"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"
Legendary American politician (1782-1852). Famed
orator,
lawyer, and
legislator. He was born in
Salisbury, New Hampshire, graduated from
Dartmouth College, and taught
school while studying
law. He gained some measure of
fame as a skilled orator opposing the
War of 1812 and was elected to the
House of Representatives as a
Federalist. He later left
New Hampshire for
Boston but was re-elected to the House as one of
Massachusetts' representatives.
Webster ran for
president in 1836 (he lost badly, and he spent the rest of his life chasing after the Presidency) and was named
William Henry Harrison's
Secretary of State in 1841. When Harrison died in office, Webster was the only
cabinet member not to
resign immediately when
John Tyler took office -- he was putting the final touches on the
Webster-Ashburton Treaty with
Great Britain and didn't want to leave the job unfinished.
When he was elected to the
Senate, Webster was a
supporter of the
National Bank and an
opponent of the annexation of
Texas. He was a
tireless supporter of the
Union, as well as an opponent of
slavery. On March 7, 1850, he made a
powerful speech which helped solidify support for the
Compromise of 1850. However,
abolitionist forces wanted no
compromise with slavery supporters, and they
denounced Webster vehemently. Webster was named
Millard Fillmore's Secretary of State just a few months after that, but he died just two years later.
Webster is still considered one of the
genuine good guys of
American politics -- his
integrity and
commitment helped preserve the Union for decades. He is most
famous for his powerful and
patriotic oratory.
He is also, of course, the
star character in "
The Devil and Daniel Webster".
Research from www.biography.com and from www.marshfield.net/History/webster.htm