American statesman; born in South Charleston, SC, on the 2nd of March 1779; studied in England and Scotland, and traveled much in early life; was sent by President Madison to Chile to make a report on the revolution in that country; was elected to Congress from his state in 1821; United States minister to Mexico in 1822, and from 1825 to 1829; United States Secretary of War from 1837 to 1841. He founded the Academy of Fine Arts in Charleston, SC, and aided liberally in the endowment of the national institution. He published Notes on Mexico (1824); died in Statesburg, SC, on the 12th of December 1851.
