American statesman, born in Dunstable, MA, on the 16th of August 1789. He was educated at Dartmouth, graduating in 1811; studied law, removed to Lexington, KY, and was for a short time tutor in the family of Henry Clay. He then was appointed postmaster of Georgetown, KY, edited the local paper, and in 1816 became co-editor of the Argus of Western America, a Democratic newspaper published at Frankfort, KY. In 1824 he supported the nomination of General Andrew Jackson for the Presidency, and in 1829 was appointed fourth auditor of the United States Treasury; in 1835 he was appointed Postmaster-General. President Van Buren retained him in office, from which he retired in 1840. In 1845 he was connected with Professor Morse in the ownership of telegraphic patents, by which he became wealthy. He was the originator of the Washington Deaf and Dumb Asylum, besides contributing largely to several other charities. He died in Washington, DC, on the 11th of November, 1869.
