Editing William E. Chandler (section)

===Civil War and Reconstruction===
In 1865, Chandler was appointed by President [[Abraham Lincoln]] [[Solicitor General of the Navy|solicitor]] and [[Judge Advocate General of the Navy|judge advocate general]] of the [[United States Department of the Navy|Navy Department]].  Subsequently, he was appointed First Assistant [[Secretary of the Treasury]], until he resigned in 1867.<ref name="books.google.com"/> During Chandler's tenure as First Assistant, referendums for black suffrage in most states failed, and he explained to a [[Radical Republican]] that President [[Andrew Johnson]] believed the Republicans:{{sfn|Foner|p=223}}
{{cquote|...could not carry [black suffrage] as a national issue; and the result in Connecticut proves he is right.}}

Like most Republicans, Chandler advocated suffrage for blacks.<ref name=papers/> However, he broke from the party's loyalists in his opposition to the perceived influence of trusts and railroad interests. Chandler also opposed the [[gold standard]].<ref name=papers/> Among intraparty disputes on civil rights between the Radical and "[[Conservative Republicans (Reconstruction era)|Conservative]]" factions, Chandler stated:{{sfn|Foner|pp=224–25}}
{{cquote|I notice, that everyone who goes South, whether Radical or Conservative, comes back confirmed in his previous opinion.}}

During Reconstruction, Chandler expressed pessimism about Republican efforts to safeguard Southern blacks from Democratic terrorism, viewing a demise of military protection as inevitable. As chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]], he wrote:{{sfn|Foner|p=451}}
{{cquote|This southern business must have its run. We are bound to be overwhelmed by the new rebel combinations in every southern state.}}

On April 2, 1868, Chandler [[testified]] in [[impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson|the impeachment trial]] of President [[Andrew Johnson]], having been called as a [[witness]] by the prosecution.<ref>{{cite book |title=Extracts from the Journal of the United States Senate In All Cases of Impeachment Presented By The United States House of Representatives (1798-1904) |series=Congressional serial set |page=241 |date=1912 |publisher=Washington Government Printing Office |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b628530&view=1up&seq=249}}</ref>

Amidst controversies that ensued in the wake of the [[1876 United States presidential election]], Chandler aided Republican efforts to ensure an ultimate victory for [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] over [[Samuel J. Tilden]]. In the state of Florida, the Tallahassee canvassing board tossed out 1,500 Democratic votes under the urging of Chandler, who believed the results tainted by Democratic election fraud and voter suppression, to "manufacture a Hayes victory."<ref>Muzzey, David Saville (1934). ''James G. Blaine: A Political Idol of Other Days'', p. 126. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company.</ref>

Chandler returned to New Hampshire and became a newspaper publisher and editor during the 1870s and 1880s. Continuing in politics, he was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1876 and a member of the State house of representatives in 1881.<ref name="books.google.com"/>