Caleb Cushing

Biography

Caleb Cushing was a prominent American lawyer, diplomat, and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts and later as Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce. Born in Salisbury, Massachusetts, Cushing distinguished himself through his legal expertise and diplomatic acumen, serving in various capacities including as a U.S. Minister to China, where he negotiated important trade agreements. His career spanned the antebellum and Civil War periods, during which he maintained a complex political position, initially supporting the Union but later becoming controversial for his conservative stance on slavery and Reconstruction issues.