born May 5, 1817, Wayne county, Ind., U.S.
died July 7, 1899, Irvington, Ind.
U.S. politician.
He was admitted to the bar in 1840 and practiced law in several Indiana towns. By the mid-1840s he was a Whig member of the Indiana state legislature and a frequent author of antislavery newspaper articles. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Free Soil Party in 1848, he was that party's vice-presidential candidate in 1852. In 1856 he helped form the Republican Party . Again serving in the House (186171), he played an important role in making emancipation a Northern war aim in the American Civil War . In 1867 he helped prepare articles of impeachment against Pres. Andrew Johnson . He later wrote books and articles on reform causes, including women's suffrage.