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

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 United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seven ...

and Thomas Ewing. 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 s ...

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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 ...

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. Stanbery then filed charges against Houston in civil court. Judge William Cranch 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 spir ...

by the House of Representatives for saying of House Speaker Andrew Stevenson 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, 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 De ...

and resigned to defend Johnson during his impeachment trial.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