Burlingame, Anson (1820-1870)

Name:

Burlingame, Anson (1820-1870)

Title:

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 5th district
Minister to the Qing Empire (appointed by Lincoln)

Born:

11/14/1820

Birthplace:

New Berlin, Chenango County, NY

Died:

02/23/1870

Death Location:

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Nationality:

American

Occupation:

American lawyer, legislator, and diplomat

Father:

Joel Burlingame

Mother:

Freelove Angell

Spouse:

Jane Cornelia Livermore

Children:

Edward Livermore Burlingame
Walter Angell Burlingame
Gertrude Burlingame

Notes:

Burlingame delivered what The New York Times referred to as "the most celebrated speech"[1] of his career: a scathing denunciation of Preston Brooks' assault on Charles Sumner, branding him as "the vilest sort of coward" on the floor of the Senate. In response, Brooks challenged Burlingame to a duel, stating he would gladly face him "in any Yankee mudsill of his choosing". Burlingame, a well-known marksman, eagerly accepted, choosing rifles as the weapons and the Navy Yards on the Canadian side of the US-Canada border in Niagara Falls, NY as the location (in order to circumvent the US ban on dueling). Brooks, reportedly dismayed by both Burlingame's unexpectedly enthusiastic acceptance and his reputation as a crack shot, neglected to show up