THE LIFE AND PAPERS OF RUFUS EASTON
Another inspiration to this author is shown in the book The Life and
Papers of Rufus Easton was accepted into the Postmaster General's library,
New York Historical Society, several Missouri historical societies and libraries.
This book could not have been completed without the expertise and cooperation
of Author and Professor William F. Foley; The Missouri Historical Society,
especially Martha Clevenger; and The Missouri Historical Review and it's
editor Jim Goodrich.
William E. Foley is professor of History at Central Missouri State University,
Warrensburg, and recipient of the CMSU 1984 Byler Distinguished Faculty
Award. He has the B.S. and M.A. degrees from CMSU and the Ph.D in American
History from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Research for this study
was supported by a CMSU summer study leave. There are many citations throughout
the book which would have left a blank void had it not been for Professor
Foley's dedicated work in recognizing Easton's importance in early American
history. It is odd that the importance of the United States Postal Service
should have been so much ignored by those experts who have appointed themselves
as historic writers. Throughout the history of the United States their are
many individuals whom were dedicated and served this great institution and
other branches of our government. The U.S. Postal Service is the web that
holds this great country together. Next to Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Rufus
Easton was one of the most colorful in the Postal history at the dawn of
these United States. For Easton was first postmaster of St. Louis while
simultaneously judge of the largest territory ever in North America.
This book contains a thorough analysis of letters from John C. Calhoun,
Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, Gideon Granger, Alexander Dallas (father of
George who founded Dallas, Texas), Moses and Steven Austin (Steven was the
founder of Austin, Texas after he had been a letter carrier for Rufus Easton),
Henry Clay, Dewitt Clinton, Abraham Lincoln, James Madison, James Monroe,
Civil War Generals W.T. Sherman and U.S. Grant regarding Rufus Easton and
family.
Rufus was associated with John Jacob Astor, William Clark and Daniel Boone.
Easton trained Edward Bates in his legal studies. In those days Bates was
obliged to move into Easton's residence so that he could thoroughly study
the law. The training Bates received was far better than what students receive
today at our colleges and universities. For in Bates case, he went on to
much higher levels after he passed the Missouri Territory bar.
Forty-five years before the Civil War in 1816 Bates was very much pro-slavery,
after growing up observing his father as a slaveowner. On the other hand
Easton was against the institution in those years 1816-1820.
Prior to the outbreak of the Civil War Bates ran against Abraham Lincoln
for president and was defeated by honest Abe. But there were no hard feelings
for Bates was Lincoln's first choice in his cabinet as Attorney General.
During the Civil War, Bates wrote to Lincoln on Langdon Easton's behalf
for the position of Brevt. Brigadier General.
Shortly before Lincoln issued his emancipation proclamation in 1863, Edward
Bates as the U.S. Attorney General had already declared that all Negroes
were U.S. citizens. It was Bates who demanded equal pay for the Negro soldiers,
whom fought so valiantly for the Union. After the Civil War, in July 1866
Edward Bates wrote of Rufus Easton: "Easton was a wiser man than he
passed for, and a better man than his adversaries chose to admit. All acknowledged
his professional ability as compared with his associates, but many failed
to give him the credit he deserved for his personal virtues. He was certainly
the best-read lawyer of the Missouri bar in his day, the regular training
of his youth and the indefatigable industry of his riper years, made him
always, a formidable adversary and generally a case - gaining advocate he
still lives in my memory with respect and gratitude."
Mighty strong words when one considers that Rufus Easton had left his earth
in 1834.
Rufus' seven daughters married some of the most distinguished men of the
Louisiana Territory: 1). George Sibley, Commissioner of the Santa Fe Trail
and business manager of the Osage Indian Nation; 2). Archibald Gamble, 9th
postmaster of St. Louis and brother of Missouri's Civil War Governor Hamilton
Gamble; 3). Henry S. Geyer, attorney before the U.S. Supreme Court in the
Dred Scott Case; 4). Robert Simpson, 2nd postmaster of St. Louis. 5). Senator
Thomas Anderson.
