Auguste Davezac (May 30, 1780 – February 15, 1851) was a Saint Dominican-American diplomat who served twice as
United States Ambassador to the Netherlands
The United States diplomatic mission to the Netherlands consists of the embassy located in The Hague and a consular office located in Amsterdam.
In 1782, John Adams was appointed America's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Holland. According t ...
.
Biography
Auguste Genevieve Valentin D'Avezac was born in May, 1780, near Aux Cayes in the French colony of
Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to ref ...
, now
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. His father was a wealthy landowner, and he was educated in France at the College de
Sorèze
Sorèze (; oc, Sorese ca, Sorese) is a commune in the Tarn department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrat ...
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
Edward Livingston
Edward Livingston (May 28, 1764May 23, 1836) was an American jurist and statesman. He was an influential figure in the drafting of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, a civil code based largely on the Napoleonic Code. Livingston represented both ...
. Ten years later, their younger sister Aglae Pauline married Judge Henry Cox Carleton of New Orleans.
Davezac completed his education in France and moved to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
shortly after Louise's marriage, studying medicine in
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has ...
, and establishing a practice in
Accomack County, Virginia
Accomack County is a United States county located in the eastern edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Together, Accomack and Northampton counties make up the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which in turn is part of the Delmarva Peninsula, bordered ...
. He changed the spelling of his last name (eliminating the apostrophe), decided to abandon medicine for the law and relocated to New Orleans to study under Livingston. Davezac built a successful practice and was a sought-after criminal defense attorney.
During the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...
, Davezac served on the local defense committee established by the residents of
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame a ...
judge advocate
Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions.
Australia
The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that provi ...
with the rank of Major, the title by which he was addressed for the rest of his life. Davezac participated in the
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Fren ...
As a result of his War of 1812 experience Davezac became a devoted admirer and political supporter of Jackson, campaigning actively for him in both the
1824
May 7: The almost completely deaf Beethoven premieres his Ninth Symphony
Events
January–March
* January 8 – After much controversy, Michael Faraday is finally elected as a member of the Royal Society, with only one vote against ...
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
.
In 1829 Jackson rewarded Davezac with appointment as Secretary of the United States embassy in the Netherlands, where he served under William Pitt Preble. In 1831 Edward Livingston became Secretary of State and Davezac succeeded Preble, serving as
Chargé d'affaires
A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassado ...
until 1839.
Davezac returned to New Orleans, but soon relocated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, where he was active in Martin Van Buren's unsuccessful 1840 campaign for reelection. In the early 1840s Davezac was elected to two terms in the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
as a Democrat, 1842 to 1843, and 1844 to 1845.
In 1844 Davezac supported Van Buren's efforts to win the Democratic nomination for President, and campaigned extensively for the eventual nominee,
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (18 ...
. When Polk won the presidency, he rewarded Davezac by reappointing him as ''
Chargé d'affaires
A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassado ...
'' in the Netherlands, where he served from 1845 to 1850.
After leaving office Davezac returned to New York City, where he lived in retirement for only a few months before he became ill and died on February 15, 1851.William Allen The American Biographical Dictionary 1857, Volume 1, page 287 He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...