William L. Marcy | |
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21st United States Secretary of State | |
In office March 7, 1853 – March 6, 1857 |
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President |
Franklin Pierce James Buchanan |
Preceded by | Edward Everett |
Succeeded by | Lewis Cass |
20th United States Secretary of War | |
In office March 6, 1845 – March 4, 1849 |
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President | James K. Polk |
Preceded by | William Wilkins |
Succeeded by | George W. Crawford |
11th Governor of New York | |
In office January 1, 1833 – December 31, 1838 |
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Lieutenant | John Tracy |
Preceded by | Enos T. Throop |
Succeeded by | William H. Seward |
United States Senator from New York |
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In office March 4, 1831 – January 1, 1833 |
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Preceded by | Nathan Sanford |
Succeeded by | Silas Wright |
8th New York State Comptroller | |
In office February 13, 1823 – January 21, 1829 |
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Preceded by | John Savage |
Succeeded by | Silas Wright |
Personal details | |
Born |
William Learned Marcy December 12, 1786 Southbridge, Massachusetts |
Died | July 4, 1857 Ballston Spa, New York |
(aged 70)
Resting place | Albany Rural Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic-Republican, Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Dolly Newell |
Children | Edmund Marcy Cornelia Marcy |
Alma mater | Brown University |
Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786 – July 4, 1857) was an American statesman, who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office (1853–1857) under President Franklin Pierce, he resolved a dispute about the status of U.S. immigrants abroad and negotiated the last major acquisition of land for the continental United States (Gadsden Purchase). He also directed U.S. diplomats to dress in the plain style of an ordinary American rather than the court-dress many had adopted from Europe.
William Learned Marcy was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Brown University in 1808, taught school in Dedham, Massachusetts and in Newport, Rhode Island. He read the law and was admitted to the bar in 1811. He moved to Troy, New York, where he began a practice, across the river from the state capital of Albany. Marcy served in the War of 1812, serving first as a lieutenant and afterwards as a captain of volunteers. On October 22, 1812 he took part in the storming of the British post at St. Regis, Canada.
Afterward he served as Recorder of Troy for several years. As he sided with the Anti-Clinton faction of the Democratic-Republican Party, known as the Bucktails, he was removed from office in 1818 by his political opponents. He was the editor of the Troy Budget newspaper.
On April 28, 1824, he married Cornelia Knower (1801–1889, daughter of Benjamin Knower) at the Knower House in Guilderland, New York. They had two surviving children Edmund Marcy (b. ca. 1833) and Cornelia Marcy (1834–1888).