Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
Name Entries
person
Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Surname :
Webster
Forename :
Daniel
Date :
1782-1852
eng
Latn
authorizedForm
rda
Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Old Whig, 1782-1852
Computed Name Heading
Name Components
Forename :
Old Whig
Date :
1782-1852
eng
Latn
alternativeForm
rda
Genders
Male
Exist Dates
Biographical History
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore. As one of the most prominent American lawyers of the 19th century, he argued over 200 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court between 1814 and his death in 1852. During his life, he was a member of the Federalist Party, the National Republican Party, and the Whig Party.
Born in New Hampshire in 1782, Webster established a successful legal practice in Portsmouth, New Hampshire after undergoing a legal apprenticeship. He emerged as a prominent opponent of the War of 1812 and won election to the United States House of Representatives, where he served as a leader of the Federalist Party. Webster left office after two terms and relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. He became a leading attorney before the Supreme Court of the United States, winning cases such as Dartmouth College v. Woodward, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Gibbons v. Ogden. Webster returned to the House in 1823 and became a key supporter of President John Quincy Adams. He won election to the United States Senate in 1827 and worked with Henry Clay to build the National Republican Party in support of Adams.
After Andrew Jackson defeated Adams in the 1828 presidential election, Webster became a leading opponent of Jackson's domestic policies. He strongly objected to the theory of nullification espoused by John C. Calhoun, and his Second Reply to Hayne speech is widely regarded as one of the greatest speeches ever delivered in Congress. Webster supported Jackson's defiant response to the Nullification Crisis, but broke with the president due to disagreements over the Second Bank of the United States. Webster joined with other Jackson opponents in forming the Whig Party, and unsuccessfully ran in the 1836 presidential election. He supported Harrison in the 1840 presidential election and was appointed secretary of state after Harrison took office. Unlike the other members of Harrison's Cabinet, he continued to serve under President Tyler after Tyler broke with congressional Whigs. As secretary of state, Webster negotiated the Webster–Ashburton Treaty, which settled border disputes with Britain.
Webster returned to the Senate in 1845 and resumed his status as a leading congressional Whig. During the Mexican–American War, he emerged as a leader of the "Cotton Whigs," a faction of Northern Whigs that emphasized good relations with the South over anti-slavery policies. In 1850, President Fillmore appointed Webster as secretary of state, and Webster contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which settled several territorial issues and enacted a new fugitive slave law. The Compromise proved unpopular in much of the North and undermined Webster's standing in his home state. Webster sought the Whig nomination in the 1852 presidential election, but a split between supporters of Fillmore and Webster led to the nomination of General Winfield Scott. Webster is widely regarded as an important and talented attorney, orator, and politician, but historians and observers have offered mixed opinions on his moral qualities and ability as a national leader.
eng
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External Related CPF
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n80034929
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10581742
https://viaf.org/viaf/4944460
https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q106231
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80034929
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eng
Latn
Subjects
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Executors and administrators
Apportionment (Election law)
Autobiographies
Autograph verse
Breach of contract
Cabinet officers
Campaign literature
Political campaigns
Capital punishment
Compromise of 1850
Conduct of life
Constitutional law
Correspondence
Court calendar
Diplomacy
Diplomatic and consular service, American
Diplomatic and consular service, American
Diplomatic and consular service, American
Elections
Employment references
Equity pleading and procedure
Finance, Personal
Fourth of July celebrations
Fourth of July celebrations
Fourth of July orations
Franking privilege
Freemasonry
French spoliation claims
Fugitive slaves
Inland water transportation
Justices of the peace
Land speculation
Law
Lawyers
Lawyers
Lawyers
Lawyers
Lawyers
Lawyers
Learned institutions and societies
Legal correspondence
Legislators
Manuscripts, American
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Mexican War, 1846-1848
National banks (U.S.)
Nullification (States' rights)
Passports
Political science
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Practice of law
Practice of law
Practice of law
Presidential candidates
Presidential candidates
Presidential candidates
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Prisoners of war, American
Public lands
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Smithsonian Endowment
Spanish Florida claims
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Washington's Birthday addresses
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Representatives, U.S. Congress
Senators, U.S. Congress
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Places
Fryeburg
ME, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Boston
MA, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Exeter
NH, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Portsmouth
NH, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
District of Columbia
DC, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Marshfield
MA, US
AssociatedPlace
Death
Boscawen
NH, US
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Salisbury
NH, US
AssociatedPlace
Birth
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