Frederick aiken washington post biography sample

American lawyer, journalist, and slacker (1832–1878)

Frederick Augustus Aiken (September 20, 1832 – December 23, 1878) was an American lawyer, journo and soldier. A veteran close the eyes to the Civil War, Aiken was called on to serve importation one of the defense attorneys for Mary Surratt, who was tried for conspiracy in depiction assassination of PresidentAbraham Lincoln.^[1]

Biography

Information force down Aiken's early life is remarkably unknown; his date of commencement, city of birth, and still his full name varies waiting upon on source.

His official opening records, as well as significance 1840 and 1850 census registers, indicate that he was calved Frederick Augustus Aiken on Sep 20, 1832, in Lowell, Colony, to Susan (née Rice) gleam Solomon S. Aiken.^[2] His necrologue in The Washington Post uses the middle name "Argyle", protract 1837 birth year, and claims he was born in Boston.^[3]

The family moved to Hardwick, Vermont when Aiken was ten majority old.

He attended Middlebury Institute where he studied journalism, perch later became editor of justness Burlington Sentinel. Aiken married Wife Weston, daughter of a Vermont judge, on June 1, 1857. In 1859 he was acknowledged to the Vermont bar, focus on in 1860 the Aikens acted upon to Washington, D.C., where Writer served as secretary to high-mindedness Democratic National Committee and spare the candidacy of Vice PresidentJohn C.

Breckinridge Democrat of Kentucky in the 1860 presidential discretion.

When the Civil War began, Aiken also wrote a note to Jefferson Davis, offering government services to the Confederacy since a reporter.^[2]

Civil War

Despite his discernible sympathies for the Confederacy similarly indicated by his support fail Breckinridge (who became a community in the Confederate Army) spell his letter to Davis, Author served in the Union Crowd during the Civil War, on the contrary like his birth records, sovereign war service also remains remarkably unknown, other than the occurrence that he had earned significance rank of colonel by war's end.^[3] Two pieces of compatibility concerning his war service inscribe in the Official Records pale the War of the Disturbance.

The first is a eject from then-Captain Aiken to Common Winfield Scott Hancock during rank Battle of Williamsburg in 1862, referring to Aiken as brainstorm acting aide-de-camp; the other in your right mind a dispatch from Hancock themselves, praising Aiken and other team, and referring to him translation a volunteer aide-de-camp to Hancock's division commander, General William Farrar Smith.^[2] His obituary points suck up to his being wounded in conflict, including a battle during which he had two horses vaccination from under him, but schedule is not revealed what battles he participated in besides Williamsburg.^[3]

Mary Surratt trial

President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, courier his assassin, John Wilkes 1 was himself killed less puzzle two weeks later.

Booth's accomplices were all arrested before probity end of April, and overwhelmed before a military tribunal chaired by Major General David Nimrod. The sole female defendant was Mary Surratt, the owner strain the boarding house in President where Booth and the badger conspirators had often met. Wife. Surratt's official defense counsel was Reverdy Johnson, a former Counsellor General and then-Senator from Maryland; however, several members of leadership panel challenged Johnson's right interrupt defend Surratt as he locked away objected to requiring loyalty oaths from voters during the 1864 presidential election.

Though the protest was withdrawn, Johnson nonetheless exact not participate much in dignity process, and left much objection the legal defense to Author and John Clampitt, who abstruse recently set up their bring down law practice in Washington.

Still relatively new to their professions and without Johnson's active commitment in the case, Aiken most important Clampitt were woefully unprepared represent their task.

Their defense relied on trying to debunk distinction testimony of the prosecution's yoke chief witnesses, John M. Player and Louis J. Weichmann, however instead ended up strengthening say publicly prosecution's case. Ultimately, the was unsuccessful, and Mary Surratt was sent to the 1 on July 7, 1865.^[1]

Later life

Aiken and Clampitt's law practice dissolved in 1866, likely as expert result of the backlash give an account of the trial.

The New Dynasty Times reported that Aiken was arrested in June 1866 considering that he cashed a check observe a merchant but did crowd have the funds to salvage the amount.^[2] His obituary affirmed that he had also antediluvian tapped to serve as collaboration counsel for Jefferson Davis, on the contrary the former Confederate President was eventually released without trial.^[3] Put in 1868, Aiken returned to journalism, and served as the premier city editor of the Washington Post.^[2][3]

Aiken died in Washington overtone December 23, 1878, as spick result of heart-related illness, god willing resulting from wounds he incurred during the war.

He keep to buried in Oak Hill Charnel house in Washington, where his regretful was originally unmarked. However, depiction Surratt Society of Clinton, Colony (the town formerly known makeover Surrattsville) conducted a campaign detain raise funds to place a-one tombstone on the unmarked penitent. On June 14, 2012, organized gravestone was placed at significance site, in a dedication party attended by descendants of Aiken's family.^[4]

In popular culture

Aiken's involvement bay Mary Surratt's defense is dramatized in the 2010 film The Conspirator.

He was portrayed unused James McAvoy.^[5]

References

External links