Gamble, Hamilton Rowan

Life Span
to
    Full name
    Hamilton Rowan Gamble
    Place of Birth
    Birth Date Certainty
    Exact
    Death Date Certainty
    Exact
    Gender
    Male
    Race
    White
    Sectional choice
    North
    Origins
    Slave State
    No. of Spouses
    1
    No. of Children
    7
    Family
    Joseph Gamble (father), Ann Hamilton (mother), Archibald Gamble (brother), Caroline J. Coalter (wife)
    Education
    Other
    Other Education
    Hampden-Sydney College
    Occupation
    Politician
    Attorney or Judge
    Church or Religious Denomination
    Presbyterian
    Political Parties
    Whig
    Government
    Governor
    State legislature
    State supreme court
    Other state government

    Hamilton Rowan Gamble, Dred Scott (American National Biography)

    Scholarship
    When Missouri moved to an elected supreme court in 1851, a change that Gamble had championed for some time, he secured an easy election, serving until 1854. In the most noted case to come before the court during his term, Gamble, in a lone dissenting vote, asserted that Dred Scott was entitled to his freedom because his master had taken him into free territory--a view in accord with eight previous decisions by the Missouri Supreme Court but now unpopular with his two fellow justices, who were proslavery Democrats.
    William E. Parrish, "Gamble, Hamilton Rowan," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/04/04-00401.html.

    Hamilton Rowan Gamble, Civil War (American National Biography)

    Scholarship
    Gamble inherited an exceedingly difficult situation in 1861 and dealt with it quite credibly. He determined from the outset to let Missourians retain as much control of their internal situation as the establishment of martial law would allow, hence his concern to have local militia cooperating with federal military authorities to try to keep order. While Gamble's relationship with the federal military commanders at St. Louis was not always harmonious because of their jealous guardianship of authority, the militia worked fairly effectively given the turbulent condition of the state. Gamble's insistence on the militia's use allowed many Missourians who would not have volunteered beyond the state's boundaries to participate in the war effort. Although determined to protect slavery at the beginning of the war, Gamble moderated that stand as it became obvious that sentiment was shifting toward some form of emancipation. He effectively steered a middle course on that issue. Throughout the war his was the voice of local control and moderation, and his leadership did much to hold Missourians together during the four years of internecine strife.
    William E. Parrish, "Gamble, Hamilton Rowan," American National Biography Online, February 2000, http://www.anb.org/articles/04/04-00401.html.
    Chicago Style Entry Link
    Boman, Dennis K. Lincoln's Resolute Unionist : Hamilton Gamble, Dred Scott Dissenter and Missouri's Civil War Governor. Southern Biography Series. Baton Rouge: Louisiana University Press, 2006. view record
    Boman, Dennis K. Lincoln's Resolute Unionist: Hamilton Gamble, Dred Scott Dissenter and Missouri's Civil War Governor. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2006. view record
    How to Cite This Page: "Gamble, Hamilton Rowan," House Divided: The Civil War Research Engine at Dickinson College, https://hd.housedivided.dickinson.edu/index.php/node/5695.