Isaac Toucey (November 15, 1792July 30, 1869) was an American politician who served as a U.S. senator, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Attorney General and the 33rd Governor of Connecticut. Buchanan Cabinet

Biography

Born in

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown ( ) is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 census, its p ...

, Toucey pursued classical studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar at

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, in 1818. From 1825 to 1835 he had his own practice in

. He married Catherine Nichols in Hartford on October 28, 1827. The couple had no children.

Career

In 1822, Toucey was named prosecuting attorney of

Hartford County, Connecticut Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains t ...

. He served in that position until 1835, when he was elected to the 24th and 25th Congresses (at-large and then representing the 1st District). He served from 1835 to 1839. He lost the election of 1838 and returned to his position as prosecuting attorney in 1842. In

1845 Events January–March * January 1 – The Philippines began reckoning Asian dates by hopping the International Date Line through skipping Tuesday, December 31, 1844. That time zone shift was a reform made by Governor–General Narciso ...

, Toucey ran for Governor of Connecticut and lost, but the Connecticut State Legislature appointed him to the position following the election in

1846 Events January–March * January 5 – The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Country with the United Kingdom. * January 13 – The Milan–Venice railway's bridge, over the Venetian Lagoon betwee ...

. During his tenure, an antibribery bill geared toward eliminating fraudulent electoral procedures was considered. He was defeated in an attempt at re-nomination in 1847. In 1848, President James K. Polk appointed Toucey the 20th

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

, a position he held until 1849. He returned to Connecticut and took a place in the Connecticut Senate in 1850, and then in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1852. Toucey was elected to the U.S. Senate for the term commencing March 4, 1851, and served from May 12, 1852, to March 3, 1857, having that year declined to be a candidate for reelection. During that time, he often served as the legislative point man for

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

and his administration.

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

, with whom Toucey had served in the Polk administration, appointed him U.S. Secretary of the Navy in his Cabinet in 1857 as a sop to the Pierce faction as well as to represent New England in the Cabinet. A moderate Northerner much in line with Buchanan's thought in the sectional controversies of the day, Toucey held that post until 1861 and the arrival of the

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

administration. During that time, Toucey would undergo criticism for alleged corruption as uncovered by the Covode Committee, resulting in him being censured by the House of Representatives in June 1860. Toucey was then replaced by one of his chief rivals in Connecticut,

Gideon Welles Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878) was an American government official who was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Althou ...

. After 1861 he returned to his law practice.

Death and legacy

Toucey died in Hartford on July 30, 1869. He is interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut. USS ''Toucey'' (DD-282) was named for him.

References

External links

Connecticut State Library: Isaac Toucey, Governor of Connecticut from 1846 to 1847Govtrack US Congress
, - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Toucey, Isaac 1792 births 1869 deaths Buchanan administration cabinet members Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Connecticut lawyers Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Democratic Party United States senators from Connecticut Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Toucey, Isaac People from Newtown, Connecticut Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut Politicians from Staunton, Virginia Polk administration cabinet members Attorneys general of the United States United States secretaries of the navy Union (American Civil War) political leaders 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives