born Oct. 27, 1800, Springfield, Mass., U.S.
died March 2, 1878, Jefferson, Ohio
U.S. politician.
He practiced law in Ohio before serving in the U.S. Senate (1851–69), where he opposed the extension of slavery and the Kansas-Nebraska Act . In the American Civil War he joined the Radical Republican s in demanding vigorous prosecution of the war and headed a joint congressional committee to investigate the Union military effort. He cosponsored the Wade-Davis Bill , which brought him into conflict with Andrew Johnson 's {{link=Reconstruction">Reconstruction policies, he voted for his removal from office at his Senate trial and, as Senate president pro tem, prepared to succeed Johnson. Disappointed by the trial's outcome, he was later defeated for reelection.