American politician, born near Nashville, TN, on the 25th of August 1799. From 1820 to 1822 he served in the army, but resigned, and was admitted to the bar in 1823. He was private secretary to President Jackson during his two terms, and in 1844 was appointed chargé d’affaires to the republic of Texas. In 1846 he became minister to Prussia, and in 1848 to the federal government of Germany. He was the nominee for Vice-President on the ticket with Millard Fillmore in 1856, and after his defeat in the election retired from public life. Subsequently he practiced law in Memphis, where he died on the 26th of June 1871.
