Frederick Stone (February 7, 1820 – October 17, 1899) was a U.S. Congressman from the fifth district of

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 two terms from 1867 to 1871.

Education and career

Stone was born in

Leonardtown, Maryland Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...

, and graduated from St. John's College of Annapolis, Maryland in 1839. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1841, beginning practice in

Port Tobacco, Maryland Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

. He was appointed by the legislature in 1852 as one of the commissioners to revise the rules of pleading and practice in the State courts. Stone was the grandson of Michael J. Stone, the younger brother of

Thomas Stone Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787) was an American Founding Father, planter, politician, and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Artic ...

, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Abraham Lincoln assassination trial in May & June 1865, Frederick Stone and Thomas Ewing, Jr. appeared as defense counsels for Dr. Samuel Mudd and

David Herold David Edgar Herold (June 16, 1842 – July 7, 1865) was an American pharmacist's assistant and accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. After the shooting, Herold accompanied Booth to the home of ...

. Their defense is generally credited with helping Dr. Mudd avoid the death penalty. Stone was a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

in 1864 and 1865, and was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses (serving March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1871). He was a member of the Constitutional convention of 1867 for

Charles County Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Wash ...

''The Washington Post''. "Death of Judge Fred Stone." October 18, 1899: 9. and unsuccessfully sought reelection in 1870. He later aligned himself with the Republican Party sometime after 1880 and served as an associate judge of the

Maryland Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Maryland is the highest court of the U.S. state of Maryland. Its name was changed on December 14, 2022, from the Maryland Court of Appeals, after a voter-approved change to the state constitution. The court, which is compose ...

from 1881 to 1890. He died at ''Idaho'', his country home near

La Plata, Maryland La Plata is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 10,159 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Charles County. History According to an unconfirmed local story, the town was named by one Colonel Samuel Chapm ...

in 1899, and is interred in Mount Rest Cemetery of La Plata.

Personal life

Frederick Stone married Maria Louisa Stonestreet on June 10, 1852. The couple had four daughters: Annie, Elizabeth Ellen, Jennie, and Maria Louisa. Maria died in November 1867, and he married her sister, Jennie Stonestreet Ferguson, on June 15, 1870. Stone died October 17, 1899.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Frederick 1820 births 1899 deaths Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Stone family 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American Episcopalians