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John Niven

Salmon P. Chase: A Biography Hardcover – March 9, 1995

by John Niven (Author)

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Salmon P. Chase was one of the preeminent men of 19th-century America. A majestic figure, tall and stately, Chase was a leader in the fight to end slavery, a brilliant administrator who as Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury provided crucial funding for a vastly expensive war, the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court during the turmoil of Reconstruction, and the presiding officer of the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. Yet he was also a complex figure. As John Niven reveals in this magisterial biography, Chase was a paradoxical blend of idealism and ambition. If he
stood for the highest moral purposes--the freedom and equality of all mankind--these lofty ideas failed to mask a thirst for power so deeply ingrained in his character that it drove away many who shared his principles, but mistrusted his motives.
Niven provides a vivid description of Chase's early years--his childhood in New Hampshire (where his father's failed business venture and early death left the family all but destitute) and in Ohio (where he was sent to live with his uncle Philander, an Episcopal bishop), his education at Dartmouth,
and his early law career in Cincinnati. Niven shows how the plight of the slaves stirred this reticent young lawyer, and how Chase gradually moved to the forefront of the antislavery movement. At the same time, we see how he used his growing prominence in the antislavery movement to forward his
political ambitions. Niven illuminates Chase's long tenure as a public man. Twice elected United States Senator, twice chosen governor of Ohio (then the third most populous state in the Union), Chase organized the widespread but diffuse anti-slavery movement into a workable political organization,
the Free Soil party (whose slogan "Free Soil, Free Labor, Freemen" Chase coined himself). We read of Chase's work in Lincoln's war cabinet and his tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and we also follow his many political maneuvers, his attempts to undercut rivals, and his poorly run
campaigns for presidential nominations. Niven also provides an intimate portrait of Chase's family life--his loss of three wives and four of his six children, and the unfortunate marriage of his beautiful daughter Kate to a rich but dissolute man--and a vivid picture of life at mid-century.
What emerges is a portrait of a tragic figure, whose high qualities of heart and mind and whose many achievements were ultimately tarnished by an often unseemly quest for power. It is a striking look at an eminent statesman as well as a revealing glimpse into political life in 19th-century America,
all set against a background of the anti-slavery movement, the Civil War, and the turmoil of Reconstruction.

Print length

576 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

March 9, 1995
Dimensions

9.28 x 6.28 x 1.74 inches
ISBN-10

0195046536
ISBN-13

978-0195046533
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Niven...presents a meticulous study of Chase--the man and the politician. In the process, he throws a laser beam on the inner-workings of the Lincoln presidency and, more broadly, the politics of the age....Salmon P. Chase is a fine biography of a complex man maneuvering through a complex
time."--The Times (Trenton)

"One of the Salmon P. Chase paradoxes is the fact that, among Lincoln's contemporaries, he has been relatively neglected because of his very importance. He was engaged in such a wide range of public activities as to intimidate biographers. Now, having mastered the sources, John Niven in the first
comprehensive biography re-creates the man in all his complexity, personal as well as political. The book is as readable as it is authoritative."--Richard Nelson Current

"A brilliant account of the public and personal life of one of the most complex and fascinating major figures of the Civil War era."--Kenneth Stampp, author of America in 1857: A Nation on the Brink

"Niven's smooth but thorough biography reminds us of the importance to history of a long-forgotten player."--Booklist

"In detailing Chase's quest for ever higher office, the author reveals a complex will."--The New Yorker (Recommended Reading)

"A balanced view....A vivid sketch....Niven's scholarship is impeccable. His writing is deft....Aside from its historical value, Niven's work presents a fascinating case study of the relationships between personal ambition and social progress."--Lexington Herald-Ledger

From the Back Cover

Salmon P. Chase was one of the preeminent men of nineteenth-century America. A majestic figure, tall and stately, Chase was a leader in the fight to end slavery, a brilliant administrator who as Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury provided crucial funding for a vastly expensive war. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the turmoil of Reconstruction, he was the presiding officer of the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. Yet he was also a complex figure. As John Niven reveals in this magisterial biography, Chase was a paradoxical blend of idealism and ambition. If he stood for the highest moral purposes - the freedom and equality of all mankind - these lofty motives failed to mask a thirst for power so deeply ingrained in his character that it drove away many who shared his principles, but invariably mistrusted his motives. What emerges is a portrait of a tragic figure, whose high qualities of heart and mind and whose many achievements were ultimately tarnished by an often unseemly quest for power. It is a striking look at an eminent statesman as well as a revealing glimpse into political life of nineteenth-century America, all set against a background of the antislavery movement, the Civil War, and the turmoil of Reconstruction.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (March 9, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195046536
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195046533
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.51 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.28 x 6.28 x 1.74 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,760,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,585 in Lawyer & Judge Biographies
- #10,193 in Political Leader Biographies
- #23,069 in United States Biographies

Customer Reviews:
20 ratings

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Garry Boulard

Excellent, in-depth exploration of an overlooked anti-slavery icon.