6). Abner Bartlett, of New York, who was in charge of William Waldorf Astor's
estate from 1869-1894.
In 1805 Rufus Easton refused to partake in Burr's Conspiracy in which General
James Wilkinson was a major player. In his lifetime Easton backed out of
four separate duels. The most historic duel was in 1805 when President Jefferson's
favorite cabinet member, Gideon Granger implored Easton not to participate
in a duel with Aaron Burr. In 1804 Aaron Burr had killed Alexander Hamilton
in a duel. Had Easton entered a duel with Burr, historians would have placed
Easton on a pedestal as a major player in American history. Gideon Granger,
who was postmaster-general under Jefferson, was one of the distinguished
men of his day, and openly displayed his strong friendship for Colonel Easton.
Had Gideon Granger not talked Easton out of it, the would be duel
on Bloody Island between Burr and Easton may have looked this way.
Besides being the first postmaster Easton was also appointed by President
Thomas Jefferson, Judge of the Louisiana Territory. As Judge of the territory
Rufus Easton held jurisdiction over the largest land mast ever throughout
the continent including Canada and Central America. The territory was so
imense that it stretched from the St. Louis to the Canada border and as
one historian expressed it: "westward into seemingly infinity".
Yes, Rufus Easton was a civil rights leader. As a United States Attorney
in 1808, Easton represented an Ioway Indian Chief White Cloud, and saved
his life from angry St. Louis citizens who wanted to hang him. White Cloud
had acted in self-defense when he killed two St. Louis Frenchmen. President
Jefferson was against hanging White Cloud and was pleased that the Indians
had won their case through the efforts of U.S. Attorney, Rufus Easton. White
Cloud was proud that he never in his lifetime killed an American. This chapter
was written by Columbia University's Professor in History, William F. Foley.
In 1814 Easton retired as the postmaster of St. Louis and was elected into
Congress. Easton was responsible for the passing of a Bill for Federal Aid
in the First Natural Disaster within the United States, the New Madrid Earthquakes.
In 1816 Easton would be on the first bill to terminate slavery West of the
Mississippi. Easton was then a minority. In Congress, Easton introduced
a bill for giving the veterans of the war of 1812 land grants. Easton was
also active in the struggle for paying pensions to the 1812 war veterans
and for a pension to Captain Daniel M. Boone, son of the pioneer.
In 1816 as the Congressional representative Easton was the first person
to recommend statehood for the State of Missouri. Rufus could have brought
Missouri into the Union as a non-slave state if he had won his congressional
seat against John Scott, the pro-slavery candidate, but just like the LBJ
and Coke Stevenson election of 1948, the Easton-Scott election was irregular.
Easton contested the election, but Congress was unable to investigate the
charges because of the distance between Washington and from the Missouri
Territory, but Congress unanimously ordered a new election. At the next
election fights broke out at the polls and one person was reportedly stabbed
because he had been an Easton supporter.
Rufus Easton was appointed Attorney General for the State of Missouri by
President James Monroe and served from 1821-1826.
In 1818 Easton founded the town of Alton, Illinois, which was named in honor
of his son Colonel Alton Rufus Easton. Alton Easton in 1807 was allegedly
the first white child born in the Louisiana Territory. Before the Civil
War, Alton was Colonel of the St. Louis Grays, and St. Louis Legion, and
fought in the Black Hawk war in 1831-32 and the Mexican War in 1846-48.
On the outbreak of the Civil War, Colonel Alton Easton was Governor Hamilton
Gamble's first choice as Inspector-General for the Missouri's militia. Alton's
brother, Brevt. Brigadier General Langdon Easton was Chief Quartermaster
under General Sherman and both played extremely prominent roles during the
Civil War. Along with the support of Edward Bates Alton Easton convinced
General U.S. Grant, whom in turn convince Abraham Lincoln to appoint Langdon
Easton as Brevet. Brigadier General.
