Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895

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Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, a 1839 graduate of Harvard Law School, was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas (1849-1855), associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1859-1869), served as U.S. Attorney General (1869-1870) and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1873-1875).

From the description of Letters to Joseph Willard and Henry Vose, 1840-1858. (Harvard Law School Library). WorldCat record id: 234339043

American jurist.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Boston, to H.B. Dawson, 1876 May 6. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270466205

A noted jurist, U.S. Congressman and resident of Concord, Mass. U.S. Attorney General in President Grant's administration, 1869-1870. E.R. Hoar was born in Concord, Feb. 21, 1816, the son of Samuel and Sarah Sherman Hoar. His siblings included Elizabeth Sherman Hoar and George Frisbie Hoar. A graduate of Harvard College in 1835, and Harvard Law School in 1839, he married Caroline Downes Brooks in 1840. He was an influential member of several clubs and organizations, including the American Unitarian Association, the Saturday Club, and the Social Circle in Concord. He died Jan. 31, 1895.

From the description of Manuscript of Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar : dedication of Memorial Hall, Harvard University : holograph, [1870]. (Concord Public Library). WorldCat record id: 41245442

American politician and lawyer.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : [Massachusetts?], to Dr. [Andrew Preston] Peabody, 1865 Sept. 26. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 740491907

U.S. attorney general, U.S. representative from Masschusetts, and jurist.

From the description of Papers of E. R. Hoar, 1855-1879. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79450926

American judge and attorney general.

From the description of Autograph letter signed : Concord, Mass., to an unidentified recipient, 1885 July 4. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 709616954

Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar and William Maxwell Evarts were among the most distinguished attorneys of the mid-19th century, both rising to the position of Attorney-General. Hoar (1816-1895), was born in Concord, Mass., the son of Samuel Hoar and Sarah Sherman. An 1835 graduate of Harvard (Law, 1839), he entered into public life during the waning years of the Whig Party. A strong antislavery man, Hoar left the Whigs to joined the Free Soil Party in 1848, and ultimately became a Republican. He was appointed a judge of common pleas in 1849, resumed private law practice in 1855, and from 1859 to 1869 was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. He became Attorney-General under Ulysses S. Grant in 1869, but when nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court in 1870, his insistence that circuit court positions be filled on merit rather than patronage led to his rejection in the Senate. He served a single term in Congress, 1873-75, then retired to Concord. He married Caroline Downes Brooks in 1840 and they had seven children.

Hoar's first cousin, William Maxwell Evarts (1818-1901), was the son of Jeremiah and Mehitabel (Sherman) Barnes Evarts. Born in Boston, he graduated from Yale in 1837, was admitted to the New York bar in 1841, and in 1843, married Helen Minerva Wardner of Windsor, Vt. They had twelve children. A Whig in politics, Evarts supported the legality of the Fugitive Slave Act (1850), but in 1855, gave one-quarter of his assets to the Emigrant Aid Company, an abolitionist cause. In 1860 he chaired the New York delegation to the Republican national convention, but was defeated by Ira Harris for a senate seat from New York in 1861. He was twice sent to England on diplomatic missions, 1863-64, seeking to stop the building and equipping of Confederate naval vessels. His superb defense of Andrew Johnson during the 1868 impeachment trial led to his appointment as Attorney-General which position he held through the end of Johnson's administration. Among his other famous courtroom trials were his defense of Henry Ward Becher in Tilton vs. Beecher (1875) and his counsel for the Republican Party in the Hayes vs. Tilden election dispute (1877). He died in New York City.

