The Epiphany of Edwin M. Stanton

Stanton: The Basics

Edwin McMasters Stanton (1814-69), was Ohio born and raised, the son of a middle class physician and his wife. His father died when Edwin was only thirteen, leaving the family nearly destitute. Plagued by severe asthma, he found it difficult to engage in the usual rough-and-tumble activities of childhood. Instead he focused on reading, study and poetry and managed to attend Kenyon College, join in the debate clubs and similar organizations.

Always religiously inclined, Stanton came from Quaker stock but was raised Methodist. He attended a Presbyterian grammar school, but went to an Episcopal College, where his religious affiliations solidified. His strong anti-slavery sentiments led him to law, and he was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1835. He also became interested in politics. Mostly Democratic.

By 1860, Edwin Stanton was on an A-list…