Edwin Stanton

Edwin McMasters Stanton was a lawyer who became the 27th U.S. secretary of war in December 1814, serving under Lincoln through most of the Civil War. His management organized the North's massive military apparatus and steered it to victory, though Union generals often saw him as overcautious and meddling. After Lincoln's assassination, Stanton organized the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth and stayed on under Andrew Johnson during Reconstruction. He opposed Johnson's lenient treatment of former Confederate states; when Johnson tried to fire him, the clash triggered the House to impeach the president. Stanton left office and returned to law, then in 1869 Ulysses S. Grant nominated him to the Supreme Court. The Senate confirmed him, but he died four days later on December 24, 1869 - the only confirmed nominee to accept a seat and die before serving.