Calhoun, John Caldwell 1782-1850
US politician

Born in Abbeville County, South Carolina, of Irish Presbyterian descent, he became a successful lawyer. In Congress he supported the measures which led to the war of 1812-15 with Great Britain, and promoted the protective tariff. In 1817 he joined Monroe's Cabinet as Secretary of War, and reorganized the war department. He was Vice-President under John Q Adams (1825-29) and Andrew Jackson. His Address to the People of South Carolina (1831) set forth his theory of state rights. On the passing by South Carolina in 1832 of the nullification ordinance he resigned the vice-presidency, and entered the Senate, becoming a leader of the states-rights movement and a champion of the interests of the slave-holding states. In 1844, as Secretary of State, he signed a treaty annexing Texas, but once more in the Senate, he strenuously opposed the war of 1846-47 with Mexico. He, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster were the 'great triumvirate' of US political orators.