From the guide to the Ebenezer Hoar papers, Hoar, Ebenezer, 1852-1875, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn James Russell Lowell additional papers, 1802-1898. Houghton Library
creatorOf Carney, Thomas, 1824-1888. Autograph letter signed : Washington, to the Attorney-General [E.R. Hoar], 1869 Mar. 9. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Loring, Charles G. (Charles Greely), 1794-1867. Papers, 1768-1866 Houghton Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Autograph letter signed : Concord, Mass., to an unidentified recipient, 1885 July 4. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Memoir of Jonathan Fay Barrett : typescript, [1885?]. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Autograph letter signed : Boston, to H.B. Dawson, 1876 May 6. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Louisa May Alcott papers, 1849-1931. Houghton Library
referencedIn Evarts family papers, 1753-1960 (bulk 1798-1901) Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Hawthorne family. Hawthorne family papers, 1825-1929. Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
creatorOf Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. Ralph Waldo Emerson papers, 1835-1871. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
creatorOf Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891. Papers of James Russell Lowell [manuscript], 1802-1927 (bulk 1838-1891). University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Charles Eliot Norton papers Houghton Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Autograph letter signed : [Massachusetts?], to Dr. [Andrew Preston] Peabody, 1865 Sept. 26. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn James Russell Lowell papers, 1835-1919. Houghton Library
referencedIn Charles Deane collection 1840-1909 1848-1889 Deane, Charles collection William L. Clements Library
Bright family. Papers, 1672-1897. Library of Congress
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Manuscript of Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar : dedication of Memorial Hall, Harvard University : holograph, [1870]. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
creatorOf Dunn, William McKee, 1814-1887. Autograph letter signed : "War Department," to Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, 1869 Nov. 27. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Samuel Gray Ward and Anna Hazard Barker Ward papers, 1823-1934 (inclusive) 1837-1900 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn Eliot, Thomas D. (Thomas Dawes), 1808-1870. Letter : New Bedford, Mass., to Ebenezer R. Hoar, [Washington, D.C.?], 1869 Nov. 27. Texas Christian University
referencedIn Batchelder family papers, 1806-1902 Houghton Library
creatorOf Woodman, Horatio, 1821-1879. Horatio Woodman papers, 1843-1899; bulk: 1843-1879. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Egan, Thomas Washington, 1836-1887. Autograph letter signed : New York, to the Attorney General, 1870 Mar. 29. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Geary, John White, 1819-1873. Autograph letter signed : Harrisburg, Pa., to E.R. Hoar, 1869 Mar. 26. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar family. Miscellaneous Hoar family papers, 1817-1893. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
creatorOf Loan, Benjamin Franklin, 1819-1881. Autograph letter signed : Washington City, to E. Rockwood Hoar, 1869 Mar. 18. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf General Records of the Department of Justice. 1790 - 2002. Segregated Documents from Letters Received. 1838 - 1943. Papers Relating to Jefferson Davis National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Washburn, C. C. (Cadwallader Colden), 1818-1882. Autograph letter signed : Washington, to E.R. Hoar, Attorney General, 1869 Mar. 31. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874. Correspondence, 1829-1874 Houghton Library
referencedIn Letters from various correspondents, 1850-1895 (inclusive), 1852-1878 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Letters to Joseph Willard and Henry Vose, 1840-1858. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Thomas Bailey Aldrich papers, 1837-1926. Houghton Library
referencedIn Thomas Wentworth Higginson correspondence Houghton Library
creatorOf Sunderland, Byron, 1819-1901. Autograph letter signed : Washington, to the Attorney General, 1869 Oct. 21. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn John Thomas Codman Brook Farm collection, 1840-1901. Houghton Library
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
creatorOf Shaw family. Letters received, 1859-1940. Boston Athenaeum
creatorOf Bemis, George, 1816-1878. Papers, 1794-1901, bulk: 1831-1877. Massachusetts Historical Society
creatorOf Loan, Benjamin Franklin, 1819-1881. Autograph letter signed : St. Joseph, Mo., to E. Rockwell [sic!] Hoar, 1869 Oct. 7. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Manuscript of Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar ; dedication of Memorial Hall, Harvard University. Minuteman Library Network
