from findagrave.com: Civil War US Senator. Elected as a Senator from Massachusetts, serving from 1851 until his death in office in 1874. A staunch and vocal proponent of the Abolitionist movement, he gave a speech dubbed the "Crime Against Kansas" condeming slavery on May 22, 1856, which prompted South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks to assault and severely injure him. He was absent from the Senate on account of the injuries caused by Brooks from 1856 to December 1859. (bio by: Russ Dodge)