Hugh Swinton Legaré ( ; January 2, 1797 – June 20, 1843) was an American lawyer and politician.

Life and career

Legaré was born in Charleston, South Carolina, of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

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; Legaré 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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

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 The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

, 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 The Attorney General of South Carolina is the state's chief legal officer and prosecutor. History Alexander Moultrie, half-brother of Revolutionary War figure and future governor William Moultrie, was named the state's first Attorney General un ...

, and he supported

states' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

, he strongly opposed

nullification Nullification may refer to: * Nullification (U.S. Constitution), a legal theory that a state has the right to nullify any federal law deemed unconstitutional with respect to the United States Constitution * Nullification Crisis, the 1832 confront ...

. He was Attorney General until he was appointed chargé d'affaires to

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

in 1832, serving there until 1836. In 1838, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. On his return he was elected to the 25th Congress as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, but failed in a re-election bid the following term. In 1841

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 ...

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

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 Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

while attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the

Bunker Hill Monument The Bunker Hill Monument is a monument erected at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston, Massachusetts, which was among the first major battles between the Red Coats and Patriots in the American Revolutionary War. The 221-foot (67 m) gran ...

. He was first interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

, and was later re-interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. The '' USCGC Legare'', which is a medium endurance cutter, was named in his honor.

References

Sources

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Legare, Hugh Swinton 1797 births 1843 deaths Democratic Party members of the South Carolina House of Representatives South Carolina Attorneys General United States Attorneys General Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium University of South Carolina alumni American people of French descent American people of Scottish descent Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina Tyler administration cabinet members 19th-century American diplomats Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Charleston, South Carolina Acting United States Secretaries of State Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Burials at Magnolia Cemetery (Charleston, South Carolina)

Life and career

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links