Nathaniel p banks biography
- Nathaniel Prentice Banks was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local debating societies and entered politics as a young adult.
- Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War.
- Nathaniel Prentice Banks was born on January 30, 1816 in Waltham, Massachusetts.
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Early Life
Banks was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, on January 30, 1816, the son of Nathaniel Prentiss Banks and Rebecca Greenwood Banks. At age fourteen he dropped out of school to work in a cotton mill, where his father was foreman. The nickname he earned there—”Bobbin Boy”—proved helpful when he later stumped for votes among working-class Democrats. Later he worked in a customs house, edited a newspaper, and studied law, gaining admittance to the Massachusetts state bar at age twenty-three.
Banks developed an abiding interest in local and national politics early in his career. Impressed by his energy and native intelligence, Democratic leader Robert Rantoul Jr. groomed the young man for the Massachusetts political arena. Banks soon became known for his handsome attire; an erect posture that made him appear taller than his five feet eight inches; and a powerful, resonant speaking voice that captivated audiences. On April 11, 1847, he married Mary Theodosia Palmer in Providence, Rhode Island. The couple had four children.
Early Political Career
After several f
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Nathaniel P. Banks
American politician and general (1816–1894)
Nathaniel P. Banks | |
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Portrait c. 1865–1880 | |
| In office January 7, 1858 – January 3, 1861 | |
| Lieutenant | Eliphalet Trask |
| Preceded by | Henry Gardner |
| Succeeded by | John Albion Andrew |
| In office February 2, 1856 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | Linn Boyd |
| Succeeded by | James Lawrence Orr |
| In office March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871 Serving with Robert C. Schenck | |
| Speaker | James G. Blaine |
| Preceded by | Justin S. Morrill (1867) |
| Succeeded by | Austin Blair |
| In office March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Edward D. Hayden |
| Succeeded by | Sherman Hoar |
| Constituency | 5th district |
| In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1879 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel W. Gooch |
| Succeeded by | Selwyn Z. Bowman |
| Constituency | 5th district |
| In office December 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel W. Gooch |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Butler |
| Constituency | 6th district |
| In office March 4, 1853 – December 24, 1857 | |
BANKS, Nathaniel PrenticeAbraham Lincoln Presidential LibrarySpringfield, IL Papers:In the Christopher Columbus Augur, ca. 1847-1887, 0.63 linear foot.Correspondents include Nathaniel P. Banks. An inventory for the papers is available in the repository. American Antiquarian SocietyWorcester, MA Papers:ca. 1852-1885, 261 items.The correspondence touches on political issues both nationally and statewide, including the concerns of constituents, of newspaper editors (especially regarding the Republican Party press), of job-seekers, and writers on the Civil War period. There are also a few items relating to Nathaniel Banks's service as a Union general in the Civil War. A contents list for the papers is available in the repository. Papers:In the Abraham Lincoln Papers, 1841-1865, 18 items.Correspondents include Nathaniel Prentiss Banks. Brown University | |