William E. Chandler
Encyclopedia
William Eaton Chandler was a lawyer who served as United States Secretary of the Navy
and as a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
.
to Nathan S. Chandler and Mary Ann (Tucker) Chandler. William's elder brother, John Chandler, was a successful East India merchant and his younger brother George Chandler, an attorney who served as a major during the Civil War.
William Chandler attended the common schools, Thetford Academy
and Pembroke Academy
before attending Harvard Law School
, where he began a romantic correspondence with Lucy Lambert Hale
, daughter of Senator John Parker Hale. He graduated in 1854, was admitted to the bar in 1855, and commenced practice in Concord.
In 1859 Chandler married Ann Gilmore, the daughter of Governor Joseph A. Gilmore
. In 1874, after his first wife's death, Chandler resumed his romance with Lucy Hale, who had been secretly betrothed in 1865 to John Wilkes Booth
, Abraham Lincoln
's assassin. Chandler and Hale were married in 1874, and in March 1885, their only son, John Parker Hall Chandler, was born..
from 1862–1864 and was the Speaker during the last two years.
In 1865, Chandler was appointed by President
Abraham Lincoln
solicitor
and judge advocate general
of the Navy Department
. Subsequently, he was appointed First Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, until he resigned in 1867.
Chandler returned to New Hampshire and became a newspaper publisher and editor during the 1870s and 1880s. Continuing in politics, he was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1876 and a member of the State house of representatives in 1881.
Chandler was appointed by President Chester A. Arthur
as Secretary of the Navy in 1882. He took charge in 1883 in planning for the rescue of Lt. Adolphus Greely
's Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Chandler served until 1885.
As a Republican
, he was elected to the United States Senate
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Austin F. Pike
and served from June 14, 1887, to March 4, 1889. Subsequently elected for the term beginning March 4, 1889, he was reelected in 1895 and served from June 18, 1889, to March 4, 1901. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination. He served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration (Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses), Committee on Census (Fifty-fourth Congress), Committee on Privileges and Elections (Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses).
Chandler was appointed by President William McKinley
to the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission
in 1901. He was the president of the Commission from its inception until 1907, when its work was nearly complete.
Leaving public office, Chandler resumed the practice of law in Concord and Washington, D.C.
.
He died at Concord in 1917 and was buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord.
was named for him.
Chandler's grandson, Theodore E. Chandler
joined the U.S. Navy in 1911 and later distinguished himself as a Rear Admiral
in World War II
, and was killed in action
by a Japanese kamikaze
aircraft.
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
and as a U.S. Senator from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
.
Early life
William E. Chandler was born in Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
to Nathan S. Chandler and Mary Ann (Tucker) Chandler. William's elder brother, John Chandler, was a successful East India merchant and his younger brother George Chandler, an attorney who served as a major during the Civil War.
William Chandler attended the common schools, Thetford Academy
Thetford Academy
Thetford Academy is a historic independent school in Thetford, Vermont. It is the state's oldest secondary school.The co-educational school was founded in February 1819 by local citizens and was granted a charter by the legislature in October of the that same year...
and Pembroke Academy
Pembroke Academy
Pembroke Academy is a secondary school in Pembroke, New Hampshire.-History:Pembroke Academy was incorporated on June 25, 1818, and the first building dedicated May 25, 1819. The academy opened with 48 students on May 26, 1819. The first headmaster of Pembroke Academy was the Reverend Amos Burnham...
before attending Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, where he began a romantic correspondence with Lucy Lambert Hale
Lucy Lambert Hale
Lucy Lambert Hale was the daughter of US Senator John Parker Hale of New Hampshire, and was a noted Washington, DC society belle. She attracted many admirers including Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Robert Todd Lincoln; and stage actor and presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth, to whom she was...
, daughter of Senator John Parker Hale. He graduated in 1854, was admitted to the bar in 1855, and commenced practice in Concord.
In 1859 Chandler married Ann Gilmore, the daughter of Governor Joseph A. Gilmore
Joseph A. Gilmore
Joseph Albree Gilmore was an American railroad superintendent from Concord, New Hampshire. He was a member of the New Hampshire state senate, and was its president in 1859. Born in 1811 in Weston, Vermont, he served two terms as Governor during the Civil War...
. In 1874, after his first wife's death, Chandler resumed his romance with Lucy Hale, who had been secretly betrothed in 1865 to John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
, 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...
's assassin. Chandler and Hale were married in 1874, and in March 1885, their only son, John Parker Hall Chandler, was born..
Political career
In 1859, Chandler was appointed reporter of the decisions of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire. He then served in the New Hampshire House of RepresentativesNew Hampshire House of Representatives
The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 103 districts across the state, created from divisions of the state's counties. On average, each legislator represents about 3,300...
from 1862–1864 and was the Speaker during the last two years.
In 1865, Chandler was appointed 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....
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...
solicitor
Solicitor General of the Navy
The Solicitor General of the Navy was an office of the United States Department of the Navy that existed periodically from 1862 until 1929. In 1941, it was superseded by the permanent office of General Counsel of the Navy...
and judge advocate general
Judge Advocate General of the Navy
The Judge Advocate General of the Navy is the highest ranking uniformed lawyer in the United States Department of the Navy. The Judge Advocate General is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Operations on legal matters pertaining to the Navy...
of the Navy Department
United States Department of the Navy
The Department of the Navy of the United States of America was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, to provide a government organizational structure to the United States Navy and, from 1834 onwards, for the United States Marine Corps, and when directed by the President, of the...
. Subsequently, he was appointed First Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, until he resigned in 1867.
Chandler returned to New Hampshire and became a newspaper publisher and editor during the 1870s and 1880s. Continuing in politics, he was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1876 and a member of the State house of representatives in 1881.
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
as Secretary of the Navy in 1882. He took charge in 1883 in planning for the rescue of Lt. Adolphus Greely
Adolphus Greely
Adolphus Washington Greely , was an American Polar explorer, a United States Army officer and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.-Early military career:...
's Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Chandler served until 1885.
As a 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...
, he was elected to 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...
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Austin F. Pike
Austin F. Pike
Austin Franklin Pike was a United States Representative and Senator from New Hampshire. Born in Hebron, New Hampshire, he pursued an academic course, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Merrimack County in 1845...
and served from June 14, 1887, to March 4, 1889. Subsequently elected for the term beginning March 4, 1889, he was reelected in 1895 and served from June 18, 1889, to March 4, 1901. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination. He served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration (Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses), Committee on Census (Fifty-fourth Congress), Committee on Privileges and Elections (Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses).
Chandler was appointed by President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
to the Spanish Treaty Claims Commission
Spanish Treaty Claims Commission
The Spanish Treaty Claims Commission was established by the United States at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War for the purpose of carrying out one of the terms of the treaty ending the war. The Commission was created by an Act of Congress approved March 2, 1901...
in 1901. He was the president of the Commission from its inception until 1907, when its work was nearly complete.
Leaving public office, Chandler resumed the practice of law in Concord and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
He died at Concord in 1917 and was buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord.
Legacy
USS Chandler (DD-206)USS Chandler (DD-206)
USS Chandler was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the only ship named for William Eaton Chandler, who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1882 to 1886....
was named for him.
Chandler's grandson, Theodore E. Chandler
Theodore E. Chandler
Theodore Edson Chandler was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II, who commanded battleship and cruiser divisions in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. He was killed in action when Japanese kamikaze aircraft struck his flagship.He was the grandson of William E...
joined the U.S. Navy in 1911 and later distinguished himself as a Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
by a Japanese kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
aircraft.