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Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852

 

Dates

  • Existence: 1782 - 1852

Biography

Daniel Webster was born on January 18, 1872 in Salisbury, New Hampshire. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1801, after which he began the study of law under Thomas W. Thompson and Christopher Gore. In 1805, he opened a law practice in Boscawen, New Hampshire where he stayed until 1807. As a result of his opposition to the War of 1812, Webster was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1813, where he served until 1817. In 1816, he moved to Boston. He was later elected to the United States House of Representatives (1823-1827) and the U.S. Senate (1827-1841 and 1845-1850). As a senator, he was a spokesman for American nationalism whose powerful oratory made him a key Whig leader. He spoke for conservatives and led the opposition to Democrat Andrew Jackson and his Democratic Party, firmly challenging Jackson's policies in the Bank War. From 1841 to 1843 and 1850 to 1852, Webster served as the United States Secretary of State. As a diplomat, he is best known for negotiating the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 with Great Britain, which established the Canada–United States border east of the Rocky Mountains. Webster was highly regarded as a lawyer, having shaped several US Supreme Court cases that established important constitutional precedents and bolstered the authority of the federal government. One of the cases he argued was the Dartmouth College case in 1819. Webster died October 24, 1852.

Found in 2103 Collections and/or Records:

Millard Fillmore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 851261
Webster Mss 851261
Date(s): 1851-04-11
Scope and Contents Two-page letter from US President Millard Fillmore in Washington, D.C. to Daniel Webster. Fillmore discusses his anxiety about "the removal of the fugitive" (Thomas Sims, an enslaved man who had escaped to Boston and was about to be sent back to slavery in Georgia). Fillmore also expresses the hope that Webster could find a competent lawyer to try "those engaged in the recent rescue" (of the fugitive enslaved man Shadrach Minkins from the custody of federal officers in Boston). Fillmore also...

Millard Fillmore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 851273.1
Webster Mss 851273.1
Date(s): 1851-04-23
Scope and Contents

Three-page letter from U.S. President Millard Fillmore in Washington, D.C. to Daniel Webster. Fillmore discusses the need to defend Mexico from attacks by native groups in order to ensure ratification of the Treaty of Tehuantepec. Fillmore also advises sending a chargé to Nicaragua and mentions a forged letter in "The Celt" meant to buttress Lewis Cass's presidential candidacy.

Millard Fillmore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 851410.1
Webster Mss 851410.1
Date(s): 1851-07-10
Scope and Contents

Two-page letter from Millard Fillmore to Daniel Webster concerning diplomatic matters. Topics include the consul at Acapulco, the proposed extradition treaty with Prussia, and sending a commission to China. Fillmore also mentions a trip to New York.

Miller and Parker Gore

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 806354
Webster Mss 806354
Date(s): 1806-06-04
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 806213
Webster Mss 806213
Date(s): 1806-03-13
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 805512.1
Webster Mss 805512.1
Date(s): 1805-09-12
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807662.1
Webster Mss 807662.1
Date(s): 1807-12-12
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807154
Webster Mss 807154
Date(s): 1807-02-04
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807251
Webster Mss 807251
Date(s): 1807-04-01
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807407
Webster Mss 807407
Date(s): 1807-07-07
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807430.2
Webster Mss 807430.2
Date(s): 1807-07-30
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807453
Webster Mss 807453
Date(s): 1807-08-03
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 807463
Webster Mss 807463
Date(s): 1807-08-13
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 806251
Webster Mss 806251
Date(s): 1806-04-01
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 806274.1
Webster Mss 806274.1
Date(s): 1806-04-24
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 806307
Webster Mss 806307
Date(s): 1806-05-07
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 805251
Webster Mss 805251
Date(s): 1805-04-01
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 805273.1
Webster Mss 805273.1
Date(s): 1805-04-23
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 805274
Webster Mss 805274
Date(s): 1805-04-24
Abstract

In English.

Miller and Parker Gore letter

 Item 1
Identifier: Mss 805653.1
Webster Mss 805653.1
Date(s): 1805-12-03
Abstract

In English.

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