Eben Francis Stone

Eben Francis Stone (August 3, 1822 – January 22, 1895) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1881 to 1887. He was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to Ebenezer Stone and Fanny (Coolidge) Stone, in a coastal community whose commercial and civic life would shape his later public career. Raised in Newburyport, he was educated in local schools before pursuing preparatory studies at North Andover Academy, reflecting an early commitment to higher learning and the professions.

Stone attended Harvard University, from which he graduated in 1843. He then studied law at Harvard Law School, earning his degree in 1846. Following his formal legal education, he was admitted to the bar in 1847 and commenced the practice of law in his native Newburyport. His early legal career established him as a prominent member of the local bar and provided the professional foundation for his subsequent involvement in municipal and state government.

Stone entered public life in Newburyport municipal politics. In 1851 he served as president of the common council, a position that placed him at the center of the city’s legislative and administrative affairs. His work in local government coincided with a period of growth and change in Newburyport, and it helped to build his reputation as a capable civic leader. This municipal experience served as a stepping stone to higher office in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Advancing to state politics, Stone served in the Massachusetts Senate in 1857, 1858, and again in 1861. His tenure in the state senate spanned the turbulent years immediately preceding and at the outset of the Civil War, when questions of union, slavery, and national policy dominated public debate. During these years he was aligned with the emerging Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery and supported the preservation of the Union, and he contributed to the legislative process at a time of mounting national crisis.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Stone entered military service in the Union Army. He commanded the 48th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, assuming responsibility for organizing, leading, and administering a volunteer regiment in the service of the United States. His wartime command reflected both his political commitment to the Union cause and his willingness to undertake active military duty during the conflict.

After the war, Stone returned to Newburyport and resumed his engagement in local and state affairs. In 1867 he served as the eleventh mayor of Newburyport, overseeing municipal governance during the Reconstruction era. That same year he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, marking the beginning of a series of terms in the lower house of the state legislature. He again served in the Massachusetts House in 1877, 1878, and 1880, participating in deliberations on state policy during a period of industrial expansion and political realignment in Massachusetts. These repeated legislative assignments underscored his standing as an experienced and trusted Republican lawmaker.

Stone’s long record of public service culminated in his election to the United States House of Representatives. As a Republican, he was elected to the Forty-seventh, Forty-eighth, and Forty-ninth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1881, to March 3, 1887. Representing Massachusetts in the U.S. House, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history marked by post-Reconstruction adjustment, economic development, and debates over federal policy. During his three terms in office he participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of his Massachusetts constituents in national affairs. He chose not to be a candidate for renomination in 1886, thereby concluding his congressional career after six years of service.

Following his retirement from Congress, Stone returned once more to Newburyport and resumed the practice of law. He continued to be regarded as a prominent figure in the civic and professional life of the community where he had been born, educated, and had spent the greater part of his career. Eben Francis Stone died in Newburyport on January 22, 1895. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, closing a life characterized by sustained service at the municipal, state, and national levels.