Edwin McMasters Stanton

brilliant lawyer, Edwin McMasters Stanton became the most important advisor to the Union military while serving as President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of war. Following his appointment in January 1862, Stanton immediately brought about an effective reorganization of the war department, establishing strict procedures for negotiating contracts and vigorously investigating fraudulent ones. Stanton was a crucial antislavery voice in Lincoln’s cabinet, and his efforts to recruit African Americans into the Union army helped turn the tide of the war.

Stanton initially remained in his cabinet position under President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln. However, Stanton’s contention that the former Confederate states should guarantee the civil rights of the formerly enslaved caused a rift with the president. Although Johnson was impeached for his efforts to remove Stanton, he remained in office. Johnson’s successor, President Ulysses S. Grant, later appointed Stanton to the Supreme Court, but he died before assuming the role.