Hugh S. Legaré
Encyclopedia
Hugh Swinton Legaré was an American
lawyer and politician.
, of Huguenot
and Scottish
ancestry.
Partly due to his inability to share in the amusements of his fellows as a result of a deformity due to a vaccine
poisoning suffered before he was five (the poison permanently arresting 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
and Edinburgh
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
, 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, and he supported states' rights
, he strongly opposed nullification
. He was Attorney General until he was appointed chargé d'affaires
to Brussels
in 1832, serving there until 1836.
On his return he was elected to the 25th Congress as a Democrat
, but failed in a re-election bid the following term. In 1841 President
John Tyler
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 while attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the Bunker Hill Monument
. He was first interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, and was later re-interred in Magnolia Cemetery
in Charleston. The USCGC Legare
, which is a medium endurance cutter
, was named in his honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and politician.
Biography
Legaré was born in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ancestry.
Partly due to his inability to share in the amusements of his fellows as a result of a deformity due to a vaccine
Vaccine
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe or its toxins...
poisoning suffered before he was five (the poison permanently arresting the growth and development of his legs), Legaré was an eager student and was President of the Clariosophic Society
Clariosophic Society
The Clariosophic Society, also known as MΣΦ , is a literary society founded in 1806 at the University of South Carolina, then known as South Carolina College, as a result of the splitting in two of the Philomathic Society, which had been formed within weeks of the opening of the college in 1805 and...
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
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
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
South Carolina House of Representatives
The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the upper house being the South Carolina Senate. It consists of 124 Representatives elected to two year terms at the same time as US Congressional elections...
, 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
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of South Carolina, and he supported states' rights
States' rights
States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government. It is often considered a loaded term because of its use in opposition to federally mandated racial desegregation...
, he strongly opposed nullification
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within...
. He was Attorney General until he was appointed chargé d'affaires
Chargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1832, serving there until 1836.
On his return he was elected to the 25th Congress as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, but failed in a re-election bid the following term. In 1841 President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
named him Attorney General of the United States and he served in that office until his death. He also served as Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
ad interim
Ad interim
The Latin phrase ad interim literally means "in the time between" denotes the meaning of "in the meantime", "for an intervening time" or "temporarily" in the English language...
from May 8, 1843 until his death.
He died in Boston while attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the Bunker Hill Monument
Bunker Hill Monument
-External links:****: cultural context**...
. He was first interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and was later re-interred in Magnolia Cemetery
Magnolia Cemetery (Charleston, South Carolina)
Magnolia Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District in 1978.-Notable interments:*William Aiken, Jr. , US Congressman, South Carolina Governor...
in Charleston. The USCGC Legare
USCGC Legare (WMEC-912)
USCGC Legare is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. Legare was laid down July 11, 1986 at Robert Derecktor Shipyard Incorporated of Middletown, Rhode Island. She was named for Hugh Swinton Legare a former United States Attorney General under President John Tyler...
, which is a medium endurance cutter
USCG Medium Endurance Cutter
The United States Coast Guard's cutter fleet contains numerous smaller vessels, and about three dozen large icebreakers, High endurance cutters, Medium Endurance cutters, and three National Security Cutters. There are two legacy vessels, the Alex Haley and the Acushnet.There are 13 vessels in the...
, was named in his honor.
Further reading
- The Writings of Hugh Swinton Legaré, South Carolina, 1846. (2 vols.)
- Hollis, Daniel Walker (1951) University of South Carolina, volume I: South Carolina College, Columbia: University of South Carolina Press.