Elihu Benjamin Washburne Sr.
Born: September 23, 1816
Birthplace: Livermore, Massachusetts (Maine)
Father: Israel Washburn 1784 – 1876
(Buried: Waters Hill Cemetery, Livermore, Maine)
Mother: Martha "Patty" Benjamin 1792 – 1861
(Buried: Waters Hill Cemetery, Livermore, Maine)
Brother: Governor Israel Washburn V 1813 – 1883
(Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor, Maine)
Brother: Major General Cadwallader C. Washburn 1818 – 1882
(Buried: Oak Grove Cemetery, La Crosse, Wisconsin)
Brother: U.S. Senator William Drew Washburn 1831 – 1912
(Buried: Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Wife: Adele Marie Antionette Gratiot 1826 – 1887
(Buried: Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois)
Children:
Gratiot Washburne 1849 – 1886
(Buried: Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois)
Chicago Mayor Hempstead Washburne 1851 – 1918
(Buried: Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois)
William Pitt Washburne 1854 – 1898
(Buried: Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois)
Susan Adele Washburne Bishop 1859 – 1923
(Buried: Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut)
Marie Washburne Fowler 1863 – 1935
(Buried: Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut)
Elihu Benjamin Washburne Jr. 1868 – 1908
(Buried: Mountain Grove Cemetery, Bridgeport, Connecticut)
Political Party: Whig Party and Republican Party
Education:
Apprenticed as a Printer
1839: Attended Harvard Law School
Occupation before War:
Assistant Editor of Kennebec Journal Newspaper
1840 – 1853: Attorney in Galena, Illinois
1844: Illinois Delegate to Whig Party National Convention
1848: Unsuccessful Candidate for United States Congress
1852: Illinois Delegate to Whig Party National Convention
1853 – 1869: United States Congressman from Illinois
1853 – 1855: Member of House War Department Expenditures Committee
1853 – 1855: Member of House Manufactures Committee
1854: Supporter of Abraham Lincoln's attempt for U.S. Senate
1855 – 1857: Chairman of House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee
1856: Supporter of John C. Fremont's Presidential Campaign
1857 – 1859: Member of House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee
1859 – 1863: Chairman of House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee
Civil War Career:
1861 – 1867: Member of House Rules Committee
1861 – 1865: Advisor to his friend President Abraham Lincoln
1861: Helped Ulysses S. Grant receive the rank of Colonel
1861: Sponsor of Ulysses S. Grant's promotion to Brigadier General
1863 – 1865: Member of House Library Committee
1863 – 1869: Dean of United States House of Representatives
Helped Brig. General Ulysses S. Grant get promoted to Major General
Advocate for Grant's promotion to Lt. General of United States Army
1865: Voted in support of the 13th Amendment to U.S. Constitution
Occupation after War:
1868 – 1869: Chairman of House Appropriations Committee
One of the leaders of the Radical Republicans in Congress.
Advocate that large plantations be divided and given to former slaves.
1868: Campaigner for General Grant's Presidential Campaign
1869: United States Secretary of State
1869 – 1877: United States Minister to France
1880: Supporter of Ulysses S. Grant's attempt for a third term
1880: Received 40 votes for Republican Party Nomination
Author of biography of former Illinois Governor Edward Coles
1884 – 1887: President of Chicago Illinois Historical Society
Author of a memoir of his time as a diplomat in France
Died: October 22, 1887
Place of Death: Chicago, Illinois
Age at time of Death: 71 years old
Burial Place: Greenwood Cemetery, Galena, Illinois
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