creatorOf Curtin, Andrew Gregg, 1817-1894. Autograph letter signed : Philadelphia, to Attorney General Hoar, 1869 May 22. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. [Finigan family papers] Minuteman Library Network
referencedIn William Maxwell Evarts Papers, 1667-1918, (bulk 1877-1891) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Morgan, Edwin Denison, 1811-1883. Autograph letter signed : New York, to E.R. Hoar, 1870 May 21. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Collection of materials issued by or relating to Concord Academy, Concord Mass. (1822-ca. 1845), <1892-1978> Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Papers of E. R. Hoar, 1855-1879. Library of Congress
creatorOf Morrill, Justin Smith, 1810-1898. Autograph letter signed : Strafford, Vt., to Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, Attorney-General, 1869 May 1. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Papers, 1869. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Letter, 1848 August 13, Concord, to Daniel Webster [n.p.]. Dartmouth College Library
creatorOf Hempstead, Charles H. Report in the case of Thomas Braningan [sic], convicted of murder, 1869 July. Texas Christian University
referencedIn Hamilton Fish Papers, 1732-1914, (bulk 1840-1890) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Stevenson, Job E., 1831-1922. Letter : Washington, D.C., to E[benezer] R[ockwood] Hoar, [Washington, D.C.], 1869 Mar. 23. University of Chicago Library
referencedIn Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893. Papers, 1777-1945, (bulk: 1870-1892) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice. 1790 - 2002. Photographs of Attorneys General National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. [Ebenezer R. Hoar. Addresses : Pamphlet vol.]. HCL Technical Services, Harvard College Library
creatorOf White, Harry, 1834-1920. Autograph letter signed : Indiana, Penna., to E.R. Hoar, 1869 Apr. 26. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826-1904. George Frisbie Hoar papers, 1784-1933, bulk: 1860-1905. Massachusetts Historical Society
referencedIn Palfrey family papers, 1713-1915 Houghton Library
referencedIn Clapp, William Warland, Jr., 1826-1891. Correspondence, 1790-1891 (bulk 1840-1891) Houghton Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Letter : Boston, to [Rutherford B. Hayes], [Washington, D.C.], 1878 Oct. 18. Texas Christian University
referencedIn Spalding, Rufus P. (Rufus Paine), 1798-1886. Letter : Cleveland, to E[benezer] R[ockwood] Hoar, Washington, D.C., 1869 Dec. 15. Texas Christian University
creatorOf Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889. Letters received, 1866-1874. Boston Athenaeum
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. [Letters, 1857-1892]. Boston Athenaeum
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. House plans (found between the pages of the Lowell journal, 1841-1842 bound) given to CFPL by E.R. Hoar, 1873, 1782-1975. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
referencedIn Autograph File, H Houghton Library
creatorOf Ebenezer Hoar papers 1852-1875 Hoar, Ebenezer William L. Clements Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. Letter, 1892 Apr. 28, Concord, Mass. to Walbridge Abner Field. Dartmouth College Library
referencedIn Bristow, Benjamin Helm, 1832-1896. Letter : Louisville, Ky., to Ebenezer R. Hoar, Washington, D.C., 1869 July 13. Texas Christian University
creatorOf Parker, Joel, 1795-1875. Letters, 1853-1866 Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. Samuel J. May diary, 1870. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893. Papers, 1777-1945, (bulk: 1870-1892) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Oliver Wendell Holmes letters from various correspondents, 1891-1892. Houghton Library
referencedIn Ralph Waldo Emerson letters from various correspondents, ca. 1814-1882. Houghton Library
referencedIn Scofield, Glenni W. (Glenni William), 1817-1891. Letter : [Washington, D.C.], to [Ebenezer Hoar], [Washington, D.C.?], 1869 Mar. 12. Texas Christian University
creatorOf Bright family. Papers, 1672-1897. Library of Congress
creatorOf Munroe, William, 1806-1877. William Munroe papers, 1861-1875. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
referencedIn Stevenson, Job E., 1831-1922. Letter : Washington, D.C., to E[benezer] R[ockwood] Hoar, [Washington, D.C.], 1869 Mar. 23. Texas Christian University
creatorOf Randolph, Richard Kidder, 1781-1849. Papers of Richard Kidder Randolph [manuscript], 1791-1932 bulk 1812-1860. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Hoar, E. R. (Ebenezer Rockwood), 1816-1895. ADS : will, 1894 June 7. Concord Free Public Library, Special Collection
referencedIn Emerson family papers, 1699-1939. Houghton Library
referencedIn James Freeman Clarke additional papers, 1806-1936. Houghton Library
referencedIn Howells family papers, 1850-1954 (inclusive). Houghton Library
