Henry B. (Henry Brewster) Stanton

Born in Connecticut in 1805, Henry Brewster Stanton became known as an eloquent abolitionist at a time when antislavery speaking could provoke real danger. He studied at Lane Theological Seminary, helped organize antislavery efforts there, and went on to work with major reform groups including the American Anti-Slavery Society. His writing appeared in leading newspapers and antislavery publications, and he built a reputation as a determined public lecturer and organizer.

In 1840 he married Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the two moved within overlapping circles of abolition, reform, and public life. While her later fame often overshadows his, he had a substantial career of his own: he was admitted to the bar, became known in patent law, and also served in the New York State Senate in the early 1850s.

Stanton died in 1887. Today he is remembered as a committed reformer whose life touched several of the biggest movements of his century, including abolition, party politics, journalism, and the wider push for social change.