Matthew H. Carpenter

Matthew Hale Carpenter
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
In office March 12, 1873 – January 4, 1875
Preceded by	Henry B. Anthony
Succeeded by	Henry B. Anthony
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office March 4, 1879 – February 24, 1881
Preceded by	Timothy O. Howe
Succeeded by	Angus Cameron
In office March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1875
Preceded by	James R. Doolittle
Succeeded by	Angus Cameron
Personal details
Born	(1824-12-22)December 22, 1824 Moretown, Vermont, U.S.
Died	February 24, 1881(1881-02-24) (aged 56) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Spouse	Caroline Dillingham Carpenter ​ ​ (m. 1855)​
Relations	Paul Dillingham (father in law) William P. Dillingham (brother in law)
Children	2
Education	United States Military Academy
Profession	Attorney

Matthew Hale Carpenter (born Decatur Merritt Hammond Carpenter; December 22, 1824 – February 24, 1881) was an American attorney and U.S. Senator representing the state of Wisconsin. He served in the Senate from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 to 1881.^[1] Recognized as an authority on constitutional law, he made some of the most important legal arguments of 19th-century America. Carpenter presented cases before the U. S. Supreme Court involving such matters as states' rights and regulation of corporations.

Originally a Democrat, he evolved into a Republican during the Civil War, and helped perpetuate the party's political machinery in Wisconsin. His sustained support for President Ulysses S. Grant's administration despite allegations of corruption lost him the backing of reformers, and his legal arguments in favor of Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden in the disputed presidential election of 1876 outraged many Republicans. A gifted orator, he was dubbed "the Webster of the West."