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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 opens a law practice in Boscawen, New Hampshire where he stayed there until 1807. As a result of his opposition to the War of 1812, Webster is elected to the New Hampshire House of Representative in 1813 where he served until 1817. In 1816, he moves to Boston and is elected to the Massachusetts House of Representative (1823-1827) and the Senate (1827-1841 and 1845-1850). As a senator, he was a spokesman for American nationalism with powerful oratory that 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. As a lawyer, Webster was highly regarded in the courtroom, shaping several key 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. The case arose when the president of Dartmouth College was deposed by its trustees, leading to the New Hampshire legislature attempting to force the college to become a public institution and thereby place the ability to appoint trustees in the hands of the governor of New Hampshire. The Supreme Court upheld the sanctity of the original charter of the college, which pre-dated the creation of the State. The landmark case is considered one of the most important in United States history as it affirmed that the Constitution's contract clause protected private corporations from government interference. Webster died October 24, 1852.

Found in 2064 Collections and/or Records:

Thomas Fitzgerald letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 851366.1
Webster Mss 851366.1
Date(s): 1851-06-16
Abstract

In English.

Thomas Gibbons letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 821252
Webster Mss 821252
Date(s): 1821-04-02
Abstract

In English.

Thomas Gibbons letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 821157
Webster Mss 821157
Date(s): 1821-02-07
Abstract

In English.

Thomas Gibbons letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 822171
Webster Mss 822171
Date(s): 1822-02-21
Abstract

In English.

Thomas H. Lord letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 848616
Webster Mss 848616
Date(s): 1848-11-16
Abstract

In English.

Thomas Handasyd Perkins letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 828201.1
Webster Mss 828201.1
Date(s): 1828-03-01
Abstract

In English.

Thomas Hodgkin letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 839566
Webster Mss 839566
Date(s): 1839-10-16
Abstract

In English.

Thomas L. Smith letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 850420
Mss 850420
Date(s): 1850-07-20
Abstract

In English.

Thomas W. Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 816218
Webster Mss 816218
Date(s): 1816-03-18
Abstract

In English.

Thomas W. Thompson papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 786419
Webster Mss 786419
Date(s): 1786 to 1813
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 806190
Webster Mss 806190
Date(s): 1806-02
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 804567.1
Webster Mss 804567.1
Date(s): 1804-10-17
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 806129
Webster Mss 806129
Date(s): 1806-01-29
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 806160
Webster Mss 806160
Date(s): 1806-02-10
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 806164
Webster Mss 806164
Date(s): 1806-02-14
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 806210
Webster Mss 806210
Date(s): 1806-03-10
Abstract

In English.

Thomas White Thompson letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 817122.1
Webster Mss 817122.1
Date(s): 1817-01-22
Abstract

In English.

Timothy Bigelow letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 810322
Webster Mss 810322
Date(s): 1810-05-22
Abstract

In English.

Timothy Farrar letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 819102
Webster Mss 819102
Date(s): 1819-01-02
Abstract

In English.

Timothy Fuller letter

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 826113.1
Webster Mss 826113.1
Date(s): 1826-01-13
Abstract

In English.

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