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