United States 24c Edwin M. Stanton, 1870

United States · 1870 · 24c

This stamp features a portrait of Edwin M. Stanton, an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. The design is part of the 1870-1871 National Bank Note Company issue, which replaced the 1869 Pictorials and featured prominent American historical figures.

Issued during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, this series of stamps re-established the use of presidential and other statesman's portraits, a tradition that continues to this day.