Hon. Edwin Hurlbut (October 10, 1817 – November 28, 1905) was an American lawyer, editor, politician and humanitarian.

Early years

Born in 1817 in

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury metropolitan area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 censu ...

, one of ten children of Philander and Julia Alma (Thomas) Hurlbut. The family moved to

Bradford County, Pennsylvania Bradford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,967. Its county seat is Towanda. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from parts o ...

when Edwin was seven years old. They made the trip in a

covered wagon The covered wagon or prairie wagon, historically also referred to as an ambulance or prairie schooner, was a vehicle usually made out of wood and canvas that was used for transportation, prominently in 19th-century America. With roots in the he ...

, which they lived in until they cleared the land and built a log house on their one thousand acre homestead. During the three months of winter Edwin walked four miles a day through the forests to the nearest school, which was held in a log house. The remainder of the year he aided his father in cutting timber, digging up stumps and transforming the wilderness into meadow and grain field. Edwin credits these years of hard labor to his later in life gnarled and stiff fingers and joints, which he would state were not the fingers of either a lawyer nor editor. He also attributed these early life experiences to his determination to never shrink from a task. Eight years later fifteen-year-old Edwin walked to New Jersey. He states that "...when quite a chunk of a boy, with light heart and elastic step I left home and walked over the mountains and through the woods to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.R.F.Howard, Edwin Hurlbut claims to be founder of Republican Party, ''The Waukesha Freeman'', December 25, 1902Parker McCobb Reed, ''The Bench and Bar of Wisconsin, history and biography, with portrait illustrations''

Early career

Hurlbut left the Pennsylvania homestead and went West to spend a short time in

Eaton County, Michigan Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 109,175. The county seat is Charlotte. The county was organized in 1837 and was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War under ...

, but soon returned East to study law at Lodi, in

Seneca County, New York Seneca County is located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,814. The county seat is Waterloo. It became a one county in 1822, which currently remains in effect and uses one locations as county seats a ...

, where he opened a law office and married Catherine Chandler in 1840. In 1842 he began studying law with

David Wilmot David Wilmot (January 20, 1814 – March 16, 1868) was an American politician and judge. He served as Representative and a Senator for Pennsylvania and as a judge of the Court of Claims. He is best known for being the prime sponsor and eponym ...

Towanda, Pennsylvania Towanda is a borough and the county seat of Bradford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located northwest of Wilkes-Barre, on the Susquehanna River. The name means "burial ground" in the Algon ...

., and was admitted to the bar in 1847. He lost his home to foreclosure, so in 1848 he moved his family to Mason,

Ingham County, Michigan Ingham County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 284,900. The county seat is Mason. Lansing, the state capital of Michigan, is largely located within the county. (Lansing is the only ...

. There he practiced law, was Postmaster, District Attorney, and judge advocate for the Michigan Militia. In April, 1850 he began an immigration to California, stopping in Milwaukee and then in Waukesha where his brother James and family were living. While visiting his brother he visited Oconomowoc and said, "That settled me. I thought it the most enchanting spot I had ever seen. If anyone could make a living there I could, I thought, and there I made my home and the California trip was abandoned." He began practicing law and was appointed attorney for the Milwaukee and Watertown Plankroad Company. It was in 1854 that his community position and influence gave him voice to call for a convention and name the Republican Party in the Madison, Wisconsin, in July, 1854.

Family life

Hurlbut was married to Catherine Chandler in 1840 and they had three daughters together, Julia Augusta, Henrietta Catherine and Kate Florabell. It was before the days of title insurance, and he lost the home he paid for to foreclosure, and traveled West looking for a new start with his wife Catherine. From nothing he built a fine reputation and income to support his family. His wife Catherine died in 1864 and he remarried the following December to Mary H. Farner of Waukesha. His third marriage was October 14, 1886 to Margaret (Margie) Spearing of New Orleans, Louisiana, and they had two daughters, Edwina (1887–1981) and Margie (1889–1979). His second family enjoyed the fruits of his youthful labors, and the daughters of his old age reflect that he and his young wife Margie (43 years his junior) had always appeared to be in love. She assisted him in the newspaper business, which she managed after his death for eighteen months until she sold it. Hurlbut was referred to as a man of positive character, a self reliant,

self-made man "Self-made man" is a classic phrase coined on February 2, 1842 by Henry Clay in the United States Senate, to describe individuals whose success lay within the individuals themselves, not with outside conditions. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Foun ...

