Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/28

 JACKSON

JACKSON

Randolph, of Virginia, was made U.S. minister to Russia; Louis McLane, of Delaware, to England; William C. Rivers, of Virginia, to France, and Cornelius P. Van Ness, of Vermont, to Spain. Maj. W. B. Lewis and Gen. Duff Green, of Ten- nessee, Isaac Hill, of New Hampshire, and Amos

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Kendall, of Massachusetts, were given depart- ment positions, and became known as Jackson's " kitchen cabinet." His nephew, Maj. Andrew J. Donelson, became his private secretary. A gen- eral removal and substitution of political favorites in all the departments took place, and " to the victor belong the spoils " became the rule of the administration. Congress assembled Dec. 7, 1829, and Andrew Stevenson, of Virginia, was re- elected speaker, receiving 153 of the 191 votes cast, which indicated the relative support the administration could expect in the house. In his message, President Jackson recommended that all "intermediate agency" in the election of President and Vice-President be removed, and the service of the President be limited to a single term of four or six years, and he proposed in the i^lace of the then existing Bank of the United States, whose charter would expire in 1836, a National bank, founded upon the credit of the government and its revenues, planned so as to avoid all constitutional difficulties, while se- curing all the advantages expected for the exist- ing institution. The senate, however, was slow in confirming the appointments of the President, and several were rejected, including Henry Lee, Mordecai M. Noah and Isaac Hill, and the Jack- son supporters in New Hampshire promptly elected Isaac Hill to the U.S. senate. Amos Kendall escaped by the Vice-President's vote. During the session the anniversary of the bii-th- day of Jefferson was celebrated, April 13, 1830, and in response to a demand from the President for a toast, he gave " Our Federal Union: It Must be Preserved," and the Vice-President gave, ''The Union: next to our Liberty, the most dear; may we all remember that it can only be preserved by respecting the rights of the states, and disti'ibuting equally the benefits and burdens of the Union." This was the parting of the ways and the public announcement by Cal- houn of the theory of nullification. On May 31,

18.30, congress adjourned. Early in 18:10, the cabinet became divided on the subject of the cliaracter of Mrs. Eaton, wife of the secretary of war. The President, and Van Buren, Eaton and Barry, were her champions, while Ingham, Branch and Berrien, with the Vice-President, refused to receive her at their social func- tions. Strained civility, culminating in open rupture and in discontinuance of cabinet coun- cils resulted, and to add to the troubles of the President, he believed the Vice-President to be insincere, and that he had documentary evidence that would sustain this belief. After a short correspondence on May 80, 1830, he declined further communication with Mr. Cal- houn, but the public knew nothing of the trouble for nearly a year. When the 21st congress met, Dec. 6, 1830, the President's message announced his war against the Bank of the United States, and in the senate the President was seconded by _ Thomas H. Benton in a speech which was not answered by the "great moneyed power," as the advocates of the bank were christened by Colonel Benton, but it was read by the people and the bank did not survive the blow then struck. On March 3, 1831, congress adjourned and on Ajsril 7, 1831, Secretary of War Eaton resigned his port- folio and his resignation was accepted the next day. On April 11, Secretary of State Van Buren resigned and the President accejited the resigna- tion, to take effect on the appointment of his successor. On April 19, Secretary of the Trea- sury Ingham offered his resignation as did Secre- tary of the Navy Branch and both were accepted the next day. On Jmie 15, Attoi-ney-General Berrien handed in his resignation and an entire cabinet had dissolved, an event unprecedented in the history of the United States except at the close of a iiresidential term. Edward Livingston was called to the state department; Louis McLane was recalled from England and given the port- folio of the treasury and Mr. Van Buren took his place as minister at the court of St. James; Gen. Lewis Cass, of Michigan, was made secretary of war after the office was declined by Judge White, then U.S. senator from Tennessee; Levi Wood- bury of New Hampshire, who had resigned from the U.S. senate to make a place for Isaac Hill, was made secretary of the navy; Roger B. Taney of Maryland succeeded Attorney-General Ber- rien; and of the old cabinet, Postmaster-Genei'ai Barry alone remained. The nomination of Mr. Van Buren as U.S. minister to England was rejected by the senate in 1832 and he became the candidate for Vice-President on the ticket with President Jackson at the Democratic na- tional convention held at Baltimore, May 26, 1832. The bill re-chartering the Bank of the United States passed, June 11, 1832, and it was