Secretaries of State: Lewis Cass
Lewis Cass was a soldier and politician with a long political career. He served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American Ambassador to France, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, Secretary of War under Andrew Jackson, and the nominee of the Democratic Party for president in 1848, before serving as Secretary of State in the Buchanan administration. Like others throughout history, he made several attempts to become his party's nomination for president, and when finally successful, he was in the right place at the wrong time.
Lewis Cass was born on October 9, 1782 in Exeter, New Hampshire. His parents were Major Jonathan Cass and Molly Gilman. In 1800 he moved with his family to Marietta, Ohio and on May 26, 1806, he married the former Elizabeth Spencer. During the War of 1812, Cass served as a brigadier general and participated in the Battle of the Thames. As a reward for his service, he was appointed Governor of the Michigan Territory by President James Madison on October 29, 1813, and served until 1831. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with several Native American tribes. In 1817, Cass was offered the position of Secretary of War under President James Monroe, but he declined the offer.
In 1820, Cass led an expedition to the northern part of the Michigan territory, in the northern Great Lakes region in present-day northern Minnesota, in order to map the region and discover the source of the Mississippi River. The source of the river had been the cause of a border dispute between the United States and British North America. The expedition erroneously identified Cass Lake as the source of the river. (The source of the river was correctly identified in 1832 by Henry Schoolcraft, who had been Cass's expedition geologist, as nearby Lake Itasca.)
On August 1, 1831, Cass resigned as governor of the Michigan Territory to take the post of Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, a position he would hold until 1836. Cass was a central figure in formulating and implementing the Indian removal policy of the Jackson administration. In 1836 Cass was appointed minister to France, a post he retained until 1842.
In the 1844 Democratic convention Cass stood as a candidate for the presidential nomination, one of three (Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan were the other two) who caused a stalemate that was resolved on the 9th ballot with the selection of dark horse candidate James K. Polk. Polk went on to win the presidential election.
Cass represented Michigan in the United States Senate from 1845 to 1848 where he served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs in the 30th Congress. In 1848, he resigned from the Senate to run for President. Cass won the Democratic nomination on the fourth ballot. General William Orlando Butler was chosen as his running mate. In the election Cass campaigned on the doctrine of popular sovereignty, which held that the people who lived in a territory should decide whether or not to permit slavery there. His nomination caused a split in the Democratic party, leading many antislavery Democrats to join the Free Soil Party (which selected Martin Van Buren as its candidate for president.) Cass also supported the annexation of Texas.
Cass ran against Whig candidate and Mexican War hero General Zachary Taylor. Whig campaigners painted a different picture of Taylor in different parts of the country, playing up his being a slaveholder in the south, and telling northern audiences that Taylor would defer to congress. Democrats repeated their opposition to a national bank, high tariffs, and federal subsidies for local improvements. With Taylor remaining vague on the issues, the campaign was dominated by personalities and personal attacks, with the Democrats calling Taylor vulgar, uneducated, cruel and greedy, and the Whigs attacking Cass for graft and dishonesty. The division of the Democrats over slavery allowed Taylor to dominate the Northeast. Each of the two leading candidates won 15 states, but Taylor won the more populous states, and with them 163 electoral votes, to 127 for Cass. Cass was the first non-incumbent Democratic presidential candidate to lose an election.
After losing the election, Cass returned to the Senate, serving from 1849 to 1857. From 1857 to 1860, Cass served as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan. During his term he had to contend with the issue of American filibusters in Central America. These were private citizens who went to Central American nations who fought for the independence of those nations. Cass had some sympathy for their position, but saw it as his duty to keep the nation neutral in these conflicts. He was instrumental in having Commodore Hiram Paulding removed from his command after Paulding transported Marines to Nicaragua. Paulding took command of the Home Squadron aboard the flagship Wabash. The squadron was stopped the expedition led by William Walker against Nicaragua. Walker had wanted help unite a number of nations of Central America into a vast military empire led by himself. Walker had led an insurrection that placed him as president of Nicaragua. In 1856 Costa Rica declared war to him, forcing his surrender and his return to the United States. Walker attempted for a military comeback, but he was captured in 1857 by the Home Squadron Marines under Paulding's leadership. This proved to be unpopular, especially among southerners. They complained about the legality of seizing American nationals in foreign lands. In response, Cass convinced President James Buchanan to relieve Paulding of his command.
As Secretary of State Cass attempted to buy more land from Mexico, but was met with opposition from both Mexico and congressional leaders. He also negotiated a final settlement to the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, which limited U.S. and British control of Latin American countries.
Cass resigned from Buchanan's cabinet on December 13, 1860, because of Buchanan's failure to protect federal interests in the South and his failure to mobilize the federal military. Case was critical of his president for not taking action that might have averted the threatened secession of Southern states. He returned home to Michigan and lived out the civil war as a private citizen, loyal to the union.