In the early 1800s Mary (Easton) Sibley, Rufus's daughter, mesmerized the
Osage Indians, when she traveled up river with her piano on a raft to Fort
Osage. Mary Easton would play beautiful music to the Osage Indians in the
wilderness at Fort Osage. The Osage Indians idolized her and truly believed
that this Mary was sent from heaven. Today, the Osage Indian nation of Oklahoma
is one of the most successful Indian tribes.
In 1837 Mary and her husband George Sibley saved the abolitionist-publisher
Elijah P. Lovejoy's life when an angry mob came to lynch him. They loaned
him a horse and Lovejoy escaped with his life from St. Charles. In the 1830s
the State of Illinois, a non-slavery state, even went so far as to pass
legislation prohibiting abolitionists from criticizing slavery. Only six
members of the Illinois Legislation refused to pass such a law which was
aimed at Lovejoy. One of these was Abraham Lincoln.
Elijah Lovejoy was murdered in Alton in November 1837 after his murderers
had destroyed three of Lovejoy's printing presses as the publisher of the
Alton Observer an abolitionist newspaper. Lovejoy's death was more than
just a blow to the fight against slavery: it was simultaneously a blow to
the freedom of the press. Lovejoy's murder angered the entire nation and
in the 1800s his death "was the shot which rang louder than Fort Sumter."
The brother of Elijah, Owen Lovejoy, became Lincoln's strongest supporter
in Congress.
Long before the Civil War, in 1805 Rufus Easton made U.S. history as judge
of the Louisiana Territory when he gave a decision which set the Scypion
Slaves free. This chapter on the Scypion Slave Case was written by Professor
William Foley at Columbia University, in Missouri.
On several occasions Adamson has petitioned the U.S. Postal Stamp Advisory
Board to consider Rufus Easton for a Stamp. The Advisory Board has rule
that they cannot support a candidate for a postage stamp when there is someone
who may benefit from a financial gain. Nevertheless, in the past on many
occasions they have accepted subjects while the heirs and heiresses of their
subjects have benefited from free publicity. For example consider Elvis
Presley, Cole Porter and Richard Nixon whom were honored by the U.S. Postal
Service. In 1972 the City of St. Louis changed one of their main thorough
fares from Easton Drive to Martin Luther King Highway. It was done without
intentionally trying to harm the memory of Rufus Easton. Easton would have
had nothing but respect for King and vice-versa. An injustice has been unitentionally
served upon Easton, whom was unknowingly extremely helpful in the cause
to abolish slavery and played such an important role in early Postal and
American history. As a retired Postal Employee I went through the zip-code
directory for St. Louis and found an estimated 40 streets and even a park
named after slaveowners. I wrote to the Mayor and Board of Alderman on suggesting
the possibility of renaming another street in honor of Easton because of
his dedicated service to our country. After reading the biographical sketch
in this web page, if you agree, please feel free to express your views by
writing to the Stamp Advisory Board, the St. Louis Mayor and the Board of
Alderman at:
St. Louis City Hall
Advisory Board Board of Alderman Rm.230
S W St. Louis, Missouri, 63103
The St. Louis Mayor's office is same address but Rm.200.
And/Or Write To:
Postmaster General's Office
U.S. Postal Stamp
475 L Enfant Plaza
Washington D.C., 20260
The Life and Papers of Rufus Easton a 300 page manuscript containing all
of the above chapters sells for $25.00 and $5.25 for postage and handling.
This book weighs 30 ounces and is on 8 + x 11 format.
Bruce Campbell Adamson
P.O. Box 1103 Santa Cruz CA 95061-1103.
All research is copyrighted 1992 - 1995 by Bruce Campbell Adamson
Address for site is: we.got.net/~bca/
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS
