William Alfred Buckingham

Born: Lebanon; May 28, 1804
Died: Norwich; February 5, 1875

Entry by James P. Walsh

William Buckingham is often called "Connecticut's Lincoln," and there are indeed many interesting parallels between the two men. Like Lincoln's, Buckingham's political career before the late 1850s was undistinguished. Like Lincoln's, Buckingham's political obscurity proved to be an asset. And finally, when put to the ultimate test of executive leadership, Buckingham, like Lincoln, performed superbly.

Unlike Lincoln, however, Buckingham came from an upper-class family. He was the son of a wealthy businessman. When he was twenty-two, he opened a general store in Norwich, his home for the rest of his life, and began to build his own fortune.  In 1848 he invested nearly all of his capital in the Hayward Rubber Company in Colchester, a move that soon made him rich.

Buckingham, who had served only in local elective offices, joined the newly organized Republican party at an opportune moment. In 1858 the Republicans had a chance to win the governorship and wanted a safe, non-controversial candidate. Buckingham was ideal. He had offended nobody, and no one knew what ideas or principles he endorsed. He won the ensuing election by a very close margin. It is interesting to note that the leaders of the Republican party on the national level were much impressed by the success of the Connecticut Republicans in running an obscure person for governor. Many of them remembered the lesson in the 1860 convention that nominated Lincoln.

Having won reelection in 1859 and 1860, Buckingham was governor when Fort Sumter was fired on. Because the General Assembly was not in session at the time, Buckingham immediately responded on his own authority to Lincoln's call for volunteers. Within two days, he had begun the process that quickly supplied the Union Army with twice as many men from Connecticut as the president had asked for. In order to equip the recruits, Buckingham borrowed money on his own credit.

Buckingham's dedication to the Union led him to make several controversial decisions. He once issued a proclamation that seemed to condone mob attacks on newspapers that opposed the war. During the summer of 1863, after massive draft riots broke out in New York City, Buckingham distributed the state's arms and ammunition to individuals loyal to the Union. He thus raised the prospect of having private armies within the state. Nevertheless, Connecticut did not experience the same degree of repression that became commonplace elsewhere during the Civil War, and Buckingham maintained the trust of the people. He was annually reelected until 1866 when be chose to take a short vacation from public office. He served Connecticut again in the United States Senate and died while in that office.

Buckingham governed a state ready to fight for the Union. It was not necessary for him to rouse the spirit of the people; rather, his great contribution was in organizing and directing the energies of the Connecticut people in the interest of the preservation of the Union, the goal that he and they sought.

For Further Reading

The fullest biography of Buckingham is Samuel G. Buckingham, The Life of William A. Buckingham (Springfield, Massachusetts, 1894).

* Entry under revision.