William Henry Trescot (November 10, 1822May 4, 1898) was a Charleston lawyer, historian, and diplomat born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, on November 10, 1822. He graduated at College of Charleston in 1840, studied law at Harvard University, and was admitted to the bar in 1843. He was married to Eliza Natalie Cuthbert, whose family had land originally granted by King George II. He was a close student of American foreign policy. From 1852 to 1854 he was secretary of the U.S. legation in London. In June 1860 he was appointed assistant secretary of state, and he was acting secretary of state in June–October, during General

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

's absence from Washington, and for a few days in December after Cass's resignation. His position was important, as the only South Carolinian holding anything like official rank, because of his intimacy with President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

, and his close relations with the secession leaders in South Carolina. He opposed the reinforcement of Fort Sumter, used his influence to prevent any attack on the fort by South Carolina before the meeting of the state's convention called to consider the question of secession, and became the special agent of South Carolina in Washington after his resignation from his position as United States Assistant Secretary of State in December. When he returned to Charleston in February 1861, he played a leading role in the negotiations surrounding the Charleston forts. He was a member of the state legislature in 1862–1866, and served as colonel on the staff of General

Roswell S. Ripley Roswell Sabine Ripley (March 14, 1823 – March 29, 1887) was an officer in the United States Army during the Mexican–American War, a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. He was also an author and a prosperous So ...

during the Civil War; and later returned to Washington. He was counsel for the United States before the Halifax Fisheries Commission in 1877; was commissioner for the revision of the treaty with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1880; was minister to Chile in 1881 and 1882; in 1882 with General Ulysses S. Grant negotiated a commercial treaty with Mexico; and in 1889-1890 was a delegate to the Pan-American Congress in Washington. He died at Pendleton, South Carolina, his country place, on 4 May 1898. In the opinion of historian

David Saville Muzzey David Saville Muzzey (1870–1965) was an American historian. His history textbooks were used by millions of American children. He was accused of being a " bolshevik" by the Better America Federation. He also served as senior leader at the New Y ...

, Trescot was "one of the most accomplished diplomats in our history."David Saville Muzzey
''James G. Blaine
: A Political Idol of Other Days'', p.213">James G. Blaine">''James G. Blaine
: A Political Idol of Other Days'', p.213 Dodd, Mead & Co., 1934.

Works

*''The Diplomacy of the Revolution'' (1852) *''An American View of the Eastern Question'' (1854) *''The Diplomatic History of the Administrations of Washington and Adams'' (1857) *''Memorial of the life of J. Johnston Pettigrew: Brigadier General of the Confederate States Army'' (1870)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trescot, William Henry Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Harvard University alumni 1822 births 1898 deaths People of South Carolina in the American Civil War United States Assistant Secretaries of State Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina 19th-century American lawyers