Biography:

Daniel Webster was a New England lawyer and stateman, a prominent Whig, and an outspoken advocate of early American nationalism. He is also considered one of the greatest constitutional lawyers of United States history, arguing in historic cases such as Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819). Webster, born in New Hampshire, attended the elite Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College before opening a law practice in Portsmouth, NH. In 1813, he was elected as a Federalist to US Congress as a representative from New Hampshire, serving to 1817. He was a delegate to the Massachusetts state constitutional convention in 1820 and was later elected to Congress as a representative from Massachusetts, 1823-1827, during which time he served as chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary. In 1827 he was elected as a member of the Adams or Anti-Jackson party (later as a Whig) to the US Senate, representing Massachusetts and serving until 1841. Webster opposed President Jackson’s decision to remove federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. In 1836 he attempted to run for president as a Whig but was unsuccessful. In 1841, Webster became US Secretary of State under President William Henry Harrison and, following Harrison’s death, continued in this position under President John Tyler, serving until 1843. Webster was reelected to the Senate from 1845 to 1850 and again appointed Secretary of State, this time under President Millard Fillmore, from 1850 until his own death in 1852.