1799 - 1889
A consummate machine boss who "never forgot a friend or forgave an enemy," Simon Cameron spent many years behind the scenes in Pennsylvania politics. Thanks to his early, effective support for Andrew Jackson, Cameron was put in charge of patronage for the state in the 1830s. He served as a printer, Indian claims adjuster, railroad builder, and banker before running for the Senate in 1845, replacing James Buchanan, who had joined James K. Polk's cabinet. By 1856, Cameron had joined the Republicans. In exchange for his support of Lincoln at the Republican Convention of 1860, Cameron was named secretary of war. Rampant corruption forced his resignation early in 1862, and Lincoln named him ambassador to Russia. Brady photographed Cameron in Washington around 1858, when he became the first Republican senator from Pennsylvania.
Mathew Brady Studio
Imperial salted-paper print, circa 1858
55.4 x 42.9 cm (21 3/4 x 16 7/8 inches) image/support
Chicago Historical Society, Illinois