went over to the Bureau and gave orders for the suspected clerks to be fired which was promptly enforced. This was the only time Grant was directly active in reforming a federal department. Grant continued to support Chandler in his reform efforts.[7]
Reformed Pension Bureau and Land Office
In addition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Chandler also thoroughly investigated the Pension Bureau. The investigation resulted in removing of fraudulent claims that saved the federal government hundreds of thousands of dollars.[8] Within one month of his administration Chandler fired all Pension Bureau clerks involved in corruption.[9] Chandler had Gaylord and Gorman to investigate the United States General Land Office whose investigation discovered there was a "Chippewa half-breed scrip" profiteering combination. Chandler broke up the combination and fired all of the members connected to the corrupt ring.[10]
Reformed Patent Office
During his first month in office Chandler fired all the clerks in one room of the Patent Office declaring every desk vacant believing all the clerks were involved in either corruption or lacked the integrity for reform. Chandler vacated the room and put in charge an
Banned Indian Attorneys
In December 1875 Chandler banned "Indian Attorneys", persons who claimed to represent Indians in Washington, from the Department of Interior. Bogus "agents" induced Indian tribes to pay them $8.00 a day plus expenses in exchange for fraudulent legislative representation in Washington during the Winter months. Other agents would contract Indian land acquisition arrangements as security for payments. Preying on the fears of Indians, these "attorneys" would tell the Indians their tribal rights would be taken away in Washington if they did not accept their services. Chandler banned payment to these men for alleged services to Indians saying their claims or representation were illegal and immoral. Chandler declared, "...the regularly-appointed Indian Agent, the Commission of Indian Affairs, and the Secretary of Interior are competent to protect and defend the rights of Indians in all respects...." Chandler's banning of "Indian Attorneys" saved the Indian tribes large amounts of money.[13]
Chairman of the Republican Party
Chandler, as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, managed Rutherford B. Hayes' successful 1876 campaign for the presidency, though Hayes declined to keep Chandler as Secretary of the Interior. He became Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in 1878.
U.S. Senator (1879)
In 1879, he was again elected to the Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Isaac P. Christiancy, who had succeeded him just four years earlier. He served in the 45th and 46th Congresses from February 22, 1879, until his death later that year.[1]
Last speech and death
Under consideration by party leaders as a possible candidate in the
Legacy
When Chandler was appointed Secretary of Interior by President Grant in 1875, reformers were concerned that corruption and patronage in the department would continue as under Secretary Columbus Delano, Grant's previous appointment. Chandler had a reputation as a wealthy Republican partisan political boss, rather than a reformer.[19] However, these concerns proved unwarranted, as Chandler proved to be an efficient reformer. Chandler investigated corruption in his department and reported to President Grant, who gave him approval to launch reforms. He fired many in the department who were involved in corruption and fraud, and removed from the department persons known as "Indian Attorneys."[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i MacDonald 1929, p. 618.
- ^ New York Times 02-20-1899.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, p. 75.
- ^ Zachariah Chandler. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ The Reconstruction Years, Walter Coffey, p. 60.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 342–343.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 344–345.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 346, 348.
- ^ a b c TDPAT 1880, p. 343.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, p. 348.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 343–344.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, p. 344.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, p. 345-346.
- ^ a b TDPAT 1880, p. 390.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 389–390.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, pp. 395–396.
- Sunday Free Press(Detroit) January 6, 2008: 1B–2B.
- ^ 9&10 News, "Sen. Zachariah Chandler coming home to Michigan" [1] April 11, 2011.
- ^ TDPAT 1880, p. 340.
Sources
- The Detroit Post and Tribune (1880). Zachariah Chandler An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services. Detroit: The Post and Tribune Company Publishers.
- MacDonald, William (1929). Allen Johnson (ed.). Dictionary of American Biography Chandler, Zachariah. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
- "Mrs. Zachariah Chandler Dead" (PDF). New York Times. New York. February 20, 1899.
External links
- Zachariah Chandler in Statuary Hall
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- Zachariah Chandler from History of Genesee County, Michigan, Her People, Industries and Institutions by Edwin O. Wood, LL.D, President Michigan Historical Commission, 1916
- Zachariah Chandler: An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services at Project Gutenberg (Full transcription of 1880 book)