referencedIn Hawthorne Family Papers, ca. 1800-1926 Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
correspondedWith Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888 person
correspondedWith Aldrich, Thomas Bailey, 1836-1907 person
associatedWith Barrett, Jonathan Fay, 1817-1885. person
associatedWith Batchelder family. family
associatedWith Bemis, George, 1816-1878. person
correspondedWith Blaine, James Gillespie, 1830-1893. person
correspondedWith Blaine, James G., Mrs., 1828-1903 person
associatedWith Bright family. family
associatedWith Bristow, Benjamin Helm, 1832-1896. person
associatedWith Carney, Thomas, 1824-1888. person
associatedWith Chandler, Peleg W. (Peleg Whitman), 1816-1889. person
associatedWith Clapp, William Warland, 1826-1891 person
correspondedWith Clarke, James Freeman, 1810-1888 person
associatedWith Clay, Henry, 1777-1852. person
associatedWith Codman, John Thomas. person
associatedWith Curtin, Andrew Gregg, 1817-1894. person
associatedWith Dawson, Henry B. (Henry Barton), 1821-1889, person
associatedWith Deane, Charles, 1813-1889 person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Dunn, William McKee, 1814-1887. person
associatedWith Egan, Thomas Washington, 1836-1887. person
associatedWith Eliot, Thomas D. (Thomas Dawes), 1808-1870. person
correspondedWith Emerson family. family
associatedWith Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882. person
associatedWith Evarts family family
associatedWith Evarts family. family
correspondedWith Evarts, William Maxwell, 1818-1901. person
associatedWith Field, Walbridge A. (Walbridge Abner), 1833-1899. person
correspondedWith Fish, Hamilton, 1808-1893. person
associatedWith Geary, John White, 1819-1873. person
correspondedWith Hamilton, Park, 1808-1893 person
associatedWith Harvard University. corporateBody
associatedWith Harvard University. Memorial Hall. corporateBody
associatedWith Hawthorne family. family
associatedWith Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 1822-1893. person
associatedWith Hempstead, Charles H. person
associatedWith Higginson, Thomas Wentworth, 1823-1911 person
correspondedWith Hoar family. family
associatedWith Hoar family. family
associatedWith Hoar, George Frisbie, 1826-1904. person
correspondedWith Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 1809-1894 person
associatedWith Hunt, Joseph, 1749-1812. person
associatedWith James, Charles Pinckney, 1818-1899. person
associatedWith Loan, Benjamin Franklin, 1819-1881. person
associatedWith Loring, Charles G. (Charles Greely), 1794-1867 person
associatedWith Lowell, James Russell, 1819-1891. person
associatedWith Massachusetts. Court of Common Pleas (Middlesex County) corporateBody
associatedWith Massachusetts. District Court (Middlesex County). Registry of Probate (2nd Series) corporateBody
associatedWith May, Samuel J. (Samuel Joseph), 1797-1871. person
associatedWith McCrindle, Joseph F., person
associatedWith Merrick, Tilly, 1755-1836. person
associatedWith Miller, Mildred Elizabeth Maxfield, 1910- person
associatedWith Morgan, Edwin Denison, 1811-1883. person
associatedWith Morrill, Justin Smith, 1810-1898. person
associatedWith Munroe, William, 1806-1877. person
associatedWith Norton, Charles Eliot, 1827-1908 person
correspondedWith Palfrey family. family
associatedWith Parker, Joel, 1795-1875. person
associatedWith Peabody, Andrew P. (Andrew Preston), 1811-1893, person
associatedWith Pierce, Edward Lillie, 1829-1897 person
associatedWith Randolph, Richard Kidder, 1781-1849. person
associatedWith Scofield, Glenni W. (Glenni William), 1817-1891. person
associatedWith Shaw family. family
associatedWith Social Circle in Concord corporateBody
associatedWith Spalding, Rufus P. (Rufus Paine), 1798-1886. person
associatedWith Stevenson, Job E., 1831-1922. person
correspondedWith Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874 person
associatedWith Sunderland, Byron, 1819-1901. person
associatedWith Taylor, Zachary, 1784-1850. person
associatedWith United States. Supreme Court. corporateBody
associatedWith Vose, Henry, 1817-1869, person
associatedWith Ward, Samuel Gray. person
associatedWith Washburn, C. C. (Cadwallader Colden), 1818-1882. person
associatedWith Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852. person
associatedWith White, Harry, 1834-1920. person
associatedWith Willard, Joseph, 1798-1865, person
associatedWith Woodman, Horatio, 1821-1879. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Massachusetts
United States
United States
Massachusetts--Concord
Massachusetts--Cambridge
United States
United States
Subject
Architecture, Domestic
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Dwellings
Dwellings
Judges
Lawyers
Manuscripts
Occupation
Cabinet officers
Jurists
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Activity

Person

Birth 1816-02-21

Death 1895-01-31

English

Information

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Ark ID: w66m3k93

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