Matthew H. Carpenter
American politician
Died when: 56 years 64 days (674 months)Star Sign: Capricorn
Matthew Hale Carpenter (born Decatur Merritt Hammond Carpenter;December 22, 1824 – February 24, 1881) was an American attorney and U.S.Senator representing the state of Wisconsin.
He served in the Senate from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 to 1881.Recognized as an authority on constitutional law, he made some of the most important legal arguments of 19th-century America.
Carpenter presented cases before the U.S.Supreme Court involving such matters as states' rights and regulation of corporations.Originally a Democrat, he evolved into a Republican during the Civil War, and helped perpetuate the party's political machinery in Wisconsin.
His sustained support for President Ulysses S.Grant's administration despite allegations of corruption lost him the backing of reformers, and his legal arguments in favor of Democratic candidate Samuel J.
Tilden in the disputed presidential election of 1876 outraged many Republicans.A gifted orator, he was dubbed "the Webster of the West."
Related People
American politician
American politician
.jpg?width=300)
American politician