Chauncey L. Knapp
Encyclopedia
Chauncey Langdon Knapp was a U.S. Representative
from Massachusetts
.
, February 26, 1809. He finished school, learned the art of printing, and engaged in newspaper work in Montpelier, Vermont
. For a number of years, he was co-proprietor and editor of the State Journal. Interested in politics, he served as Secretary of State of Vermont
from 1836-1843.
In 1843, he visited Lowell, Massachusetts
and met poet John Greenleaf Whittier
, at the time editor of Lowell's Middlesex Standard (the voice of the Anti-slavery Movement and the Liberty Party
). Whittier invited Knapp to stay in Lowell, take over as editor of the Middlesex Standard, and continue the fight against slavery and for social reform in Lowell. Knapp accepted and he eventually moved from editor of the Middlesex Standard to editor of the Lowell Citizen and News. His interest in politics continued and Knapp became Clerk of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1851.
In 1854, Knapp ran as an anti-slavery Free Soiler
and was elected overwhelmingly to Congress as a member of the American Party
(the only major party with an anti-slavery plank) to the Thirty-fourth
Congress. Shorty after, the Republican
party of Abraham Lincoln
) was formed with an anti-slavery plank. Knapp left the American Party and joined the Republican
and was again overwhelmingly elected to the Thirty-fifth
Congress (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1859). During the heated slavery debates in Congress, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was severely beaten by Congressmen Preston Brooks of South Carolina on May 22, 1856. In response, Congressmen Knapp delivered his first address on the floor of the House, a speech in which he said his constituents viewed the attack as an "audacious blow hurled at the great right of free opinion. . .the primal element and safeguard of constitutional liberty."
In 1859, Knapp left Congress and became editor of the Lowell Daily Citizen from 1859-1882. He died in Lowell on May 31, 1898. and is buried in the Lowell Cemetery. Knapp Avenue leading from Rogers Street into the Lowell Cemetery
is named for Knapp.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Biography
Chauncey Langdon Knapp was born in Berlin, VermontBerlin, Vermont
Berlin is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,864 at the 2000 census. Being the town between Barre, Vermont and Montpelier, Vermont, the two largest cities in the region, much of the commercial business of the region can be found in Berlin, including parts of...
, February 26, 1809. He finished school, learned the art of printing, and engaged in newspaper work in Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier, Vermont
Montpelier is a city in the U.S. state of Vermont that serves as the state capital and the shire town of Washington County. As the capital of Vermont, Montpelier is the site of the Vermont State House, seat of the legislative branch of Vermont government. The population was 7,855 at the 2010...
. For a number of years, he was co-proprietor and editor of the State Journal. Interested in politics, he served as Secretary of State of Vermont
Secretary of State of Vermont
The Office of the Secretary of State of Vermont is located at 128 State Street.The Secretary of State of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The Office of the Secretary of State is located at 128 State St. in...
from 1836-1843.
In 1843, he visited Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
and met poet John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
, at the time editor of Lowell's Middlesex Standard (the voice of the Anti-slavery Movement and the Liberty Party
Liberty Party (1840s)
The Liberty Party was a minor political party in the United States in the 1840s . The party was an early advocate of the abolitionist cause...
). Whittier invited Knapp to stay in Lowell, take over as editor of the Middlesex Standard, and continue the fight against slavery and for social reform in Lowell. Knapp accepted and he eventually moved from editor of the Middlesex Standard to editor of the Lowell Citizen and News. His interest in politics continued and Knapp became Clerk of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1851.
In 1854, Knapp ran as an anti-slavery Free Soiler
Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that largely appealed to and drew its greatest strength from New York State. The party leadership...
and was elected overwhelmingly to Congress as a member of the American Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
(the only major party with an anti-slavery plank) to the Thirty-fourth
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
Congress. Shorty after, the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
party of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
) was formed with an anti-slavery plank. Knapp left the American Party and joined the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and was again overwhelmingly elected to the Thirty-fifth
35th United States Congress
The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1859, during the first two years of James...
Congress (March 4, 1857-March 3, 1859). During the heated slavery debates in Congress, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was severely beaten by Congressmen Preston Brooks of South Carolina on May 22, 1856. In response, Congressmen Knapp delivered his first address on the floor of the House, a speech in which he said his constituents viewed the attack as an "audacious blow hurled at the great right of free opinion. . .the primal element and safeguard of constitutional liberty."
In 1859, Knapp left Congress and became editor of the Lowell Daily Citizen from 1859-1882. He died in Lowell on May 31, 1898. and is buried in the Lowell Cemetery. Knapp Avenue leading from Rogers Street into the Lowell Cemetery
Lowell Cemetery
Lowell Cemetery is a cemetery located in Lowell, Massachusetts. Founded in 1841 and located on the banks of the Concord River, the cemetery is one of the oldest garden cemeteries in the nation, inspired by Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
is named for Knapp.