Salmon Portland Chase
Gathered by D. A. Sharpe
Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808 Ð May 7, 1873) was a U.S. politician and jurist
who served as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd Governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, and served as the 25th United States Secretary of the Treasury.
Chase is the 6th cousin, once removed to Thomas Lincoln, who is the husband of Nancy Hanks,
the 8th cousin, 5 times removed to Edward Carleton, the husband of Ellen
Newton, the stepdaughter of Danette Abney, my 6th great grand uncle.
Born in Cornish, New Hampshire, Chase studied law under Attorney General William Wirt before establishing a legal practice
in Cincinnati. He became an anti-slavery activist
and frequently defended fugitive slaves in court. Chase left the Whig Party in 1841 to become the leader of Ohio's Liberty Party. In 1848, he helped establish the Free Soil Party and recruited former President Martin Van Buren to serve as the party's presidential nominee. Chase
won election to the Senate the following year, and he opposed the Compromise of 1850 and the KansasÐNebraska Act. In the aftermath of the
KansasÐNebraska Act, Chase helped establish the Republican Party, which opposed the extension of
slavery into the territories. After leaving the Senate, Chase
served as the Governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860.
Chase was a U.S. senator, governor of
Ohio and Supreme Court chief justice who served as the U.S. secretary of the
Treasury during the Civil War (1861-65). A staunch abolitionist, Chase spent
his early career as a lawyer, and became known as Òthe attorney general for
fugitive slavesÓ for his frequent defenses of runaway blacks. After
representing Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 1849 to 1855, Chase went on to serve
as the stateÕs governor from 1855 to 1859. He made a failed bid for the
Republican presidential nomination in 1860 before serving as Abraham LincolnÕs
secretary of the Treasury. Lincoln
had been the winner for the Republican Party nomination. Chase was responsible
for managing the finances of the Union during the Civil War, and was
instrumental in establishing the national banking system and issuing paper
currency. Chase resigned his position in June 1864, and was appointed chief
justice of the U.S. Supreme Court later that year. He would serve until his
death in 1873 at the age of 65.
Lincoln nominated
Chase to fill the Supreme Court vacancy that arose following Chief Justice Roger Taney's death.
This is President
LincolnÕs Cabinet in his first year of the Presidency. Chase is seated immediately to the left
of President Lincoln, as we view the scene. Others were Postmaster General
Montgomery Blair, Interior Secretary Caleb Smith, etc.
It can be of note to
notice that Abraham Lincoln and Salmon Chase were 7th cousins to each other. So, politically speaking, we
can say the Theory of Relatively was working. However, it could be that
both gentlemen were unaware of their connection.
Chase served as Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court from 1864 to his death in 1873. He presided over the Senate trial
of President Andrew Johnson during the impeachment proceedings of 1868. Despite his service on the
court, Chase continued to pursue the presidency. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1868 and the Liberal Republican nomination in 1872.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_P._Chase
Salmon Portland Chase became the namesake of the
Chase National Bank founded in 1877.
Chase National Bank was
formed in 1877 by John Thompson. It was named after former United States
Treasury Secretary and
Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, although Chase did not have a connection with the
bank. That bank experienced several
mergers and combinations over the years to emerge today as the Chase National
Bank, the largest banking system in America in terms of assets and deposits. In 2017, it was the 6th
largest bank in the world, with the larger five all being Asian banks. Here is Chapter 61 in my
autobiography
which details these mergers and the other leaders significant in those
activities, such as the Rockefeller family, etc.
One other interesting
facet about Salmon Chase is his image being displayed on the $10,000
dollar bill! There were 12 denominations of currency created by the U.S.
Government, but this is one of the
five no longer being printed: $500,
$1,000, $10,000 and the $100,000. A
few of these are out in the ÒpublicÓ in the hands of collectors, for the most
part.
Compiler:
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