who was mary surratt lawyer

by Dr. Reagan Feil MD 5 min read

Who was Mary Surratt?

Nov 08, 2009 · Nov 9, 2009. An alleged member of the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy, Mary Surratt has the dubious distinction of being the first woman executed by the U.S. government. Born Mary Jenkins ...

Did Mary Surratt testify that she was innocent?

MARY E. SURRATT, by FREDERICK A. AIKEN, ESQ. _____ Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Commission: For the lawyer as well as the soldier, there is an equally pleasant duty—an equally imperative command. That duty is to shelter from injustice and wrong the innocent, to protect the weak from oppression, and to rally at all times and on all ...

What happened to Mary Surratt's House?

Jul 07, 2017 · To aide her cause, Mary Surratt chose a top-notch attorney for her defense team in Senator Reverdy Johnson, a conservative Unionist Democrat from Maryland who had been the nation’s Attorney General under Zachary Taylor and had been a close friend of Lincoln’s, serving as an honorary pallbearer at his funeral.

Was Mary Surratt a co-conspirator or just a boardinghouse keeper?

Mar 06, 2017 · Many have believed that the government prosecuted Mary Surratt as a co-conspirator in the plot to kidnap or kill President Abraham Lincoln in order to persuade John Surratt to leave Canada and turn himself in to prosecutors. John Surratt publicly admitted in 1870 in a speech that he'd been part of the original plan to kidnap Lincoln. 03 of 14

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and Mary Surratt’s actual role in the assassination plot. First of all, the legality of the trial was questioned when it was made public that the conspirators were going to be tried by a military tribunal. The trial of Mary Surratt introduced new issues that the federal government had never dealt with before. There was much debate over ...

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Did Mary Surratt have a lawyer?

Frederick Augustus Aiken (September 20, 1832 – December 23, 1878) was an American lawyer, journalist and soldier. A veteran of the Civil War, Aiken was called on to serve as one of the defense attorneys for Mary Surratt, who was tried for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Did Frederick Aiken ever marry?

Married to Sarah Olivia Weston. A Democrat at a time when many in that party supported slavery — or at least thought its abolishment was insufficient reason to tear the country apart. Aiken stumped for John C. Breckinridge, the Kentucky senator who ran for president then fled to the South.Jun 13, 2012

What was John Surratt wanted for?

Booth wanted the federal government at the very least to release thousands of Confederate prisoners of war. At most, Booth hoped he could negotiate better terms for the South. John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin. Surratt was initially opposed to the idea of kidnapping Lincoln — he thought it was foolish.Mar 10, 2019

Are conspirators accurate?

The Conspirator is an entertaining film which includes more accurate historical detail than most Hollywood productions, but it misses some of the larger historical truths and issues which must be examined to understand America in the 1860s and the legacy of slavery and the Civil War.

Where is Mary Surratt boarding house?

604 H Street, Northwest, Washington
Mary Surratt Boarding House, 604 H Street, Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia, DC .

What was John Wilkes Booth's profession?

John Wilkes Booth/Professions

Who first examine president Lincoln and his wound?

Charles A. Leale, 23, the first physician to reach Abraham Lincoln's side on April 14, 1865, after assassin John Wilkes Booth shot the president in the head.Jun 5, 2012

What happened to Ford's Theater after the assassination?

Lincoln's assassination shocked the nation, and Ford's Theatre remained closed for more than 100 years. In 1968, Ford's Theatre officially reopened as a national historic site and theatre producing live performances.

Who was Mary Surratt's son?

Surratt’s son, John, Jr., was also thought to be involved in the conspiracy, but he fled to Canada. Although she claimed to be innocent, she was tried and convicted by a military commission. Mary Surratt was hanged on July 7, 1865. Biography courtesy of BIO.com.

Who was the first woman to be executed by the government?

Mary Surratt. An alleged member of the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy, Mary Surratt has the dubious distinction of being the first woman executed by the U.S. government. Born Mary Jenkins in 1820 in Waterloo, Maryland.

Who was the first woman to be executed?

An alleged member of the Abraham Lincoln assassination conspiracy, Mary Surratt has the dubious distinction of being the first woman executed by the U.S. government. Born Mary Jenkins in 1820 in Waterloo, Maryland. She was hung for treason in July 1865, after being tried and convicted for her role in the plot, a plot prosecutors argued was hatched ...

Who did Booth kill?

Angered over the Confederacy’s defeat in the Civil War, Booth wanted to kill President Abraham Lincoln, Secretary of State William Seward, and Vice President Andrew Johnson. Booth shot President Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theatre. Lincoln died the next morning from his gunshot wound.

Who shot Lincoln?

Booth shot President Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theatre. Lincoln died the next morning from his gunshot wound. Soon after, the authorities rounded up anyone who might have been associated with the plot. Mary Surratt was arrested on April 30.

Did Mary Surratt kill Lincoln?

The Trial of Mary Surratt. Whether or not Mary Surratt participated in the conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln will never be known with certainty. But we can judge definitively the manner in which federal authorities obtained her conviction, and ultimately her execution…. “Passion governs, and she never governs wisely,” wrote Benjamin Franklin ...

Who is Ryan Walters?

Ryan Walters is an author and historian. He holds a bachelor and master’s degree in American history from the University of Southern Mississippi. He writes columns for the Laurel Leader Call newspaper in Laurel, Mississippi, and for the Right Side Online, some of which have appeared on Townhall.com.

Which amendment states that no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime?

The first section of the Fifth Amendment reads: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger….”.

Who was Mary Surratt?

