The Salmon P. Chase Papers, Vol. 4: Correspondence, April 1863–1864

Salmon P. Chase Papers #4

by Salmon P. Chase, John Niven (Editor), James P. McClure (Editor)

This volume covers the last fifteen months of Chase’s tenure as Treasury secretary and concludes with his nomination as Chief Justice of the United States. Of particular interest are letters that document Chase’s increasing alienation from the Lincoln administration and his unsuccessful bid for the presidential nomination of the Republican-Union party in 1864. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the NEH, and the Claremont Graduate School provide support for the edition.

503 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States.

Chase was one of the most prominent members of the new Republican Party before becoming Chief Justice.

Chase articulated the "slave power conspiracy" thesis well before Lincoln, devoting his energies to the destruction of what he considered the Slave Power—the conspiracy of Southern slave owners to seize control of the federal government and block the progress of liberty. He coined the slogan of the Free Soil Party, "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men".