William Maxwell Evarts

William Maxwell Evarts
Born	6 2, 1818
Birthplace	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Lawyer, politician, statesman
Known for	Lead counsel in the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson; U.S. Secretary of State; U.S. Senator from New York; U.S. Attorney General
Education	Yale College (B.A.); Harvard Law School
Spouse(s)	Helen Minerva Wardner

William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818 – February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer, statesman, and politician who occupied some of the most consequential positions in nineteenth-century American public life. He served as the 27th United States Attorney General under President Andrew Johnson, as the 27th United States Secretary of State under President Rutherford B. Hayes, and as a United States Senator from New York from 1885 to 1891. A towering figure at the New York Bar during the Gilded Age, Evarts served as lead defense counsel during the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and represented the Republican Party before the Electoral Commission that resolved the disputed presidential election of 1876 in favor of Hayes. His career spanned decades of turbulent American history, from the sectional crisis preceding the Civil War through Reconstruction and the industrialization of the late nineteenth century. He was also instrumental in civic and cultural life in New York City, serving as a key figure in the establishment and development of several prominent institutions. The Evarts family became one of notable lineage in American letters and public affairs; among his descendants was the celebrated literary editor Maxwell Perkins, whose full name was William Maxwell Evarts Perkins.

Early Life

William Maxwell Evarts was born on February 6, 1818, in Boston, Massachusetts. He came from a family with deep roots in New England civic and intellectual life. His father, Jeremiah Evarts, was a prominent lawyer and philanthropist who served as the corresponding secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and was known for his advocacy on behalf of Native American rights, particularly his opposition to the Indian Removal Act. His mother was Mehitable Barnes Evarts. The elder Evarts was a figure of considerable moral authority in antebellum New England, and his example of public service and legal advocacy left a lasting impression on his son.

Growing up in Boston, young William was immersed in the intellectual and reform-minded culture of New England Protestantism. His father's connections to the missionary and antislavery movements brought the family into contact with many of the leading clergymen, educators, and public figures of the era. The death of Jeremiah Evarts in 1831, when William was only thirteen years old, was a formative experience. Despite the loss of his father at a young age, William was supported by a network of family connections and the legacy of his father's prominent name, which opened doors in educational and professional circles throughout New England.

Evarts demonstrated intellectual ability from an early age and was prepared for college through the rigorous classical education typical of well-connected New England families of the period. His upbringing instilled in him a commitment to public service, the rule of law, and the institutions of republican government—values that would define his long career in law and politics.

Education

Evarts attended Yale College, where he distinguished himself as a scholar and orator. Yale in the 1830s was one of the foremost institutions of higher learning in the United States, and attendance there placed Evarts among a network of future leaders in American law, politics, and business. He graduated from Yale in 1837. His time at Yale was formative, and he maintained a lifelong connection to the institution, later playing a role in its governance and development. The university's system of alumni engagement, which expanded significantly during the latter half of the nineteenth century, counted Evarts among its most prominent participants.

After graduating from Yale, Evarts pursued legal studies at Harvard Law School, then under the influence of Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, who served as the school's Dane Professor of Law. Harvard Law School in this period offered a combination of lectures and practical instruction that prepared students for admission to the bar. Evarts completed his legal training and was admitted to the bar in New York, where he would build one of the most distinguished legal careers of the nineteenth century.

Career

Early Legal Career

Upon completing his legal education, Evarts settled in New York City, where he began the practice of law. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled advocate and a meticulous legal mind. New York in the 1840s and 1850s was the commercial capital of the United States, and the city's bar was among the most competitive and consequential in the country. Evarts rose rapidly through the ranks of the legal profession, handling complex commercial litigation and building a clientele among the city's leading merchants and financiers.

Evarts became associated with the Whig Party and, later, with the Republican Party upon its founding in the 1850s. His legal reputation brought him into contact with political leaders, and he became known not only for his courtroom abilities but also for his capacity as a legal counselor and advisor on matters of constitutional law and public policy. By the time of the Civil War, Evarts was recognized as one of the leading members of the New York Bar.

