Daniel Webster was born on
January 18, 1782, in Salisbury, New Hampshire – now known as Franklin. His parents were Ebenezer and Abigail Eastman
Webster, and he had nine siblings. The
family lived on a farm, which consisted of a small piece of land granted to his
father. Daniel Webster’s ancestors were
some of the first settlers to live in Salisbury.
Webster attended Phillips Exeter
Academy, a preparatory school, and then entered Dartmouth College. After he graduated from Dartmouth, Webster
became an apprentice to Thomas W. Thompson, a lawyer in Salisbury. He resigned from the law office and obtained
work as a school teacher in 1802 in order to help his older brother Ezekiel pay
for his education. He returned to his apprenticeship
about a year later. In 1804 he moved to
Boston to be a law clerk for Christopher Gore, a prominent attorney involved in
international, national, and state politics.
While working for Gore, Webster learned much about legal and political
matter and met numerous politicians from the New England area.
In 1805 Webster was admitted to
the bar and returned to New Hampshire to open his practice in Boscawen. One of the reasons he moved was to be near
his father who was ailing. Webster was
reared by a father who was an ardent Federalist and was taught by a Dartmouth
faculty that leaned towards Federalism; he eventually became interested in
politics. After his father passed away
in 1806, he gave his law practice to Ezekiel who had been admitted to the bar
and started to give speeches that supported Federalist causes and candidates.
Daniel Webster became the
leading Senator from Massachusetts in the years leading up to the Civil
War. “He first rose to regional
prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests. Webster’s increasingly nationalistic views,
and his effectiveness as a speaker made him one of the most famous orators and
influential Whig leaders of the Second Party System. He was one of the nation’s most prominent
conservatives, leading opposition to Democrat Andrew Jackson and the Democratic
Party. He was a spokesman for
modernization, banking and industry, but not for the common people who composed
the base of his enemies in Jacksonian Democracy…. During his 40 years in national politics,
Webster served in the House of Representatives for 10 years (representing New
Hampshire), in the Senate for 19 years (representing Massachusetts, and was
appointed the United States Secretary of State under three presidents” – Millard Fillmore, William Henry Harrison, and
John Tyler.
“… Webster tried and failed
three times to become President of the United States. In 1957, a Senate Committee selected Webster
as one of the five greatest U.S. Senators with Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun,
Robert LaFollette, and Robert Taft.”
Daniel Webster fell from his
horse and suffered a blow to the head; he died from cerebral hemorrhage at his
home in Marshfield, Massachusetts, on October 24, 1852. He was buried in the “Old Winslow Burial
Ground” part of the Winslow Cemetery, near Marshfield. The day prior to his death, he was visited by
his best friend, Peter Harvey. When
Harvey commented that Webster did not look good, Webster told him, “Be faithful
friend. I shall be dead tomorrow.” His last words were: “I still live.”
Daniel
Webster’s legacy includes a play, a college, a dormitory, many schools,
numerous counties and towns, a submarine, a hotel, a mountain peak, a Boy Scout
council and trail, and a highway carrying his name as well as numerous
statues. “Few famous Americans other
than US Presidents are ever honored on US Postage more than once or twice, as
Daniel Webster has been. One of the
perhaps not so famous things Webster was noted for was to introduce legislation
to produce pre-paid adhesive postage stamps for the U.S. Post Office, the first
of which were issued in 1847. The first
Webster postage stamp, bearing only Webster’s portrait, was not issued until
April 12 of 1870, 18 years after his death.
The last issue honoring Webster (to date) was another commemorative
stamp, a 37-cent stamp issued in 2002. In
all, Daniel Webster is honored on eleven different
US Postage issues, more than most US Presidents.”
Webster married Grace Fletcher
Webster (1781-1828; married 1808-1828), and they became the parents of five children: Grace Fletcher
Webster (also known as “Little Grace;” April 29, 1810 – January 23, 1817; died
at age 7); Jully Webster Appleton (sometimes spelled Julia; January 16, 1818 –
April 28, 1848; died at age 30); Daniel Fletcher Webster (known as “Fletcher;”
July 25, 1818 [?] – August 29-30, 1862; killed in action while serving as a
Colonel in the 12th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Union Army of the
Potomac, during the Second Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War; died at age 44;
only child to survive his father); Edward Webster (July 20, 1820 – July 23,
1848; was a Major in the First Massachusetts Infantry when killed in the
Mexican-American War; died unmarried at age 28); and Charles Webster (December
11, 1821 – December 19, 1824; died at age 3).
Grace Fletcher Webster died at
age 47 on January 21, 1828, and was buried next to her oldest and youngest
children (Grace and Charles) who preceded her in death. The three bodies were later moved and
reinterred with the rest of the family at Winslow Cemetery (AKA Old Winslow
Burying Ground), in Marshfield, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.
Daniel Fletcher Webster had two
sons: one died unmarried and the other
had a son who died without “issue.” It
appears that Daniel Webster’s (the statesman) had no descendants that bore the surname Webster. Julia married Samuel
A. Appleton in London on September 24, 1839, and the marriage produced five children (Caroline, Samuel Jr., Julia, Daniel, and Constance Mary).
Webster married Caroline Bayard
LeRoy Webster in 1829, but they had no children together. Caroline was not buried with the rest of the
family.
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