Hale, John Parker, 1806–73, American politician, b. Rochester, N.H. He practiced law at Dover, N.H., and had remarkable success with juries. He was U.S. district attorney (1834–41) and a member of the House of Representatives (1843–45). His refusal to vote for the annexation of Texas caused his expulsion from the Democratic party. He then (1847–53) served in the Senate as an independent and was nominated (1852) for President by the Free-Soil party. Again (1855–64) in the Senate, he was accused of questionable practices as naval committee chairman, and he was defeated (1864) for reelection. He was minister to Spain (1865–69).

Bibliography

See R. H. Sewell, John P. Hale and the Politics of Abolition (1965).

Hale, John Parker

(born March 31, 1806, Rochester, N.H., U.S.—died Nov. 19, 1873, Dover, N.H.) U.S. politician and reformer. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843–45), where he achieved prominence as an opponent of slavery. In the U.S. Senate (1847–53, 1855–65), he sponsored a bill abolishing flogging in the navy. In 1852 he was the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Free Soil Party. He returned to the Senate as a Republican and became a leader of that party. He later served as U.S. minister to Spain (1865–69).