author
John A. J. (John Angel James) Creswell
1828–1891
A gifted speaker and reform-minded public servant, he rose from small-town Maryland to become one of the most prominent antislavery Republicans in his state. His years in Congress and as Postmaster General tied his name to the political reshaping of the United States after the Civil War.
1 Audiobook
Oration on the Life and Character of Henry Winter Davis
by John A. J. (John Angel James) Creswell
About the author
Born in Maryland in 1828, Creswell studied at Dickinson College and went on to build a career in law and politics. He served as a U.S. representative and senator from Maryland, and his public life became closely linked with the Union cause and the antislavery movement during and after the Civil War.
He is best remembered nationally for serving as Postmaster General under President Ulysses S. Grant. In that role, he helped lead a fast-growing postal system at a time when the country was expanding and reconnecting after the war, and he gained a reputation as an energetic reformer.
Some records note that he changed his middle names from Andrew Jackson to Angel James after entering national politics, distancing himself from the legacy of Andrew Jackson. He died in 1891, remembered as an able orator and an important Maryland Republican of the Reconstruction era.