Birthdays
William Armstrong
Turns 23 on this date
Alfred Holt Colquitt
Turns 35 on this date
John Gibbon
Turns 32 on this date
James Henry Loomis
Turns 17 on this date
Albert Gallatin Porter
Turns 35 on this date
Charles Debrille Poston
Turns 34 on this date
John Smith Preston
Turns 50 on this date
Events
| Cultural | Bayard Taylor, the famous American travel writer, announces he will report exclusively for the New York Mercury | 04/20/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The trial of Daniel Sickles for the murder of Philip Barton Key continues in Washington D.C. |
04/18/1859 to 04/23/1859 |
| Lawmaking/Litigating | The trial of Oberlin-Wellington rescuer Charles Langston continues in the federal court in Cleveland, Ohio |
04/19/1859 to 05/09/1859 |
Documents
| Newspaper | New York Herald, “The Charleston Convention,” April 20, 1859 | 04/20/1859 |
| Newspaper | New York Times, “The Massachusetts Two Years’ Amendment,” April 20, 1859 | 04/20/1859 |