William Stanbery (August 10, 1788 – January 23, 1873) was an American attorney and politician who served as a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from Ohio from 1827 to 1833.

Early life

Born in

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.

, Stanbery received an academic education and studied law in New York City.

Career

Stanbery was admitted to the bar in New York. It has been stated that he removed to

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...

in 1809. He was the first attorney to set up a law practice in Newark, where he was one of the old breed of lawyers who "rode the circuit" on horseback. He practiced in the federal courts with such notabables as

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

and

Thomas Ewing Thomas Ewing Sr. (December 28, 1789October 26, 1871) was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the secretary of the treasury and the first secretary of the interior. He is also ...

. He was elected to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

in 1824 and 1825.

U.S. House of Representatives

He was elected a Jacksonian to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

in 1827 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William Wilson. He was reelected as a Jacksonian in 1828 and as an

Anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

in 1830.

Attack

During his time in Congress, Stanbery was controversial. In April 1832, he made accusations about

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

, who was visiting Washington, D.C. at the time, on the floor of the House. He was attacking President

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 ...

through Houston, and accused him of being in league with John Von Fossen and Robert Rose. The three men bid on the supplying of rations to Indians who were being forcibly removed because of Jackson's

Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States President Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, and for ...

of 1830. Stanbery, now carrying two pistols and a

dirk A dirk is a long bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), ''Dagger'', The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729 Historically, it gained its name from the Highland Dirk (Scot ...

, refused to answer Houston's letters. Infuriated, Houston later confronted him on Pennsylvania Avenue as he left Mrs. Queen's boardinghouse and beat Stanbery with a hickory cane. Stanbery did manage to draw one of his pistols, place it at Houston's chest and pull the trigger, but it misfired. Congress ordered Houston's arrest on April 17, who then hired

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

as his attorney. He pleaded self-defense, but was found guilty in the high-profile trial. However, he was reprimanded lightly, thanks to high-placed friends, among them

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

. Stanbery then filed charges against Houston in civil court. Judge

William Cranch William Cranch (July 17, 1769 – September 1, 1855) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge and chief judge of the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia. A staunch Federalist Party, Federalist and nephe ...

found Houston liable and fined him $500, which he never paid, before returning to the Mexican province of Texas.

Censure

On July 11, 1832, Stanbery was

censured A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. In parliamentary procedure, it is a debatable main motion that could be adopted by a majority vote. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spi ...

by the House of Representatives for saying of House Speaker

Andrew Stevenson Andrew Stevenson (January 21, 1784 – January 25, 1857) was an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. He represented Richmond, Virginia in the Virginia House of Delegates and eventually became its speaker before being elected to the United S ...

that his eye might be "too frequently turned from the chair you occupy toward the White House."

Later career

Stanbery was defeated for renomination in 1832. Afterwards, he resumed practicing law in Newark, where he died on January 23, 1873. He was interred in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Newark.

Personal life

Stanbery was married to Mary Shipley of New York City on June 14, 1809, in New York City. They had seven children, with all but the first born in Newark, Ohio: James Richmond (1810-1890), born in New York City, was a lawyer who married Eliza Rosalia Scofield (1811-1891); Wellington Washington, M.D. (1812-1888), a physician, who married Rebecca Ann Hendren (1822-1892); William (1816-1896), who married Jerusha Emma Woodbridge (1817-1891); Charlotte (1819-1897), who married Nathan B. Halliday (1812-1855); Frances (c. 1822-1893), who married Robert Impey (1815-1848); Byron (1824-1897), a farmer, who died unmarried; and Mary (1826-1913), who died unmarried. A newspaper article that appeared in the Newark, Ohio, ''The Advocate'' on Sunday, January 20, 1985, erroneously reported that Dr. Edward Stanbery, William's younger half-brother who trained his son Wellington and admitted him to his practice, was an older brother to Wellington. This "fact" has now been widely reported on genealogy websites. Stanbery's half-brother,

Henry Stanbery Henry Stanbery (February 20, 1803 – June 26, 1881) was an American lawyer from Ohio. He was most notable for his service as Ohio's first Ohio Attorney General, attorney general from 1846 to 1851 and the United States Attorney General from 1866 ...

, served as United States Attorney General under

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

and resigned to defend Johnson during his

impeachment trial An impeachment trial is a trial that functions as a component of an impeachment. Several governments utilize impeachment trials as a part of their processes for impeachment, but differ as to when in the impeachment process trials take place and how ...

.William B. Neff
Bench and Bar of Northern Ohio
1921, page 100

References

External links

George Mason University's History News Network
*
Newspaper Article About Family
Kohser, Nina. "Stanbery family famous in Licking County past." ''The Advocate'' (Newark, Ohio). Sunday, Jan. 20, 1985. Page 2D.
Marriage Record
Ancestry.com. ''New York, U.S., Marriage Newspaper Extracts, 1801-1880 (Barber Collection)'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data:Barber, Gertrude A., comp. Marriages taken from the "Brooklyn Eagle." Volumes 1-14. n.p.: n.p., 1963-66. Barber, Gertrude A., comp. Marriages taken from the ''New York Evening Post.'' Volumes 1-7. n.p.: n.p., 1933-??. Newspaper: ''New York Evening Post.'' Year: 1809: Page: 85. Date of Publication: Monday, October 30, 1809. Date of Marriage: June 14, 1809. "Wm Stanberry to Mary Shipply" oth names misspelled By Rev. Mr. Townley. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanbery, William 1788 births 1873 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newark, Ohio Censured or reprimanded members of the United States House of Representatives Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Ohio lawyers Ohio National Republicans Ohio state senators People from Essex County, New Jersey Politicians from Newark, Ohio