Frederick Augustus Aiken (September 20, 1832 – December 23, 1878) was an American lawyer, journalist and soldier. A veteran of the Civil War, Aiken was called on to serve as one of the defense attorneys ...

Who was the woman who was assassinated by Lincoln?

The sole female defendant was Mary Surratt, the owner of the boarding house in Washington where Booth and the other conspirators had often met. Mrs. Surratt's official defense counsel was Reverdy Johnson, a former Attorney General and then- Senator from Maryland; however, several members of the panel challenged Johnson's right to defend Surratt as he had objected to requiring loyalty oaths from voters during the 1864 presidential election. Though the objection was withdrawn, Johnson nonetheless did not participate much in the process, and left much of the legal defense to Aiken and John Clampitt, who had recently set up their own law practice in Washington.

Where was Frederick Aiken born?

His official birth records, as well as the 1840 and 1850 census records, indicate that he was born Frederick Augustus Aiken on September 20, 1832, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Susan (née Rice) and Solomon S.

Why did Aiken and Clampitt dissolve?

Aiken and Clampitt's law practice dissolved in 1866, likely as a result of the backlash of the trial. The New York Times reported that Aiken was arrested in June 1866 when he cashed a check with a merchant but did not have the funds to cover the amount. His obituary stated that he had also been tapped to serve as defense counsel for Jefferson Davis, but the former Confederate President was eventually released without trial. In 1868, Aiken returned to journalism, and served as the first city editor of the Washington Post.

Where was Aiken born?

His official birth records, as well as the 1840 and 1850 census records, indicate that he was born Frederick Augustus Aiken on September 20, 1832, in Lowell, Massachusetts, ...

Why was Mary Surratt executed?

Mary Surratt and Others Executed for Conspiracy. July 7, 1865 Mary Surratt and three men were executed for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, July 7, 1865. Courtesy Library of Congress. Mary Surratt and three men were executed by hanging for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, July 7, 1865.

Was Mary Surratt convicted of the murder of Abraham Lincoln?

Mary Surratt was tried and convicted and executed as a co-conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Her son escaped conviction, and later admitted that he was part of the original plot to kidnap Lincoln and several others in government. Was Mary Surratt a co-conspirator, or merely a boardinghouse keeper who was supporting her son's friends without knowing what they planned? Historians disagree, but most agree that the military tribunal that tried Mary Surratt and three others had less stringent rules of evidence than a regular criminal court would have had.

Where is Mary Surratt's boarding house?

The house is still located at 604 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. Cite this Article. Format.

Who was the woman who kidnapped Lincoln?

Many have believed that the government prosecuted Mary Surratt as a co-conspirator in the plot to kidnap or kill President Abraham Lincoln in order to persuade John Surratt to leave Canada and turn himself in to prosecutors.

Who read the death warrant?

Mary Surratt , Lewis Payne , David Herold , George Atzerodt Reading the Death Warrant, July 7, 1865. Courtesy Library of Congress. Gen. Hartranft read the death warrant for the four convicted of conspiracy, as they stood on the scaffold on July 7, 1865. The four were Mary Surratt, Lewis Payne, David Herold and George Atzerodt;

Who is Jone Johnson Lewis?

Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. She is a former faculty member of the Humanist Institute. our editorial process. Jone Johnson Lewis.

What is the book Confederates in the Attic about?

The author of Confederates in the Attic returns to the Civil War era to tell the gripping drama of a man and a mission that changed the course of history.

Where was Aiken born?

Aiken, born and raised in Massachusetts, had passed the bar in Vermont and was very active in Democratic Party politics. During the war he had worked as a correspondent for the New York Times, and had been practicing law only a short time when he was called upon to help defend Surratt.

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Overview

Frederick Augustus Aiken (September 20, 1832 – December 23, 1878) was an American lawyer, journalist and soldier. A veteran of the Civil War, Aiken was called on to serve as one of the defense attorneys for Mary Surratt, who was tried for conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

Biography

Information on Aiken's early life is largely unknown; his date of birth, city of birth, and even his full name varies depending on source. His official birth records, as well as the 1840 and 1850 census records, indicate that he was born Frederick Augustus Aiken on September 20, 1832, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Susan (née Rice) and Solomon S. Aiken. His obituary in The Washington Post uses the middle name "Argyle", an 1837 birth year, and claims he was born in Boston.

Civil War

Despite his apparent sympathies for the Confederacy as indicated by his support of Breckinridge (who became a general in the Confederate Army) and his letter to Davis, Aiken served in the Union Army during the Civil War, but like his birth records, his war service also remains largely unknown, other than the fact that he had earned the rank of colonel by war's end. Two pieces of correspondence concerning his war service appear in the Official Records of the War of the Rebe…

Mary Surratt trial

President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was himself killed less than two weeks later. Booth's accomplices were all arrested before the end of April, and brought before a military tribunal chaired by Major General David Hunter. The sole female defendant was Mary Surratt, the owner of the boarding house in Washingtonwhere Booth and the oth…

Later life

Aiken and Clampitt's law practice dissolved in 1866, likely as a result of the backlash of the trial. The New York Timesreported that Aiken was arrested in June 1866 when he cashed a check with a merchant but did not have the funds to cover the amount. His obituary stated that he had also been tapped to serve as defense counsel for Jefferson Davis, but the former Confederate President …

In popular culture

Aiken's involvement in Mary Surratt's defense is dramatized in the 2010 film The Conspirator. He was portrayed by James McAvoy.

External links

• Frederick A. Aiken biography
• Frederick Aiken at Find a Grave
• Frederick Aiken The Attorney - Historians Weigh In