Elihu B. Washburne

Who was Elihu B. Washburne?

Elihu Benjamin Washburne was a member of a Maine political family that played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party. As a congressman from Illinois, Washburne supported his fellow Illinoisan, President Abraham Lincoln, and was a leader of the Radical Republicans and strong supporter of General Ulysses Grant. As a Radical, Washburne opposed the Reconstruction policies of President Andrew Johnson and supported African American suffrage and civil rights. Washburne was appointed United States Secretary of State in 1869 by then President Grant. President Grant had appointed Washburne as Secretary of State out of respect for his championship in the House during the Civil War and to give Washburne diplomatic clout after being appointed minister to France. Washburne's tenure as Secretary of State lasted for only eleven days. Washburne's tenure as Minister to France, however, would last eight years. Washburne was known for diplomatic integrity and for his humanitarian support of Americans and Germans in France during the Franco-Prussian War.