The Geneva Arbitration

One of Evarts's earliest significant roles on the national stage came through his involvement in the Alabama Claims dispute with Great Britain. Following the Civil War, the United States sought reparations from Britain for damages caused by Confederate commerce raiders, most notably the CSS Alabama, which had been built in British shipyards. The dispute was submitted to international arbitration at Geneva in 1871–1872. Evarts served as one of the American counsel in these proceedings, helping to present the United States' case before the international tribunal. The arbitration resulted in a landmark award in favor of the United States and is considered a milestone in the development of international arbitration as a method of resolving disputes between nations.

Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson

Evarts's national reputation was cemented by his role as lead defense counsel for President Andrew Johnson during the president's impeachment trial before the United States Senate in 1868. Johnson had been impeached by the House of Representatives on charges related primarily to his violation of the Tenure of Office Act, which restricted the president's ability to remove certain officeholders without Senate approval. The trial was one of the most dramatic constitutional confrontations of the nineteenth century, pitting the executive and legislative branches against each other in the aftermath of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction.

Evarts mounted a vigorous defense of President Johnson, arguing that the Tenure of Office Act was unconstitutional and that the president's actions did not rise to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors" required for removal from office under the Constitution. His closing argument before the Senate was widely noted for its thoroughness and legal acumen. Johnson was ultimately acquitted by a single vote, and Evarts's performance during the trial was credited as a significant factor in the outcome. The trial established important precedents regarding the scope of presidential power and the limits of congressional authority over executive appointments.

United States Attorney General

In recognition of his service during the impeachment trial, President Andrew Johnson appointed Evarts as the Attorney General of the United States in 1868. Evarts served in this capacity during the final months of the Johnson administration, from July 1868 to March 1869. As Attorney General, Evarts was the chief legal officer of the United States government and was responsible for advising the president and the executive departments on matters of law. His tenure was relatively brief, coinciding with the waning days of the Johnson presidency, but it placed him at the center of the federal government during a period of intense political conflict over Reconstruction policy.

The Electoral Commission of 1877

Evarts played a pivotal role in one of the most contested episodes in American electoral history: the disputed presidential election of 1876 between Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. The election resulted in conflicting returns from several Southern states, and the outcome remained unresolved for months. Congress established an Electoral Commission to adjudicate the disputed returns, and Evarts served as lead counsel for the Republican Party before the commission. He argued that the commission should accept the certified returns from the Republican-controlled state governments in the disputed states, and his legal advocacy was instrumental in securing the commission's decision in favor of Hayes. The resolution of the dispute, often referred to as the Compromise of 1877, resulted in Hayes's inauguration as president and the effective end of Reconstruction in the South.

United States Secretary of State

Following his role in the Electoral Commission, Evarts was appointed by President Hayes as the United States Secretary of State, serving from 1877 to 1881. As Secretary of State, Evarts was responsible for the conduct of American foreign policy during a period of relative stability in international affairs. His tenure was marked by efforts to expand American commercial interests abroad, to promote the construction of an interoceanic canal in Central America, and to address issues related to immigration and treaty obligations.

Evarts pursued a policy of asserting American interests in the Western Hemisphere consistent with the Monroe Doctrine. He engaged in negotiations with European and Latin American governments on a range of issues, including trade, navigation rights, and the protection of American citizens abroad. He also addressed the sensitive issue of Chinese immigration, which was becoming a major domestic political controversy. Evarts communicated with the Chinese government regarding modifications to existing treaties that would permit the United States to regulate Chinese immigration, laying the diplomatic groundwork for what would eventually become the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, enacted after he left office.

During his time at the State Department, Evarts also worked to professionalize the diplomatic and consular services. He sought to improve the qualifications and conduct of American representatives abroad and to enhance the efficiency of the department's operations.

United States Senator

After leaving the State Department, Evarts returned to his legal practice in New York but remained active in public affairs. In 1885, the New York State Legislature elected him to the United States Senate, where he served one six-year term until 1891. As a senator, Evarts was a prominent figure in the Republican caucus and participated in debates on issues including tariff policy, civil service reform, and the regulation of interstate commerce. His legal expertise made him a valued member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he contributed to deliberations on constitutional and legal questions.

