Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/80

 GOVERNORS OF THE STATE

51

messages he severely condemned President Jackson for his proclamation against South Carolina, and took ground against military coercion, but he did not believe in the doc- trine of nullification. South Carolina gave him her vote for the presidency in 1832. While he was ser\-ing as governor, occurred Xat Turner's slave insurrection in South- ampton county, and the trial and execution o^ the leader. Nat Turner. He was in poor health for some time previous to the ex- piration of his term, and he died from par- alysis, August 15. 1837, at Sweet Springs, Montgomery county.

Tazewell, Littleton Waller, son of Henry Tazewell and Dorothea Elizabeth, daughter of Judge Benjamin Waller, was born in Wil- liamsburg. Virginia, December 17. 1774. He was graduated from William and Mary Col- lege in 1792. studied law under John Wick- ham, of Richmond, and in 1796 was admit- ted to the bar. The last named year he was elected to the house of delegates, remaining itntil i?oo, supporting the resolutions of 179.S and Madison's report of 1800. As representative to Congress, he. in 1800, suc- ceeded John Marshall. While in Congress. Mr. Tazewell supported Jefferson in the presidential election which fell to the house, thus opposing the claims of Aaron Burr. He declined a re-election to Congress, and removing to Norfolk in 1802. won renown for himself as one of the ablest lawyers in the Union. He was especially prominent as an admiralty or criminal advocate. Ro- man Catholic priests consulted him about canon law, and London merchants upon points affecting their trade. He was an ar- dent supporter of the general views and constitutional opinions of Jefferson, al- though dissenting with equal ardor from

various special policies of his administra- tion. Against both France and England he was outspoken, and urged hostilities with each. When public sentiment tended to- ward war, however, he reversed his position, declaring the administration to be incapable, his opposition being fierce against Mr. Madi- son. Mr. Tazewell continued to decry the policy that was bringing about the impend- ing struggle with Great Britain, until the declaration of war in 1812. when he gave the government his loyal support. In 1816 he became a member of the Virginia legis- lature, where his profound knowledge of economical and fiscal questions gave him an active part in the deliberations of that body. I'nder Monroe he was one of the United States commissioners instrumental in the purchase of Florida from Spain. From 1824 to 1833 ^^^' Tazewell was once more a member of the United States senate. In 1829 President Jackson oflFered him the mission to England, which he declined. During this second senatorial career he was most conspicuous as chairman of the ccmmittee on foreign relations. His report on the Panama mission is widely known, as ?re also his addresses ujx^n the tariff, the piracy act. the bankrupt act. and the pre- rogatives of the president in the appoint- ment of foreign ministers. He opposed the administration of John Quincy .\dams helped to elect Andrew Jackson, but op- posed his policy against South Carolina. In 1834 he resigned from the senate, after hav- ing madf himself particularly antagonistic to the presidential action in removing the United States deposits from the Bank of the United States. He joined the Whig part^c formed in 1834 of all the opponents of Jack- son, denouncing the proclamation against

Digitized by

Google