Favorable or Unfavorable #151: Langdon Cheves

[vcczar]

Langdon Cheves of SC began his career as an obscure Federalist local politician, but he was won over by Jefferson's presidency. He was both an ally and rival of Clay. He was a Southern Unionist in the sense that he thought the entire South had to move as one body, either within the Federal Union or secede from it together. He enslaved 200 people consistently throughout his adult life. It was said he articulated a theory of evolution before Darwin's Origin of Species but Darwin had his theory decades before he published his findings. Cheves never wrote his down and it was record in a US scientist's (LeConte) memoirs or papers. 

His actions:

Cheves, Langdon	1807	As part of a non-partisan committee on US-UK issues, writes anonymous tracts supporting Jefferson and embargo
Cheves, Langdon	1808	Plays role in getting SC behind Madison instead of CC Pinckney of SC in pres elec
Cheves, Langdon	1811	a leading War Hawk
Cheves, Langdon	1812	House Ways and Means Committee Chair during early War of 1812
Cheves, Langdon	1812	Breaks w/ ally Clay over tariff, w/ Cheves strongly opposed to protective tariff
Cheves, Langdon	1813	Stripped of all committees by Speaker Clay for economic differences
Cheves, Langdon	1814	Elected Speaker with Clay out of the country as diplomat; wins with Federalist support
Cheves, Langdon	1814	Declines Madison's offer to be Sec of Treasury
Cheves, Langdon	1815	Casts deciding vote to kill 1st bank bill, and supports Madison's veto of the 2nd bank bill to recharter US Bank
Cheves, Langdon	1819	Appt Pres of the 2nd US Bank, the same bank he had helped kill temporarily in 1815
Cheves, Langdon	1824	Declines pressure to run for pres
Cheves, Langdon	1828	Supports Jackson for pres; considered for Sec of Treasury
Cheves, Langdon	1832	Supports Unionists and opposes Nullifiers during crisis, but calls on South to unite to lobby their rights better
Cheves, Langdon	1837	Opposes efforts to recharter US Bank he once led
Cheves, Langdon	1850	Argues for Southern secession in opposition to Compromise of 1850 (opposes unilateral state secession)