Senator Benjamin Franklin Wade

Benjamin Franklin Wade served as a Senator from Ohio in the United States Congress from 1851 to 1869. A member of the Republican Party, Benjamin Franklin Wade contributed to the legislative process during 3 terms in office.

Benjamin Franklin Wade’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the Senate, Benjamin Franklin Wade participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Benjamin Franklin “Bluff” Wade (October 27, 1800 – March 2, 1878) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator for Ohio from 1851 to 1869. He is known for his leading role among the Radical Republicans. Had the 1868 impeachment of U.S. President Andrew Johnson led to a conviction in the Senate, as president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, Wade would have become acting president for the remaining nine months of Johnson’s term. Born in Massachusetts, Wade worked as a laborer on the Erie Canal before establishing a law practice in Jefferson, Ohio. As a member of the Whig Party, Wade served in the Ohio Senate between 1837 and 1842. After a stint as a local judge, Wade was sworn into the United States Senate in 1851. An opponent of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the Kansas–Nebraska Act, Wade joined the nascent Republican Party as the Whigs collapsed. He established a reputation as one of the most radical American politicians of the era, favoring women’s suffrage, trade union rights, and equality for African-Americans. During the Civil War, Wade was highly critical of President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership. In opposition to Lincoln’s post-war plans, which he deemed too lenient and conciliatory, Wade sponsored the Wade–Davis Bill, which proposed strict terms for the re-admittance of Confederate states. He also helped pass the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1862. In 1868, the House of Representatives impeached President Johnson for his defiance of the Tenure of Office Act; Wade’s unpopularity with his senatorial Moderate Republican colleagues was a factor in Johnson’s acquittal by the Senate, having been president pro tempore at the time and next in line for the presidency should Johnson be removed from the presidency. He lost his Senate re-election bid in 1868, though remained active in law and politics until his death in 1878. Although frequently criticized for his radicalism during his time, particularly as he opposed Lincoln’s ten-percent plan, Wade’s contemporary reputation has been lauded for his lifelong unwavering and persistent commitment to civil rights and racial equality.