Evarts's Senate career coincided with a period of significant change in American politics and society, as the country grappled with the consequences of rapid industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. He was known in the Senate for his eloquence and his command of constitutional law, although his advancing age and declining health limited his activity in his later years of service. He did not seek reelection in 1891 and retired from public life.

Legal Practice and Civic Engagement

Throughout his career, Evarts maintained an active legal practice in New York City. He was a founding partner of the law firm that would eventually become Evarts, Southmayd & Choate, one of the leading firms in the city. His practice encompassed a wide range of commercial, constitutional, and public law matters, and he counted among his clients some of the most prominent individuals and corporations in the country.

Beyond his legal and political career, Evarts was deeply involved in the civic and cultural life of New York City. He served as president of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, an organization dedicated to maintaining standards of professional conduct and promoting the administration of justice. He was also associated with the establishment and development of several cultural institutions, including efforts related to the construction of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal, for which he served as chairman of a fundraising committee.

Personal Life

Evarts married Helen Minerva Wardner, with whom he had several children. The Evarts family was prominent in New York social and intellectual circles, and their descendants continued to play roles in American public and cultural life. Among the most notable of Evarts's descendants was his grandson, William Maxwell Evarts Perkins, known as Maxwell Perkins, who became one of the most influential literary editors in American publishing history. Perkins, who worked at Charles Scribner's Sons, is remembered for discovering and editing the works of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Thomas Wolfe, among others.

The Evarts name continued through subsequent generations. William Maxwell Evarts Jr., a great-grandson, maintained residences in Manhattan, Garrison, New York, and Vinalhaven, Maine, and died on November 11, 2013, at the age of 88. The family's engagement announcements and social connections were regularly noted in The New York Times and other publications of record.

Evarts spent his later years in New York City. As his health declined in the 1890s, he withdrew from active professional and public life. He died on February 28, 1901, in New York City, at the age of eighty-three.

Recognition

Evarts received numerous honors and marks of recognition during his lifetime. His service as Attorney General, Secretary of State, and United States Senator placed him among the most distinguished public servants of his era. He was awarded honorary degrees by several institutions, reflecting his standing in both the legal and academic communities.

His role in the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, the Geneva Arbitration, and the Electoral Commission of 1877 brought him recognition as one of the foremost advocates of his generation. Legal historians have noted that Evarts's courtroom advocacy and his constitutional arguments set important precedents and shaped the development of American constitutional law during the Reconstruction era and the Gilded Age.

Evarts was also recognized for his contributions to civic and cultural institutions in New York. His leadership in the Association of the Bar of the City of New York helped establish that organization as a leading voice for the legal profession, and his involvement in efforts to raise funds for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty associated his name with one of the most enduring symbols of American ideals.

The Evarts name has been commemorated in various ways, including in place names and institutional honors. His legacy as a lawyer-statesman of the nineteenth century is reflected in the continued prominence of the legal and cultural institutions he helped to build and sustain.

Legacy

William Maxwell Evarts's career spanned a period of extraordinary transformation in American life, from the sectional crisis and Civil War through Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the emergence of the United States as a significant power on the world stage. His legal and political contributions touched on some of the most consequential episodes of the era: the impeachment of a president, the peaceful resolution of a disputed election, the development of international arbitration, and the conduct of American foreign policy during a formative period.

As a lawyer, Evarts was recognized by his contemporaries as among the ablest advocates of the nineteenth century. His arguments before the Senate during the Johnson impeachment trial and before the Electoral Commission in 1877 were regarded as masterful exercises in constitutional interpretation. His service as Attorney General and Secretary of State demonstrated his capacity for executive responsibility and his commitment to the rule of law in public affairs.

Evarts's influence extended beyond his own career through his family. His grandson, Maxwell Perkins, carried the Evarts legacy into the world of American letters, shaping the literary culture of the twentieth century through his editorial work at Scribner's. The continuity of public engagement and intellectual achievement across the Evarts family reflects the broader patterns of elite civic participation in American history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Evarts's career offers a case study in the intersection of law and politics in the United States. His ability to move between the courtroom, the cabinet, and the Senate floor, and to bring his legal training to bear on the great constitutional and diplomatic questions of his time, made him a representative figure of the lawyer-statesman ideal that was central to American public life in the nineteenth century.