Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Charles Stewart Todd (January 22, 1791 – May 17, 1871) was an American military officer, government official and United States diplomat. Todd was the son of

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Associate Justice Thomas Todd and his first wife, Elizabeth Harris. He was born near

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which include ...

, and continued to reside here through his childhood and adult life. Todd briefly attended

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

before his transfer and graduation at the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William ...

in 1809. He briefly studied law with his father in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

before attending

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...

. After his admission to the bar in 1811, he started his practice in

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

, KY. Shortly after, he volunteered in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

where he was a subaltern and judge-advocate of General James Winchester's division in the War of 1812. In 1813, he was made a captain of infantry, and was an aide to General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

in the

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The Britis ...

. In 1815, he became Inspector-General of the Michigan Territory under General Duncan McArthur who commissioned him with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. Shortly thereafter, Todd returned to Kentucky to establish a legal practice in the state capital of Frankfort where his diplomatic and political career began to expand. On June 18, 1816Jelsma, Sherry K. "The Making of Imperishable Honor: Charles S. Todd in the War of 1812." The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 105, no. 2 (2007): 195-227. Accessed August 2, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23387887. he married the youngest of Governor Isaac Shelby's daughters, Letitia, with whom he had 12 children. He served as a state representative in the years following his political establishment in Frankfort, and in 1817, he was appointed

Secretary of State of Kentucky The secretary of state of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current secretary of state is Republican Michael Adams, who was ...

. In 1820, Todd was appointed a Confidential Agent to

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), or Greater Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia ( Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to ...

, where he would remain until 1824. US. President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

offered Todd a position to the secretaryship of the delegation to Colombia in 1823 but he declined the offer. Instead he went to retire in Shelby County, Kentucky where he worked on his farm and took up writing. Todd came out of his retirement upon being appointed Minister to Russia. From 1841 to 1846 he served as the fifteenth United States Ambassador to Russia during the entirety of

President Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig ticke ...

's administration. He then went back to his retirement in 1846 and spent his time raising livestock and writing. He refused a later nomination for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

, but remained politically active during

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

's presidential campaign of 1848. He took interest in writing and in the state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and its railroad system. He served as an editor of the ''Louisville Industrial and Commercial Gazette'' and the ''Cincinnati Republican''. Todd died in 1871 from pneumonia, in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

, LA at the home of his son-in-law Judge Posey. He was buried at Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery in

Owensboro Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, KY.

References

* * "Charles Stewart Todd". ''The Ledger.'' Litchfield Historical Society. https://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/students/2590 {{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Charles Stewart 1791 births 1871 deaths Politicians from Danville, Kentucky College of William & Mary alumni United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Ambassadors of the United States to Russia Secretaries of State of Kentucky 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians United States Army officers Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives