Daniel Webster was born on January 18, 1782 in Salisbury, New Hampshire, now part of the city of Franklin.
His father, Ebenzer Webster, served as a militia man, judge and farmer. Daniel and his nine siblings grew up on his parents' farm.
After attending Dartmouth College Webster originally worked as a teacher at Fryeburg Academy in Maine.
In 1804, he obtained a position in Boston under the prominent attorney Christopher Gore. The following year Webster was admitted to the bar, after which he set up a legal practice in Boscawen, New Hampshire.
Webster became increasingly involved in politics and began to speak locally in support of Federalist causes and candidate.
Webster represented Massachusetts in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He sat in the House of Representatives from 1813, and in the Senate from 1827.
Webster was first elected to Congress as a Federalist. When the Federalist Party declined, he joined with other former Federalists and National Democrats to form the Whig Party (United States).
He was appointed the United States Secretary of State under three presidents, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.
As Secretary of State Webster negotiated the 1842 Ashburton Treaty which fixed the Maine-Canada boundary.
Webster contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which settled several territorial issues and enacted a new fugitive slave law. The Compromise proved unpopular in much of the North and in support of the package of bills, Webster gave his "Seventh of March" speech, which undermined his standing in his home state.
Senator Daniel Webster turned down two offers to be vice president by William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor because he thought the office was a dead-end position. Both these presidents went on to die in office.
Daniel Webster spent nearly three decades in one federal office or another. As he approached the end of his distinguished career, Webster grew increasingly dependent on alcohol, regularly drinking brandy and water while speaking. In 1851 this practice caused him trouble at a ceremony marking the completion of the Boston-Montreal Railroad. Webster ignored the point of the ceremony and delivered a rambling speech on American history. The Governor General of Canada, one of the honoured guests, was so enraged by the performance that he almost stormed off the platform.
By early 1852, Webster had begun to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver, and in September 1852, he returned to his Marshfield estate, where his health continued to decline. Webster died at Marshfield on October 24, 1852. His last words were: "I still live."
Source Book of Lists 3 by Irving Wallace
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| Portrait of Daniel Webster commissioned by the Senate in 1955 |
His father, Ebenzer Webster, served as a militia man, judge and farmer. Daniel and his nine siblings grew up on his parents' farm.
After attending Dartmouth College Webster originally worked as a teacher at Fryeburg Academy in Maine.
In 1804, he obtained a position in Boston under the prominent attorney Christopher Gore. The following year Webster was admitted to the bar, after which he set up a legal practice in Boscawen, New Hampshire.
Webster became increasingly involved in politics and began to speak locally in support of Federalist causes and candidate.
Webster represented Massachusetts in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. He sat in the House of Representatives from 1813, and in the Senate from 1827.
Webster was first elected to Congress as a Federalist. When the Federalist Party declined, he joined with other former Federalists and National Democrats to form the Whig Party (United States).
He was appointed the United States Secretary of State under three presidents, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.
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| 1834 portrait by Francis Alexander |
As Secretary of State Webster negotiated the 1842 Ashburton Treaty which fixed the Maine-Canada boundary.
Webster contributed to the passage of the Compromise of 1850, which settled several territorial issues and enacted a new fugitive slave law. The Compromise proved unpopular in much of the North and in support of the package of bills, Webster gave his "Seventh of March" speech, which undermined his standing in his home state.
Senator Daniel Webster turned down two offers to be vice president by William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor because he thought the office was a dead-end position. Both these presidents went on to die in office.
Daniel Webster spent nearly three decades in one federal office or another. As he approached the end of his distinguished career, Webster grew increasingly dependent on alcohol, regularly drinking brandy and water while speaking. In 1851 this practice caused him trouble at a ceremony marking the completion of the Boston-Montreal Railroad. Webster ignored the point of the ceremony and delivered a rambling speech on American history. The Governor General of Canada, one of the honoured guests, was so enraged by the performance that he almost stormed off the platform.
By early 1852, Webster had begun to suffer from cirrhosis of the liver, and in September 1852, he returned to his Marshfield estate, where his health continued to decline. Webster died at Marshfield on October 24, 1852. His last words were: "I still live."
Source Book of Lists 3 by Irving Wallace
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