ABSTRACT
George Frisbie Hoar entered national politics in 1869, during the first year of the Ulysses S. Grant administration, as a freshman congressman. His kinsman, John Sherman, had been a presence on the Washington scene since his election to the House in 1854. In the intervening years, Sherman had served six years in the House and was almost elected Speaker in 1859, before his move to the upper chamber from Ohio in 1861. In March 1867, Sherman was selected chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to replace Pitt Fessenden, who had ample but limited faith in the abilities of the Ohioan. He voted in 1868 to convict Andrew Johnson of subverting the constitutional powers of the Senate.
