Edwin Stanton portrait

Portrait of Edwin M. Stanton. Stanton (1814-1869), a lawyer born in Steubenville, Ohio, was appointed attorney general of the United States in 1860 in the administration of President James Buchanan. President Abraham Lincoln named him Secretary of War in 1862. After Lincoln's assassination, Stanton continued to serve as Secretary of War under President Andrew Johnson. However, Stanton became involved in the unsuccessful attempt to remove Johnson from office. In May 1868 he resigned his cabinet position. President Ulysses S. Grant nominated Stanton to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment in December 1869. However, Stanton died on December 24 before he could take the oath of office and take his seat on the Court