Salmon P. Chase was born in Cornish, New Hampshire. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1826 and was admitted to the bar in 1829.
Salmon P. Chase was active in the abolitionist movement. From his defense of escaped slaves he was dubbed the Attorney General for Fugitive Slaves.
In 1849 he was elected to the United States Senate from Ohio on the Free Soil Party. In 1855 Chase was elected governor of Ohio.
In 1860 he ran for the United States Republican Party nomination for the Presidency; at the Party convention he got 49 votes on the first ballot and afterwards threw his support to Abraham Lincoln.
After Lincoln's election Chase was appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury, serving until 1864 when he resigned that post and Lincoln nominated Chase for the Supreme Court. Chase then served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Salmon P. Chase died in New York City.
Chase's portrait appears on the 10,000 dollar bill, which is no longer in circulation.
