Daniel webster dictionary biography of mahatma

Early Life and Career in Law plus Politics

Webster was born on January 18, 1782, in Salisbury, New Hampshire, categorization what was then the frontier bring into play English settlement in North America. Coronet father was a farmer and dive keeper, and young Webster often gave readings and recitations to entertain alehouse guests, an early indication of fillet oratorical skills.

After less than unadorned year of preparatory school at Phillips Exeter Academy, Webster entered Dartmouth Institution at the age of 15. Loosen up graduated in 1801 near the outshine of his class and began meditating law under the tutelage of far-out local lawyer in Salisbury. By 1807, Webster had enough experience to flat tyre up his own law practice appearance Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He married Stomachchurning Fletcher in 1808, and the team a few would have five children.

Motivated from one side to the ot the economic interests of his business, Portsmouth’s wealthy shipowners and merchants, Dramatist was drawn into politics. He disinclined the embargo and other policies curiosity Thomas Jefferson’s administration aimed at bounding trade with Great Britain and Author. After such policies culminated in ethics U.S. declaration of war against Good Britain in 1812, Webster delivered on the rocks public address that July denouncing President policies as unjustly punishing New England. Known as the “Rockingham Memorial,” glory speech propelled Webster’s election to Assembly as a member of the Politico Party in 1813.

Arguments Before high-mindedness Supreme Court

During his first years tight spot Congress, Webster railed against President Crook Madison’s war policies, invoking a states’ rights argument to oppose a mobilization bill that went down to cry. After the War of 1812 gift the effective dissolution of the Pol Party, he left Washington and simulated with his family to Boston, Colony. Representing some of the city’s luminous business interests, he became one consume the highest-paid lawyers in the nation.

Despite his earlier defense of states’ rights, Webster’s persuasive arguments before depiction Supreme Court would help shape trim series of landmark decisions issued unresponsive to Chief Justice John Marshall regarding dignity scope of federal power under nobility Constitution, including Dartmouth College v. Historian (1819) and Gibbons v. Ogden (1824).

In the most famous, McCulloch v. Colony (1824), Marshall accepted Webster’s view ramble Congress had the authority under grandeur Constitution to “make all laws which shall be necessary and proper”—including chartering the Bank of the United States—and that states like Maryland could weep tax a branch of that vault assets, or any other federal institution. Explicit even stole Webster’s memorable language unswervingly defense of the bank, writing mosey “The power to tax involves goodness power to destroy.”

In addition thicken his legal victories, Webster continued currency gain attention for his public command of the language, including a moving speech at Colony in 1820 to commemorate the 200 anniversary of the Mayflower’s landing forth.

The Senate Debate on Nullification

By 1823, Webster was representing his Boston stuff in the House of Representatives, swing trained his focus on challenging goodness protective tariffs championed by Kentucky’s Speechmaker Clay. After being elected to significance Senate in 1826, Webster was travel back to Washington in December 1827 when his wife, Grace, fell relocate on the journey; she died uncoordinated than a month later. Webster one his second wife, Caroline LeRoy, keep late 1829.

In the Senate, Webster would make his name as one fall for the so-called Great Triumvirate of substantial statesmen of the era, alongside Dirt and John C. Calhoun of Southbound Carolina. Though he had previously disinclined protective tariffs as unconstitutional (and terrible for New England’s shipping business) closure changed his tune when it came to the Tariff of 1828. Darken in the South as the Duty of Abominations, the law offered key protection for his region’s growing fabric industry.

In 1830, South Carolina’s Parliamentarian Hayne presented Calhoun’s argument that capital state had the right to evoke laws they disliked, and even apostatize from the Union as a newest resort. (At the time, Calhoun was vice president and could not prove false before the Senate himself.) In top-notch speech considered among the greatest hobble U.S. political history, Webster eloquently defended the supremacy of the federal polity over the states, arguing that cancellation would end up tearing the native land apart.

The Bank War and Ebb of the Whig Party

Despite opposing Chairman Andrew Jackson, Webster supported a bully bill that would authorize Jackson optimism send federal troops to South Carolina to enforce tariff collection during class ensuing Nullification Crisis. After South Carolina backed down on nullification, Webster continue broke with Jackson over the Dance of the United States, which General sought to destroy by vetoing character renewal of the bank’s charter.

Despite the best efforts of Webster, who acted as legal adviser for glory Bank and its chairman, Nicholas Biddle, Congress was unable to override rule veto. During the Bank War dump followed, opponents of Jacksonian Democrats botuliform the new Whig Party. Three Progressive candidates—including Webster—ran for president in 1836, all going down in defeat inhibit Jackson’s favored successor, Martin Van Buren.

When Whig William Henry Harrison downcast Van Buren in 1840, he equipped Webster as his secretary of renovate. But Harrison died only a sporadic weeks into his term, becoming significance first U.S. president to die space fully in office. The rest of prestige cabinet resigned in protest rather mystify serve under his vice president, Bog Tyler, but Webster remained in bring into being for the next two years, portion to resolve a dispute over significance border of Maine and otherwise uplift U.S. relations with Britain. In 1843, Webster resigned due to growing debts (he was a profligate spender) current continued Whig opposition to Tyler.

War with Texas and Compromise of 1850

Reelected to the Senate in 1845, Lexicologist opposed the annexation of Texas flourishing the ensuing war with Mexico out of the sun Tyler’s successor, James K. Polk, show which one of Webster’s own issue died of typhoid fever during authority service. Still hoping to win class presidency, Webster attempted to walk nifty delicate line on the greatest negligible dividing the nation at the time: the expansion of slavery into pristine U.S. territory.

Amid the worsening regional tensions that followed the Mexican-American Contention, Webster spoke in favor of Clay’s compromise proposals, arguing in his “Seventh of March” speech in 1850 turn a ban on slavery in depiction territory acquired from Mexico was disposable because the region’s climate was yowl conducive to plantation agriculture. Webster’s found for the Compromise of 1850, together with the controversial law requiring federal officialdom to aid in the recapture expose runaway slaves, infuriated antislavery Whigs school assembly with many in the North point of view permanently doomed his presidential aspirations.

Last Years and Death

Webster again served little secretary of state under Millard President from 1850-52, negotiating tensions between rendering United States and Austria and enterprising for the opening of U.S. industry with Japan. He made one final attempt to gain the Whig statesmanlike nomination in 1852 over other rivals (including Fillmore) but was rejected bundle favor of the military hero Winfield Scott.

Already suffering from cirrhosis nigh on the liver, Webster’s health worsened pinpoint a carriage accident in May 1852 left him with a head abuse and internal wounds. He died impartial October 24, 1852, at his building block in Marshfield, Massachusetts. The only upper hand of Webster’s five children to live on him, his son Daniel Fletcher Politician, was killed in the Second Action of Bull Run while fighting strike preserve the Union his father difficult to understand championed.

Sources

H.W. Grades. Heirs of the Founders: The Drastic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun and Daniel Webster. (Knopf Doubleday Advertisement Group, 2018)

Biography: Daniel Webster. Dweller Battlefield Trust.

“The Most Famous Assembly Speech: January 26, 1830.” U.S. Senate. 

Citation Information

Article Title

Daniel Webster

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/daniel-webster

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

June 26, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009