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John Nelson (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
John Nelson was Attorney General of the United States from 1843 to 1845 under John Tyler
.
Nelson was born in Frederick, Maryland
, the son of politician Roger Nelson. He graduated from the College of William and Mary
in 1811 and was admitted to the bar in 1813, starting practice in Frederick. He held several local offices before being elected to the United States House of Representatives
representing Maryland's fourth district
. He served only one term, March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823, and was not a candidate for reelection. Nelson received an A.M. degree from Princeton University
in 1825. In 1831, he was appointed Chargé d'affaires
to the Two Sicilies, a position he served in from 1831 to 1832. President
John Tyler
appointed him Attorney General of the United States on July 1, 1843 which he served until the end of the Tyler administration. He also served as United States Secretary of State
ad interim
for about a month in 1844 after the sudden death of the previous Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur
. Nelson retired from public life and died in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 8, 1860.
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...
.
Nelson was born in Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, the son of politician Roger Nelson. He graduated from the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in 1811 and was admitted to the bar in 1813, starting practice in Frederick. He held several local offices before being elected to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
representing Maryland's fourth district
Maryland's 4th congressional district
Maryland's 4th congressional district comprises portions of Prince George's and Montgomery County. The seat is currently represented by Donna Edwards, a Democrat, who has represented the district since 2008....
. He served only one term, March 4, 1821 to March 3, 1823, and was not a candidate for reelection. Nelson received an A.M. degree from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1825. In 1831, 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 the Two Sicilies, a position he served in from 1831 to 1832. 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...
appointed him Attorney General of the United States on July 1, 1843 which he served until the end of the Tyler administration. He also served as United States 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...
for about a month in 1844 after the sudden death of the previous Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur
Abel P. Upshur
Abel Parker Upshur was an American lawyer, judge and politician from Virginia. Upshur was active in Virginia state politics and later served as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State during the Whig administration of President John Tyler...
. Nelson retired from public life and died in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 8, 1860.
External links
- John Nelson at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...