Oliver Stevens (1825–1905) was an American attorney and politician who served as
District Attorney of
Suffolk County, Massachusetts from 1875 to 1905 and as
president of the Boston Common Council in 1856 and 1857.
Early life
Stevens was born on June 22, 1825, in
North Andover, Massachusetts
North Andover is an affluent town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 30,915.
History
Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European c ...
to Isaac Stevens and Hannah Stevens (née Cummings).
He was a member of one of North Andover's founding families. His older brother,
Isaac Stevens
Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represe ...
, was the first Governor of Washington Territory and a
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
General who was killed during the battle of
Battle of Chantilly
The Battle of Chantilly (or Ox Hill, the Confederate name) took place on September 1, 1862, in Fairfax County, Virginia, as the concluding battle of the Northern Virginia Campaign of the American Civil War. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's corp ...
. Stevens grew up on the family farm, which supplied dairy to be sold in
Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Stevens prepared for college at the
North Yarmouth Academy
North Yarmouth Academy (also known as "NYA") is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day school serving students from early childhood education to postgraduate. NYA was founded in 1814, in what was then North Yarmouth, Maine, prior to the 184 ...
and graduated from
Bowdoin College in 1848. He studied law at
Harvard Law School and in the office of H. H. Fuller. He was admitted to the bar in 1850.
Personal life
Stevens moved to Boston in 1850, but continued to utilize his family home in North Andover as a summer home. Stevens was a
Unitarian and attended the church of
Edward Everett Hale
Edward Everett Hale (April 3, 1822 – June 10, 1909) was an American author, historian, and Unitarian minister, best known for his writings such as " The Man Without a Country", published in '' Atlantic Monthly'', in support of the Union ...
. In 1854, he married a cousin, Catherine Stevens of
Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...
. They had no children.
On September 2, 1895, Stevens and his wife were severely injured when they were ejected from their carriage. Stevens fractured several of his ribs, and Catherine Stevens broke two bones in her right leg and suffered injuries to her hip and chest.
Early political career
Stevens served on the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
common council from ward 4 in 1856 and 1857 and was president of the body in both years.
Stevens was a delegate to the
1860 Democratic National Conventions
The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 to ...
in
Charleston and
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, where he supported the candidacy of
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
. After the first convention, sixteen members of the Massachusetts delegation, including
Caleb Cushing
Caleb Cushing (January 17, 1800 – January 2, 1879) was an American Democratic politician and diplomat who served as a Congressman from Massachusetts and Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce. He was an eager proponent of territor ...
,
Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Franklin Butler (November 5, 1818 – January 11, 1893) was an American major general of the Union Army, politician, lawyer, and businessman from Massachusetts. Born in New Hampshire and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Butler is ...
,
James Scollay Whitney
James Scollay Whitney (May 19, 1811 – October 24, 1878) was an American business executive and politician. He was the father of Henry Melville Whitney and William Collins Whitney, founders of the Whitney family business interests.
Early life
W ...
, and
George B. Loring, broke with the party and participated in the “
Breckinridge convention". At the Baltimore convention, Stevens served as the spokesman for the Massachusetts delegation, which supported the eventual nominee – Stephen A. Douglas.
District attorney
In 1874, Stevens was elected
District Attorney of Suffolk County. In 1876, he tried
Thomas W. Piper, also known as The Boston Belfry Murderer, for the murder of Mabel H. Young. The trial ended in a hung jury, with nine voting to convict and three voting to acquit. Piper was later tried and convicted by
Massachusetts Attorney General
The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder ...
Charles R. Train.
On March 1, 1882, Stevens, under instruction from Massachusetts attorney general
George Marston, wrote to
James R. Osgood & Co. informing them that their 1881 printing of
Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...
's ''
Leaves of Grass
''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. Though it was first published in 1855, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting ''Leaves of Grass'', revising it multiple times until his death. T ...
'' violated the law against obscene literature and requesting that they withdraw it from circulation. On March 23, Osgood & Co. wrote to Whitman that if two poems – "A Woman Waits for Me" and "Ode to a Common Prostitute", were removed, the government would allow the book to be published. Whitman rejected this request and Osgood & Co., not wanting to get involved with a lawsuit, ceased publishing the book and turned over the plates to Whitman. Rees, Welsh, & Co. (which was soon acquired by
David McKay Publications
David McKay Publications (also known as David McKay Company) was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles '' Ace Comics'', '' King Comics'', and '' Magic Comics''; as well a ...
) of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
agreed to publish the ''Leaves of Grass'' and the controversy surrounding the book made it a financial success.
By January 1905, Stevens was unable to do much work due to rheumatism. He spent the entire summer at his farm in North Andover. On July 31, 1905, Stevens resigned effective to the confirmation of his successor. On August 2, Stevens' first assistant
Michael J. Sughrue was appointed by Governor
William Lewis Douglas and immediately confirmed by the
Massachusetts Governor's Council
The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Counc ...
.
Stevens died on August 23, 1905 at his home in North Andover.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Oliver
1825 births
1905 deaths
District attorneys in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Bowdoin College alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Lawyers from Boston
Massachusetts Democrats
People from North Andover, Massachusetts
Presidents of the Boston Common Council
19th-century American politicians