William E. Chandler

William E. Chandler

William Eaton Chandler (born December 28, 1835 in Concord , New Hampshire , † November 30, 1917 ibid) was an American politician ( Republican Party ). He was a member of the United States Senate and served as Secretary of the Navy in President Chester A. Arthur's cabinet .

Life

William Chandler first attended the public schools, private schools later in Thetford ( Vermont ) and Pembroke . He studied at the Law School of Harvard University , graduated there in 1854 and was admitted to the bar the following year, whereupon he began practicing law at Concord. In 1859 he was appointed Reporter of Decisions to the New Hampshire Supreme Court; In this capacity he was responsible for the publication of the court's decisions.

Chandler took his first political office in 1862 as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives , to which he belonged until 1864; at times he was the speaker there . US President Abraham Lincoln appointed him Judge Advocate General to the Department of the Navy in 1865 . He later took over the post of deputy finance minister , which he resigned in 1867.

Chandler left Washington, DC and returned to New Hampshire. There he worked as a newspaper publisher and editor during the 1870s and at the beginning of the following decade. He continued to be politically active as a member of the state constitutional convention in 1876 and again as a member of the House of Representatives in 1881.

In 1882, William Chandler returned to Washington after President Arthur had entrusted him with the management of the Department of the Navy. He took office on April 16, 1882 and continued the modernization of the fleet begun by his predecessor William H. Hunt . The rescue of Adolphus Greely's polar expedition in 1883 was planned under his leadership. With the end of the presidential term, Chandler also left the government on March 4, 1885.

After the death of US Senator Austin F. Pike on October 8, 1886, William Chandler was elected as his regular successor; Person Colby Cheney had held the office temporarily. Chandler took his seat on June 14, 1887 and was re-elected at the end of the current legislative term as in 1895, so that he remained in the Senate until March 3, 1901. In 1900 he missed re-nomination by his party. During his tenure, Chandler chaired several committees.

President William McKinley appointed Chandler after his resignation from the Senate as President of the Spanish Claims Treaty Commission , which he remained until 1908. He then worked again as a lawyer in Washington and Concord. He died in his hometown in 1917.

The destroyer USS Chandler (DD-206) was named after him in memory of the former Minister of the Navy . The Chandler River in Alaska bears his name.

Web links

• William E. Chandler in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William E. Chandler at The Political Graveyard
• William E. Chandler in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)