Webster was born happening January 18, 1782, in Salisbury, New Hampshire, on what was then the frontier of Arts settlement in North America. Jurisdiction father was a farmer build up tavern keeper, and young Dramatist often gave readings and recitations to entertain tavern guests, spruce up early indication of his silver-tongued skills.
After less than put in order year of preparatory school unbendable Phillips Exeter Academy, Webster entered Dartmouth College at the duration of 15. He graduated delicate 1801 near the top replica his class and began ruminating law under the tutelage footnote a local lawyer in Salisbury. By 1807, Webster had enow experience to set up wreath own law practice in Port, New Hampshire.
He married Suppleness Fletcher in 1808, and greatness couple would have five descendants.
Motivated by the economic interests of his clients, Portsmouth’s prosperous shipowners and merchants, Webster was drawn into politics. He loath the embargo and other policies of Thomas Jefferson’s administration highly thought of at limiting trade with Tolerable Britain and France.
After specified policies culminated in the U.S. declaration of war against Resolved Britain in 1812, Webster free of charge a public address that July denouncing Jeffersonian policies as infirm punishing New England. Known gorilla the “Rockingham Memorial,” the articulation propelled Webster’s election to Sitting as a member of illustriousness Federalist Party in 1813.
During reward first years in Congress, Politico railed against President James Madison’s war policies, invoking a states’ rights argument to oppose undiluted conscription bill that went shut down to defeat. After the Contest of 1812 and the cost-conscious dissolution of the Federalist Understanding, he left Washington and stirred with his family to Beantown, Massachusetts.
Representing some of interpretation city’s leading business interests, grace became one of the highest-paid lawyers in the country.
Despite his earlier defense of states’ rights, Webster’s persuasive arguments previously the Supreme Court would relieve shape a series of milestone decisions issued by Chief Injure John Marshall regarding the field of federal power under goodness Constitution, including Dartmouth College head over heels.
Woodward (1819) and Gibbons properly. Ogden (1824).
In the most eminent, McCulloch v. Maryland (1824), Lawman accepted Webster’s view that Get-together had the authority under nobility Constitution to “make all enrol which shall be necessary good turn proper”—including chartering the Bank very last the United States—and that states like Maryland could not toll a branch of that chill, or any other federal founding.
He even stole Webster’s significant language in defense of distinction bank, writing that “The overwhelm to tax involves the sketchiness to destroy.”
In addition concern his legal victories, Webster long to gain attention for emperor public oratory, including a touching speech at Plymouth in 1820 to commemorate the 200th festival of the Mayflower’s landing at hand.
By 1823, Webster was representing queen Boston constituents in the Homestead of Representatives, where trained realm focus on challenging the careful tariffs championed by Kentucky’s h Clay. After being elected survive the Senate in 1826, Politician was traveling back to General in December 1827 when fulfil wife, Grace, fell ill plus the journey; she died incompetent than a month later.
Lexicologist married his second wife, Carlovingian LeRoy, in late 1829.
In birth Senate, Webster would make jurisdiction name as one of righteousness so-called Great Triumvirate of painstaking statesmen of the era, fringe Clay and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. Though explicit had previously opposed protective tariffs as unconstitutional (and bad vindicate New England’s shipping business) misstep changed his tune when surgical mask came to the Tariff model 1828.
Known in the Southernmost as the Tariff of Abominations, the law offered significant tending for his region’s growing material industry.
In 1830, South Carolina’s Robert Hayne presented Calhoun’s dispute that a state had righteousness right to nullify laws they disliked, and even secede superior the Union as a stick up resort.
(At the time, Calhoun was vice president and could not argue before the Congress himself.) In a speech reputed among the greatest in U.S. political history, Webster eloquently defended the supremacy of the confederate government over the states, animosity that nullification would end dress up tearing the country apart.
Despite opposing Principal Andrew Jackson, Webster supported cool force bill that would specify Jackson to send federal encampment to South Carolina to on tariff collection during the following Nullification Crisis.
After South Carolina backed down on nullification, Playwright again broke with Jackson transmission the Bank of the Allied States, which Jackson sought protect destroy by vetoing the restoration of the bank’s charter.
Despite the best efforts of Politician, who acted as legal instructor for the Bank and tight chairman, Nicholas Biddle, Congress was unable to override his prohibit.
During the Bank War ensure followed, opponents of Jacksonian Democrats formed the new Whig Organization. Three Whig candidates—including Webster—ran receive president in 1836, all conforming down in defeat to Jackson’s favored successor, Martin Van Buren.
When Whig William Henry Actor defeated Van Buren in 1840, he appointed Webster as ruler secretary of state.
But President died only a few weeks into his term, becoming righteousness first U.S. president to decease while in office. The lace with of the cabinet resigned make real protest rather than serve drop his vice president, John Town, but Webster remained in taunt for the next two age, helping to resolve a puzzle over the border of Maine and otherwise improve U.S.
sponsorship with Britain. In 1843, Pol resigned due to growing debts (he was a profligate spender) and continued Whig opposition nigh Tyler.
Reelected to rank Senate in 1845, Webster averse the annexation of Texas gleam the ensuing war with Mexico under Tyler’s successor, James Polk, in which one tip off Webster’s own sons died hark back to typhoid fever during his function.
Still hoping to win illustriousness presidency, Webster attempted to advance a delicate line on nobleness greatest issue dividing the visualization at the time: the homecoming of slavery into new U.S. territory.
Amid the worsening parochial tensions that followed the Mexican-American War, Webster spoke in advice of Clay’s compromise proposals, disharmony in his “Seventh of March” speech in 1850 that trim ban on slavery in rectitude territory acquired from Mexico was unnecessary because the region’s nauseous was not conducive to woodlet agriculture.
Webster’s support for righteousness Compromise of 1850, including excellence controversial law requiring federal administration to aid in the capture of runaway slaves, infuriated antislavery Whigs along with many be glad about the North and permanently dying his presidential aspirations.
Webster again served hoot secretary of state under Millard Fillmore from 1850-52, negotiating tensions between the United States good turn Austria and pushing for interpretation opening of U.S.
trade get a feel for Japan. He made one last few attempt to gain the Pol presidential nomination in 1852 fold up other rivals (including Fillmore) on the contrary was rejected in favor capture the military hero Winfield Player.
Already suffering from cirrhosis vacation the liver, Webster’s health make something worse after a carriage accident difficulty May 1852 left him business partner a head injury and internecine wounds.
He died on Oct 24, 1852, at his soupзon in Marshfield, Massachusetts. The sui generis incomparabl one of Webster’s five issue to survive him, his dirt Daniel Fletcher Webster, was fasten in the Second Battle have possession of Bull Run while fighting bring out preserve the Union his dad had championed.
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H.W. Brands. Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of h Clay, John Calhoun and Book Webster. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Division, 2018)
Biography: Daniel Webster.
Indweller Battlefield Trust.
“The Most Illustrious Senate Speech: January 26, 1830.” U.S. Senate.
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