Richard Busteed

Infobox Military Person
name= Richard Busteed
born= birth date|1822|2|16
died= death date and age|1898|9|14|1822|2|16
placeofbirth= Cavan, Ireland
placeofdeath= New York City, New York
placeofburial=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|USAUnited States of America
branch=nowrap|
serviceyears= 1862 – 1863
rank=Brigadier General
commands=
unit=VII Corps
battles=American Civil War
awards=
laterwork=

Richard Busteed (16 February, 1822 – 14 September 1898) was a United States Army Officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, Busteed was a lawyer before and after the war, he also served as US District judge of Alabama 1863 – 1874.

Early life

Born in Cavan, Ireland, his family relocated to London, Canada sometime after his father, George Washington Busteed, was removed as chief secretary of Saint Lucia in 1829. After moving to Canada the elder Busteed began publishing "The True Patriot" on which Richard worked as a type-setter. He accompanied his father to Cincinnati, Ohio, Hartford, Connecticut, and finally settled in New York City where he worked on the "Commercial Advertiser." Along with working as a journalist Busteed was licensed as a Methodist preacher. He visited Ireland for health reasons in 1840. Upon returning to New York he began to study the law and was admitted to the bar in 1846. He was elected corporation counsel of New York City in 1856 and held that office until 1859. In the presidential election of 1860 he was a strong supporter of Stephen A. Douglas, and a bitter opponent of Abraham Lincoln.

Civil War

Once the war erupted Busteed became a strong union man. He was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers on 7 August 1862 by President Lincoln and assigned duty first in New York then in Washington DC. On 15 December 1862 he was given command of an independent brigade detached from the VII Corps. The brigade was assigned to the peninsula near Yorktown, Virginia. Even though the five colonels in his brigade sent a joint letter to the Senate urging his confirmation, the Senate did not confirm the appointment. Busteed not only had enemies from the election of 1860, he had made new ones for his strong support of the administration and his stance on the slavery question. His appointment expired on 4 March 1863 and, relieved of his command, he resigned less than a week later on the 10th, ending his military career.

On 17 September 1863 Busteed was appointed to the bench of the United States District Court for the District of Alabama. This time his enemies in the Senate did not fight his confirmation and the appointment was confirmed unanimously on 20 January 1864. The confirmation may have gone so smoothly because Alabama was still mostly controlled by the Confederacy.

Post Civil War

It was not until after the war ended that Busteed was able to take his seat on the bench. He immediately came into disfavor with those pushing for harsh Reconstruction when he decided that the test-oath prescribed by Congress was unconstitutional, so far as it applied to attorneys practising before United States courts. Judges in other states and eventually the United States Supreme Court would deliver similar opinions. In November 1865 Busteed clashed with the US military authorities in Alabama over the suspension of habeas corpus. He served on the bench until resigning in 1874 when it looked that he would be impeached. He returned to New York City and the practice of law. He died there on 14 September 1898.

This Richard Busteed is often confused with a captain Richard Busteed of the Chicago Light Artillery due to a mix-up in pension records.

Family

Richard Busteed’s daughter married Lieutenant Ellicot C. V. Blake who was serving on the USS Wabash and later served as clerk of the court for Busteed in Alabama.

ee also

*List of American Civil War generals

External links

* [http://www.almd.uscourts.gov/outreach/docs/BUSTEED.pdf Richard Busteed ]
* [http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/4290 Gen Busteed at Picture History]

Persondata
NAME= Busteed, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
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DATE OF DEATH=
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