Edwin Hanson Webster (March 31, 1829 – April 24, 1893) was a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, serving the second district for two terms from 1859 until 1865.

Biography

Edwin Hanson Webster was born on March 31, 1829, near

Churchville, Maryland Churchville is an unincorporated community in Harford County, Maryland, United States, situated between the county seat, Bel Air, and Aberdeen, where Aberdeen Proving Ground is located. Population The population of the area is 2,818. History an ...

. Webster received a classical training, and attended the Churchville Academy and later the New London Academy of

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. He graduated from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

in 1847, and afterwards taught school and studied law at the office of Otho Scott of

Bel Air, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. History Bel Air's identity has gone through several incarnations since 1780. Aquilla Scott, w ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1851, and commenced practice in Bel Air.

Career

In 1851, prior to being admitted to the bar, Webster was nominated as a Whig for the office of state's attorney, but lost by a margin of ten votes to William H. Dallam. Webster became a member of the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

, serving from 1855 until 1859. In 1856, Webster served as president of the senate. In 1856, Webster was a presidential elector. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Webster was colonel of the

7th Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry The 7th Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry was a regiment that participated in the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited from the northern line of Maryland counties, under the call of July 1, 1862, for "three years or the war". Toward t ...

, serving in 1862 and 1863. He was elected as a candidate of the American Party (

Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

) to the Thirty-sixth Congress, as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress and as an

Unconditional Unionist The Unconditional Union Party was a loosely organized political entity during the American Civil War and the early days of Reconstruction. First established in 1861 in Missouri, where secession talk was strong, the party fully supported the preserv ...

to the Thirty-eighth and Thirty-ninth Congresses. Webster served in Congress, representing

Maryland's 2nd congressional district Maryland's 2nd congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district comprises parts of Howard, Harford, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties, as well as small portions of th ...

, from March 4, 1859, until his resignation in July 1865. He voted for abolition of slavery in the United States. In August 1865, he was appointed posthumously by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

as collector of customs at the

Port of Baltimore Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore is a shipping port along the tidal basins of the three branches of the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland on the upper northwest shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It is the nation's largest port facilities f ...

, serving in that position from July 27, 1865, to April 15, 1869. Afterwards, he resumed the practice of his profession in Bel Air until he was again appointed collector of customs by President

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

on February 17, 1882. He served as collector until February 23, 1886. In 1882, he engaged in banking, which he followed until his death. After his retirement, Webster served as president of the Harford National Bank until his death.

Personal life

Webster married Caroline H. (née McCormick) Earl in June 1855. They had at least four children, J. Edwin, Ida M., Bessie and Caroline H. Webster died in Bel Air on April 24, 1893. He is interred in Calvary Cemetery, near Churchville.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Webster, Edwin Hanson 1829 births 1893 deaths People from Churchville, Maryland Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Maryland Whigs Maryland Unionists Unionist Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Unconditional Union Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Presidents of the Maryland State Senate Maryland state senators People of Maryland in the American Civil War People from Bel Air, Maryland Dickinson College alumni 19th-century American politicians