Stevenson Archer
Treasurer of Maryland
In office
1886–1890
GovernorHenry Lloyd
Elihu Emory Jackson
Preceded byJohn S. Gittings
Succeeded byEdwin Brown
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1875
Preceded byJohn Lewis Thomas Jr.
Succeeded byCharles Boyle Roberts
Constituency2nd district
In office
1854–1854
Personal details
Born(1827-02-28)February 28, 1827
Churchville, Maryland, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 1898(1898-08-02) (aged 71)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Resting placeChurchville Presbyterian Church
Churchville, Maryland, U.S.
Political party
Spouse
Blanche Franklin
​
(m. 1855)​
Children5
Parent
Relatives
Alma materPrinceton College
Occupation
  • politician
  • lawyer
  • jurist

Stevenson Archer (February 28, 1827 – August 2, 1898) was a slave owner[1] and U.S. Congressman from Maryland, serving the second district for four terms from 1867 to 1875. He also served in the Maryland House of Delegates and as Treasurer of Maryland.

Early life

Stevenson Archer was born at Medical Hall near Churchville, Maryland on February 28, 1827, to Pamella B. (née Hays) and Stevenson Archer.[2][3][4] Archer's father and grandfather, John Archer, were both Congressmen from Maryland.[5][4] His sister, Pamelia H. Archer, was the mother of George Earle Chamberlain, the 11th Governor of Oregon and a two term United States Senator.[5]

Archer attended Bel Air Academy, later graduating from Princeton College in 1848. He studied law at the office of Otho Scott in Bel Air, and was admitted to the bar in 1850, commencing practice the same year.[2][3]

Career

In 1851, Archer formed a partnership with Edwin Hanson Webster.[3] In 1853, he was elected as a Whig to the Maryland House of Delegates.[2][3][6]

In 1866, he was elected as a Democrat to the Fortieth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1867, until March 3, 1875. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1874.[2][3] In 1867, Archer was appointed as judge for a term on the Cecil County court.[3]

Archer succeeded John S. Gittings as Treasurer of Maryland in 1886.[3] In 1890, he was accused of embezzling $132,000 in state funds. The investigation found he had kept railroad bonds for personal use. He pleaded guilty to malfeasance and was sentenced to five years in the Maryland Penitentiary.[4][7][8][9] In May 1894, Governor Frank Brown pardoned him.[3][9]

Archer continued the practice of law in Bel Air until his death.[2]

Personal life

Archer married Blanche Franklin of Sumner County, Tennessee in 1855.[4][10] She was also known as Jane Cage Franklin.[4] Together, they had five children.[4][11]

Archer's family lived at Hazell Dell near Bel Air.[4]

Later life and death

Grave of Archer in Churchville Presbyterian Church cemetery

Archer suffered from kidney ailments since 1893. After leaving prison in May 1894, he was hospitalized.[3] Archer died from Bright's disease on August 2, 1898, at the City Hospital in Baltimore.[2][11] He is interred in the Churchville Presbyterian Church cemetery.[2][9]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, January 13, 2022, retrieved January 15, 2022
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "ARCHER, Stevenson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mr. Archer Dying". The Baltimore Sun. August 2, 1898. p. 10. Retrieved August 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "STEVENSON ARCHER, 1828-1898". Maryland State Archives. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley, Oregon: Containing Original Sketches of Many Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present. In two parts. Chicago, IL: Chapman Publishing Co., 1903; part 1, pg. 37.
  6. ↑ "Historical List, House of Delegates, Harford County (1790-1974)". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. April 30, 1999. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  7. ↑ | MR. ARCHER UNDER ARREST; MARYLAND'S EX-STATE TREASURER GUILTY OF MALFEASANCE IN OFFICE | APRIL 11, 1890 |
  8. ↑ Long, Kim (December 18, 2008). The Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals, and Dirty Politics. ISBN 9780307481344.
  9. 1 2 3 Erika Quesenbery Sturgill (October 11, 2014). "A tale of three Archers: How a Harford family rose & fell". Cecil Daily. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Blanche F. Archer Dead". The Baltimore Sun. February 18, 1919. p. 8. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  11. 1 2 "Stevenson Archer Dead". The Baltimore Sun. August 3, 1898. p. 10. Retrieved September 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
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