, who worked his own way through life; and as a lawyer ranked among the best talent in the state. He was a man of strong convictions, steadfast in purpose, and unwavering in his dedication to what he believed to be right. He was a staunch prohibitionist and was never known to drink alcohol, but with a twinkle in his eye, he would say he didn't drink nor smoke, but he did have one weakness — women.Mrs. Page Johnson, Hurlbut named Republican party, ''The Oconomowoc Enterprise'', September 9, 1976, p.16, columns 6,7,8.

Religion

Hurlbut was originally a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

, and built, mainly at his own expense, a church for the Oconomowoc Baptist Society, at the cost of $5000.00. It was destroyed by a wind storm and never rebuilt. He later became a member of the

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

church. He was also a 32nd degree Mason, a

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and held the office of Grand worthy Patriarch of the Grand division of the

Sons of Temperance The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and mutual support. The group was founded in 1842 in New York City. It began spreading rapidly during the 1840s throughout the United States and parts o ...

of the State of Wisconsin.

Political life

In 1832, before political parties were divided over slavery, Hurlbut campaigned as a Jeffersonian Democrat with his father, for the election of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

's second term. His involvement in the anti-slavery and freesoil causes began while in the employ of

in Towanda, Pennsylvania. Wilmot, who later became a U.S. Congressman in 1844 and introduced the

Wilmot Proviso The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the ...

. After the following incident in Wilmot's office in 1842, Hurlbut became a freesoiler sympathizer, making speeches and traveling by wagon with a flag inscribed "Polk and the Tariff" in 1844, and advocated for Cass in 1848: From Hurlbut's arrival in Wisconsin in 1850, he is known for the following: * 1850 the first Wisconsin state Governor

Nelson Dewey Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813July 21, 1889) was an American pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the first Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Dewey was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on December 19, 1813, to Ebenezer and Lucy (né ...

signed papers making Hurlbut a notary public. * 1854 called for political rally in Madison at which he helped develop a platform and named the new party republican. * 1857 & 1859 he campaigned for his friend Governor Alexander Randall, who was governor from 1858-62. * 1858 Appointed attorney for the Milwaukee, Beaver Dam & Baraboo Railroad. * 1861 Colonel on Governor Randall's staff, actively recruiting soldiers for the Union army. * 1869 he was elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. * 1870 he was appointed by Governor Fairchild to represent him at the International Conference on Penitentiary and Reformatory Discipline. The president of the conference was

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

. * 1872 he was appointed as a delegate to the International Penitentiary Congress, which met in London, England. * 1872 he supported

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

for president, who lost to

U.S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. * 1873 he was elected District Attorney for Waukesha County under the Reform Party ticket. * 1874 member of the National Prison Congress held in St. Louis, Mo., and was made a trustee and on the criminal law reform committee. * 1875 a trustee for National Prison Association in New York, on the committee for discharged convicts. * 1875 bought and edited the ''Wisconsin Free Press'', which he maintained until his death in 1905, which was devoted to his interests in the Reform Party. * through the years he held various Oconomowoc city offices including the clerk of the school board for twelve years. Colonel Hurlbut was raised and active as a Jeffersonian Democrat, but just prior to the founding of the Republican Party in Madison, Wisconsin. in 1854, he wrote the platform for the American Party, which held that all political parties should be held by Americans born in this nation, make slavery a local issue, stand for prohibition, and rule it a state issue to make rivers and harbors navigable. The publishing of the book ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' in 1852, and the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in March 1854 further polarized the nation concerning the expansion of slavery, but it was an incident in March 1854 which propelled the process of Hurlbut's naming the Republican party. This incident involved some citizens of Milwaukee, under the leadership of

Sherman Booth Sherman Miller Booth (September 25, 1812 – August 10, 1904) was an abolitionist, editor and politician in Wisconsin, and was instrumental in forming the Liberty Party, the Free Soil Party and the Republican Party. He became known nationally a ...

the editor of ''The Free Democrat''. This citizen group overpowered

federal marshals The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

who had apprehended

Joshua Glover __NOTOC__ Joshua Glover was a fugitive slave from St. Louis, Missouri, who sought asylum in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1852. Upon learning his whereabouts in 1854, slave owner Bennami Garland attempted to use the Fugitive Slave Act to recover him. Glov ...

, a runaway slave, and freed Glover. Hurlbut states that while the excitement was at its height, he met with Mr. Booth and said to him: The remainder of the above conversation expressed Hurlbut's conviction that a July rally in Madison could crystallize anti-slavery sentiment and carry the state. Hurlbut actively promoted the convention and Sherman Booth printed the convention notice in his newspaper for four weeks prior to the rally. Hurlbut was the only person at the rally from Waukesha County among the crowd of 3,000. He was appointed to the resolution committee, which a)pronounced against the extension of slavery into the territories, b)against the

fugitive slave law The fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of enslaved people who escaped from one state into another state or territory. The idea of the fugitive slave law was derived from ...

, and c)proposed that slavery should be confined to its present limits. This platform was adopted by a unanimous vote. When the question arose of breaking away from the old parties arose, Hurlbut says he feared the whole thing would come to an end unless something radical was done. He quickly wrote and offered an amendment which resolved that all political differences would be put aside until the resolutions were accomplished. His resolution was adopted, and then came the call for a name of the new party. Hurlbut then stated: He was a delegate to the first national Republican convention, which nominated Gen.

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

for the presidency in 1856, with the slogan "Free Soil, Free Men, Fremont". He continued to support the party which he had helped to form, by voice and pen until Grant's renomination in 1872, when he left the Republican ticket and supported

, who opposed president Grant's continuation of reconstruction. From that time he acted with the Democratic party until 1890, when he could not endorse its stand on the school question. He returned to the Republican party and continued to work for prison reform and

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

Who named the Republican Party?

Prior to the nineteenth century, the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

Samuel Sewall Samuel Sewall (; March 28, 1652 – January 1, 1730) was a judge, businessman, and printer in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay ''The Selling ...

, Samuel Hopkins and

Jonathan Edwards (the younger) Jonathan Edwards (May 26, 1745 – August 1, 1801) was an American theologian and linguist. Life and career Born in Northampton, Massachusetts Bay, he was the ninth child and second son of Jonathan Edwards and Sarah (Pierpont) Edwards. In 17 ...

, were lone voices against slavery. During the

Second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States. The Second Great Awakening, which spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching, sparked a number of reform movements. R ...

in the first part of the 19th century, convictions quickly changed with revivalist preachers, including

Charles Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was an American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism." Finney rejected much of tradi ...

, decrying the evil of slavery. By the 1840s an anti-slavery and abolitionist movement had gained enough momentum for the establishment of political groups such as the Liberty Party and Free Soil Party. It was in 1842 that Edwin Hurlbut had his experience in Wilmot's office (see above). The

was in 1846,

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, us ...

began her work, and the new

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most co ...

further propelled the slavery controversy. The publication in 1852 of Harriot Beecher Stowe's ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'', the publication of

Appeal of the Independent Democrats The Appeal of the Independent Democrats (the full title was "Appeal of the Independent Democrats in Congress to the People of the United States") was a manifesto issued in January 1854, in response to the introduction into the United States Senate o ...

, and the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in early 1854 further stoked the fires against slavery. Prior to the

case, which motivated Hurlbut to call for the convention in Madison (see above), there were at least three similar runaway slave rescue situations since 1850, namely

Shadrach Minkins Shadrach Minkins (c. 1814 – December 13, 1875) was an African-American fugitive slave from Virginia who escaped in 1850 and reached Boston. He also used the pseudonyms Frederick Wilkins and Frederick Jenkins.Collison (1998), p. 1. He is known fo ...

, the

Jerry Rescue The Jerry Rescue occurred on October 1, 1851, and involved the public rescue of a fugitive slave who had been arrested the same day in Syracuse, New York, during the anti-slavery Liberty Party's state convention. The escaped slave was William ...

, and

Anthony Burns Anthony Burns (May 31, 1834 – July 17, 1862) was an African-American man who escaped from slavery in Virginia in 1854. His capture and trial in Boston, and transport back to Virginia, generated wide-scale public outrage in the North and ...

. The fullness of time had come for a political party which would unite anti-slavery and abolitionists in a powerful political force. In abolitionist, Liberty, and Free Soil circles the name 'republican' had been bandied around for a number of years, with even

using the term as early as 1852, and is credited to christening the name republican in 1854. In addition,

Israel Washburn Israel Washburn Sr. (1784–1876) was a Massachusetts politician, brother of Reuel Washburn and father of Israel Washburn Jr., Elihu B. Washburne, Cadwallader C. Washburn, and William D. Washburn. Charles Ames Washburn was an elector and a ...

, U.S. congressman from Maine, used the name Republican in reference to forming an anti-slavery party, there were private meetings in

Crawfordsville, Iowa Crawfordsville is a city in Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 277 at the 2020 census. History Crawfordsville is named for the Crawford family of pioneer s ...

Ripon, Wisconsin Ripon is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,733 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Ripon. Ripon is home to the Little White Schoolhouse, the commonly recognized birthplace of ...

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

, and the convention in

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

, which all claim to have first named the party republican in 1854. Research completed by Mrs. Page Johnson in 1976, agrees with the column by R.F. Howard in 1903, that Edwin Hurlbut named the Republican Party in Madison, WI., July 13, 1854. Included in Mrs. Johnson's article is a photo of the Republican float in the bi-centennial parade in Oconomowoc in 1976, on which is displayed a replica of the handbill which Hurlbut distributed in June 1854, and added signage, "Hurlbut Named Party Republican". Later

Alvan E. Bovay Alvan Earle Bovay (July 12, 1818January 13, 1903) was an American politician and one of the founders of the Republican Party. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1859 and 1860, representing Fond du Lac County. Early life and educatio ...

also claimed to have named the Republican Party in

, and is given credit and recognition for it by sign and literature, at the Little White Schoolhouse monument in Ripon. A statement to the effect of Bovay naming the party was made in 1900,''The Daily Northwestern'', The birth of the Republican Party, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, August 25, 1900, p.4 to which Col. Hurlbut responded by stating that he and Sherman Booth issued the call for a mass convention to establish a new political party without knowledge or reference to the meeting in Ripon. He further clarified his assessment of the meeting in Ripon: Two years later Hurlbut further defines the differences between the small inconspicuous meeting in Ripon, and the people's mass convention in Madison: Without Colonel Hurbut's call to this "more important place", the Republican Party would not have been born and christened in Wisconsin the summer of 1854. He wrote out the notice for a July convention, which was printed for four weeks in

's ''Milwaukee Free Democrat'' paper and other newspapers in the state. Three thousand delegates voted on the capital building steps in Madison on Hurlbut's proposed name of "Republican". Before this convention these delegates had been Whigs,

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

Conservative Democrats In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with conservative political views, or with views that are conservative compared to the positions taken by other members of the Democratic Party. Traditionally, co ...

, and members of the American Party. This event made the state Capital Square the birthplace of the party. Because the name "Republican" had been in common usage among anti-slavery and abolitionist groups throughout the North, one cannot attribute that word to any one person. There were likely many small groups, like the aforementioned ones in Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire, who favored the name. These isolated groups were influencing and directing, and may have called themselves "Republican", but did not name the party. As pointed out by Colonel Hurlbut, the Ripon meeting consisted of Abolitionists, and the Republican Party platform he helped develop in Madison was not pro-abolition, but anti-slavery and anti-slavery expansion. It took more than disconnected local small groups with a common name and idea, but a notable person's issue of a statewide call for a convention, followed by hard work and presenting the name "Republican" to the people. This was the effort of Hurlbut, and the fruit of his effort was the platform and naming of the Republican Party on July 13, 1854, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Death

Hurlbut died on November 28, 1905, at his home in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. He had been in poor health.'Death of Edwin Hurlbut,' The Waukesha Freeman, November 30, 1905, pg. 1

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hurlbut, Edwin 1817 births 1905 deaths People from Newtown, Connecticut People from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Military personnel from Michigan People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Pennsylvania Free Soilers Wisconsin Liberal Republicans Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Democrats School board members in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly District attorneys in Wisconsin Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Michigan lawyers New York (state) lawyers Michigan postmasters Sons of Temperance Abolitionists from Wisconsin Temperance activists from Wisconsin 19th-century Wisconsin politicians