Chandler, Zachariah, << `zak` uh RY uh >> (1813-1879), was an early leader of the Republican Party. He began his career as a Whig, but his strong antislavery views led him to call for a new party, the Republican Party. The party was formed in 1854. He served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1857 to 1875 and as U.S. secretary of the interior from 1875 to 1877. Chandler and other radical Republicans welcomed the American Civil War (1861-1865) as an opportunity to destroy slavery. They later favored punishing Southern leaders. Chandler was born on Dec. 10, 1813, in Bedford, New Hampshire. He died on Nov. 1, 1879.
