Elihu Benjamin Washburne was an American politician. A member of the Washburn family, which played a prominent role in the early formation of the United States Republican Party, he served as a congressman from Illinois before, during and after the American Civil War. He was a political ally of President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant. During Grant's administration, Washburne was the 25th United States Secretary of State briefly in 1869, and was the United States Minister to France from 1869 to 1877. Born: September 23, 1816 Died: October 22, 1887 In office: March 5, 1869 – March 16, 1869 Wiki link