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

Admittedly John Niven's writing style is sometimes thick, but there are also rather beautiful passages in this only comprehensive survey of U.S. Supreme Court Chief and Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase.

An example: "Early on Saturday morning, March 13, 1830, Chase arrived in Cincinnati after a long and uncomfortable trip of nine days from Washington. He had taken the stage through Hagerstown to the National Road at Cumberland, Maryland, and then onto Wheeling, Virginia. There had been a thaw and the horses' hoofs sank through the thin crust of the deeply rutted road. Progress was slow, tilting, jolting at times, and must have seemed interminable. The stage was upset once, leaving Chase and his fellow passengers sprawled. Fortunately no one was hurt, but Chase resolved on the spot that nothing less than a railroad would tempt him to travel that route again, a promise to himself that he would not keep." (p.29).

Or: "Occasionally after an extremely busy workday, Chase would sit back in his law office and let his mind wander over events or incidents long past. One such Saturday evening in January 1849 he did some reminiscing after clients, callers, politicians, partners and students had left him alone with his thoughts. As his eyes wandered over the shelves of law books, he imagined that learned jurists such as Coke, Littleton, Mansfield, Holt, and Blackstone were 'looking down on me, not as full wigged and full robed judiciaries but as quaint elves with solemn faces, peering out from between dusty leaves.'" (p. 129).

So, this is not a book without its moments. The problem is that even though Chase wrote hundreds of letters and those letters today are easily accessed on microfilm, he still seems a bit of a mystery man, overshadowed by Abraham Lincoln, whom he served as Treasury Secretary, and is often revealed as a not-very-successful political manipulator, making what should by any other measure be regarded as a highly successful career seem somehow much less so.

Niven's research putting this book together was obviously exhaustive, and his explanations of the many various strains of thought within the anti-slavery movement, as well as the explosive rise of the young Republican party, is valuable. This book not only serves as solid biography but as a great reference source for the fast-changing political tides of the late 1850s and 60s.

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Glenn D. Robinson

A very good bio of an important American leader

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2016

Verified Purchase

I greatly appreciate this bio on Salmon Chase. An important figure in the Lincoln Administration who had a strong career both before and after. Most Lincoln fans know of Chase from the Lincoln presidency, but not much before or after.

A hard core abolitionist, he was anti-slavery basically from day one and represented both Black Freedmen and Slaves in court. He kept up his learning of the law and this helped him and the nation out when he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the Reconstruction period.

The author did a very good job at research and writing. Very in-depth. I learned a great deal and more than just the trivia that many biographies give, but the thoughts and decision making reasons for his thoughts and actions. This is what I look for in a bio and this is what John Niven gave.

Helpful

volney

INTERESTING REVIEW OF A KEY PLAYER IN THE CIVIL WAR DRAMA

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2012

Verified Purchase

THE STORY OF SALMON P. CHASE, A WOULD BE PRESIDENTIAL CANIDATE AND CABINET OFFICER IN LINCOLN'S ADMINISTRATION. THE BOOK TELLS HIS LIFE STORY IN AN INTERESTING MANNER AND INCLUDES VINETES IN THE LINCOLN ADMINISTRATION FROM THE VIEW POINT OF AN ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. IF ONE LIKES WELL WRITTEN HISTORY HIGHLY RECOMENTDED.

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

Developing a collection of civil war stamps and wrting the history of each and then developing more about the subject is a consuming endeavor. This book is one of about 50 that My husband has read. The collection and the vinyettes and worthy of a copyrighted book in itself.Great book .. However we thought it was a first edition. but it had the author's note and signiture. Good

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Millicent J. Rose

Salmon Chase biography

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2013

Verified Purchase

Same author as Gideon Welles. The major difference is that the Chase book was mercifully shorter. The sad thing is after reading other books about him I know he was interesting.

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013

Verified Purchase

The book arrived quickly and was in good condition. The story itself is very interesting and good for studying the civil war from a different point of view.

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