American politician (1797?1843)
Hugh Legare
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Ad interim
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In office
May 9, 1843 ? June 20, 1843
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President
| John Tyler
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Preceded by
| Daniel Webster
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Succeeded by
| William S. Derrick
(ad interim)
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In office
September 13, 1841 ? June 20, 1843
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President
| John Tyler
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Preceded by
| John J. Crittenden
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Succeeded by
| John Nelson
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In office
March 4, 1837 ? March 3, 1839
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Preceded by
| Henry L. Pinckney
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Succeeded by
| Isaac E. Holmes
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In office
September 25, 1832 ? June 9, 1836
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President
| Andrew Jackson
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Preceded by
| Position established
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Succeeded by
| Virgil Maxcy
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In office
November 27, 1830 ? November 29, 1832
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Governor
| James Hamilton Jr.
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Preceded by
| James L. Petigru
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Succeeded by
| Robert Barnwell Rhett
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Born
| Hugh Swinton Legare
(
1797-01-02
)
January 2, 1797
Charleston, South Carolina
,
U.S.
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Died
| June 20, 1843
(1843-06-20)
(aged 46)
Boston
,
Massachusetts
,
U.S.
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Political party
| Democratic
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Education
| University of South Carolina, Columbia
(
BA
)
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Hugh Swinton Legare
(
lih-
GREE
; January 2, 1797 ? June 20, 1843) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician from
South Carolina
who served as the 16th
United States Attorney General
under President
John Tyler
.
Legare served as
Attorney General of South Carolina
from 1830 to 1832 before President
Andrew Jackson
appointed him as the acting minister to the new
Kingdom of Belgium
. On his return to the United States, he was elected to represent
Charleston
in the
United States House of Representatives
but lost re-election to
Isaac E. Holmes
.
Following the 1841 death of President
William Henry Harrison
and the resignation of
Whigs
from the cabinet, Legare was named
United States Attorney General
by
John Tyler
. He served as Attorney General until his death in office on June 20, 1843. For the final month of his life, Legare also served as
United States Secretary of State
ad interim
following the resignation of
Daniel Webster
.
Life and career
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]
Legare was born in
Charleston, South Carolina
, of
Huguenot
and
Scottish
ancestry.
Partly due to his inability to share in the amusements of his fellows, as a result of a vaccine-related deformity suffered before he was five that permanently stunted the growth and development of his legs; Legare was an eager student and was president of the
Clariosophic Society
at the
College of South Carolina
(now
University of South Carolina at Columbia
), from which he graduated in 1814 with the highest rank in his class and with a reputation for scholarship and eloquence.
After graduation, he studied the law for three years, did advanced work in
Paris
and
Edinburgh
in 1818 and 1819 and in 1822 was admitted to the South Carolina bar.
After practicing for a time in Charleston, he became a member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives
, serving between 1820 and 1821 and then again between 1824 and 1830. He also founded and edited the
Southern Review
between 1828 and 1832.
From 1830 until 1832 he was the
Attorney General of South Carolina
, and he supported
states' rights
, he strongly opposed
nullification
. He was Attorney General until he was appointed
charge d'affaires
to
Brussels
in 1832, serving there until 1836.
In 1838, he was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society
.
[2]
On his return he was elected to the
25th Congress
as a
Democrat
, but failed in a re-election bid the following term. In 1841
President
John Tyler
named him
Attorney General of the United States
and he served in that office until his death. He also served as
Secretary of State
ad interim from May 8, 1843, until his death.
He died in
Boston
while attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the
Bunker Hill Monument
. He died, by "internal strangulation..the twisting of the intestine upon itself."
[3]
He was first interred in
Mount Auburn Cemetery
in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
, and was later re-interred in
Magnolia Cemetery
in Charleston. The
USCGC Legare
, which is a
medium endurance cutter
, was named in his honor.
See also
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References
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Sources
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Further reading
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]
- The Writings of Hugh Swinton Legare
, South Carolina, 1846. (2 vols.)
- Hollis, Daniel Walker (1951)
University of South Carolina, volume I: South Carolina College
, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.
External links
[
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]
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Charge d'Affaires
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Minister Resident
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Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary
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Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary
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International
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National
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People
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Other
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