Ebenezer R. Hoar
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar was an influential American politician and lawyer from Massachusetts.
, he graduated from Harvard University
in 1835 and became a lawyer. Beginning in 1840 he practiced in Concord and Boston, Massachusetts. That same year he married Caroline Downes Brooks (1820–1892), of Concord.
as an anti-slavery Whig. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in
Boston from 1849 until 1855 and then an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
from 1859 to 1869.
He was appointed 30th Attorney General of the United States by President
Ulysses S. Grant
in 1869 and served for a little over a year. The US Department of Justice
was created during his term. During the same period, he was nominated by Grant to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court but was not confirmed by the United States Senate
.
He was one of five members of a commission on Civil War claims against England. The commission's work led to the signing of the Treaty of Washington
in 1871.
He was an Alabama Claims
commissioner in 1871 and was elected as a Republican to the 43rd Congress (1873–75). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874 and returned to practicing law. He chaired the 1875 U.S. Centennial celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
, held in Concord and attended by many leading individuals of the day, including President Grant.
He served on the board of overseers of Harvard University
from 1868 through 1882 and died in Concord in 1895. He is interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
in Concord, Massachusetts
.
. His father was influential lawyer and politician Samuel Hoar
(1778–1856). Through his mother, Sarah Sherman, he was the grandson of American founding father Roger Sherman
and Rebecca Minot Prescott
. His children include Sherman Hoar
(1860–1898) and Samuel Hoar (1845–1904).
Early life
Born in Concord, MassachusettsConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
, he graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1835 and became a lawyer. Beginning in 1840 he practiced in Concord and Boston, Massachusetts. That same year he married Caroline Downes Brooks (1820–1892), of Concord.
Political and legal career
In 1846 Hoar was elected to the Massachusetts SenateMassachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
as an anti-slavery Whig. He was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in
Boston from 1849 until 1855 and then an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
from 1859 to 1869.
He was appointed 30th Attorney General of the United States by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
in 1869 and served for a little over a year. The US Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
was created during his term. During the same period, he was nominated by Grant to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court but was not confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
He was one of five members of a commission on Civil War claims against England. The commission's work led to the signing of the Treaty of Washington
Treaty of Washington (1871)
The Treaty of Washington was a treaty signed and ratified by Great Britain and the United States in 1871 that settled various disputes between the countries, in particular the Alabama Claims.-Background:...
in 1871.
He was an Alabama Claims
Alabama Claims
The Alabama Claims were a series of claims for damages by the United States government against the government of Great Britain for the assistance given to the Confederate cause during the American Civil War. After international arbitration endorsed the American position in 1872, Britain settled...
commissioner in 1871 and was elected as a Republican to the 43rd Congress (1873–75). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874 and returned to practicing law. He chaired the 1875 U.S. Centennial celebration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy , and Cambridge, near Boston...
, held in Concord and attended by many leading individuals of the day, including President Grant.
He served on the board of overseers of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
from 1868 through 1882 and died in Concord in 1895. He is interred in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thinkers, especially on a hill known as "Author's...
in Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
.
Hoar family relations
His brother was influential U.S. Congressman and Senator for Massachusetts, George Frisbie HoarGeorge Frisbie Hoar
George Frisbie Hoar was a prominent United States politician and United States Senator from Massachusetts. Hoar was born in Concord, Massachusetts...
. His father was influential lawyer and politician Samuel Hoar
Samuel Hoar
Samuel Hoar was a United States lawyer and politician. A member of a prominent political family in Massachusetts, he was a leading 19th century lawyer of that state. He was associated with the Federalist Party until its decline after the war of 1812. Over his career, a prominent Massachusetts...
(1778–1856). Through his mother, Sarah Sherman, he was the grandson of American founding father Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
and Rebecca Minot Prescott
Rebecca Minot Prescott
Rebecca Minot Prescott was the second wife of Roger Sherman.She was the daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca Minot Prescott from Salem, Massachusetts; the niece of Roger Sherman’s brother Rev. Josiah Sherman and the second cousin once removed of Colonel William Prescott.Rebecca married Roger Sherman...
. His children include Sherman Hoar
Sherman Hoar
-External links:* By Thomas Townsend Sherman* at Political Graveyard* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harvard_#Statue Wikipedia: John Harvard Statue...
(1860–1898) and Samuel Hoar (1845–1904).
- Hoar's first cousin Roger Sherman BaldwinRoger Sherman BaldwinRoger Sherman Baldwin was an American lawyer involved in the Amistad case, who later became the 17th Governor of Connecticut and a United States Senator.-Early life:...
was Governor of Connecticut and a US Senator. - Another first cousin William Maxwell Evarts was US Secretary of State, US Attorney General immediately preceding Hoar, and a US Senator.
See also
- Baldwin, Hoar & Sherman family
- Unsuccessful nominations to the Supreme Court of the United StatesUnsuccessful nominations to the Supreme Court of the United StatesJustices of the Supreme Court of the United States are nominated by the President and are then confirmed by the Senate. Presidential administrations are listed with any unsuccessful Supreme Court nominees—that is, individuals who were nominated and who either declined their own nomination, failed...
External links
- Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography: The Hoar Family
- Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts: Office of Reporter of Decisions (1804 – present) 163 Mass. 597 (1895) Ebenezer R. Hoar Memorial
- Ebenezer Hoar Papers: University of Michigan
- Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England By Thomas Townsend Sherman
- Hoar-Baldwin-Foster-Sherman family of Massachusetts at Political Graveyard