Lewis Cass died on June 17, 1866. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.
Lewis Cass was born on October 9, 1782 in Exeter, New Hampshire. His parents were Major Jonathan Cass and Molly Gilman. In 1800 he moved with his family to Marietta, Ohio and on May 26, 1806, he married the former Elizabeth Spencer. During the War of 1812, Cass served as a brigadier general and participated in the Battle of the Thames. As a reward for his service, he was appointed Governor of the Michigan Territory by President James Madison on October 29, 1813, and served until 1831. In 1817, he was one of two commissioners who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs, which was signed September 29 of that year with several Native American tribes. In 1817, Cass was offered the position of Secretary of War under President James Monroe, but he declined the offer.
In 1820, Cass led an expedition to the northern part of the Michigan territory, in the northern Great Lakes region in present-day northern Minnesota, in order to map the region and discover the source of the Mississippi River. The source of the river had been the cause of a border dispute between the United States and British North America. The expedition erroneously identified Cass Lake as the source of the river. (The source of the river was correctly identified in 1832 by Henry Schoolcraft, who had been Cass's expedition geologist, as nearby Lake Itasca.)
On August 1, 1831, Cass resigned as governor of the Michigan Territory to take the post of Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, a position he would hold until 1836. Cass was a central figure in formulating and implementing the Indian removal policy of the Jackson administration. In 1836 Cass was appointed minister to France, a post he retained until 1842.
In the 1844 Democratic convention Cass stood as a candidate for the presidential nomination, one of three (Martin Van Buren and James Buchanan were the other two) who caused a stalemate that was resolved on the 9th ballot with the selection of dark horse candidate James K. Polk. Polk went on to win the presidential election.
Cass represented Michigan in the United States Senate from 1845 to 1848 where he served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs in the 30th Congress. In 1848, he resigned from the Senate to run for President. Cass won the Democratic nomination on the fourth ballot. General William Orlando Butler was chosen as his running mate. In the election Cass campaigned on the doctrine of popular sovereignty, which held that the people who lived in a territory should decide whether or not to permit slavery there. His nomination caused a split in the Democratic party, leading many antislavery Democrats to join the Free Soil Party (which selected Martin Van Buren as its candidate for president.) Cass also supported the annexation of Texas.
Cass ran against Whig candidate and Mexican War hero General Zachary Taylor. Whig campaigners painted a different picture of Taylor in different parts of the country, playing up his being a slaveholder in the south, and telling northern audiences that Taylor would defer to congress. Democrats repeated their opposition to a national bank, high tariffs, and federal subsidies for local improvements. With Taylor remaining vague on the issues, the campaign was dominated by personalities and personal attacks, with the Democrats calling Taylor vulgar, uneducated, cruel and greedy, and the Whigs attacking Cass for graft and dishonesty. The division of the Democrats over slavery allowed Taylor to dominate the Northeast. Each of the two leading candidates won 15 states, but Taylor won the more populous states, and with them 163 electoral votes, to 127 for Cass. Cass was the first non-incumbent Democratic presidential candidate to lose an election.
After losing the election, Cass returned to the Senate, serving from 1849 to 1857. From 1857 to 1860, Cass served as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan. During his term he had to contend with the issue of American filibusters in Central America. These were private citizens who went to Central American nations who fought for the independence of those nations. Cass had some sympathy for their position, but saw it as his duty to keep the nation neutral in these conflicts. He was instrumental in having Commodore Hiram Paulding removed from his command after Paulding transported Marines to Nicaragua. Paulding took command of the Home Squadron aboard the flagship Wabash. The squadron was stopped the expedition led by William Walker against Nicaragua. Walker had wanted help unite a number of nations of Central America into a vast military empire led by himself. Walker had led an insurrection that placed him as president of Nicaragua. In 1856 Costa Rica declared war to him, forcing his surrender and his return to the United States. Walker attempted for a military comeback, but he was captured in 1857 by the Home Squadron Marines under Paulding's leadership. This proved to be unpopular, especially among southerners. They complained about the legality of seizing American nationals in foreign lands. In response, Cass convinced President James Buchanan to relieve Paulding of his command.
As Secretary of State Cass attempted to buy more land from Mexico, but was met with opposition from both Mexico and congressional leaders. He also negotiated a final settlement to the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, which limited U.S. and British control of Latin American countries.
Cass resigned from Buchanan's cabinet on December 13, 1860, because of Buchanan's failure to protect federal interests in the South and his failure to mobilize the federal military. Case was critical of his president for not taking action that might have averted the threatened secession of Southern states. He returned home to Michigan and lived out the civil war as a private citizen, loyal to the union.
Lewis Cass died on June 17, 1866. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.