John Nelson (June 1, 1791 – January 18, 1860) was Attorney General of the United States from 1843 to 1845 under

John 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 tick ...

Early life

Nelson was born in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

on June 1, 1791. He was the fourth child of Roger Nelson and Mary Brooke ( née Sim) Nelson (d. 1794). Among his siblings was

Madison Nelson Madison Nelson (1803 – January 1, 1870)"The Death of Judge Nelson—Action of the Court of Appeals", ''The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provid ...

, Frederick Stembel Nelson, and Sarah (née Nelson) Maulsby. His father served as

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

during the Revolutionary War (and one of the original members of the Society of Cincinnati) and, later, a U.S. Representative. He graduated from 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 III ...

in 1811, and was admitted to the bar in 1813, starting practice in Frederick.

Career

He held several local offices before being elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

representing Maryland's 4th district. He served only one term, March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1823, and was not a candidate for reelection. Nelson received an A.M. degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1825. In 1831, he was appointed Chargé d'affaires to the

Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and all ...

, a position he served in from 1831 to 1832.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

appointed him Attorney General of the United States on July 1, 1843. He served in this position until the end of the Tyler administration. He also served as

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

ad interim for about a month in 1844 after the sudden death of the previous Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur. After the end of the Tyler administration, Nelson retired from public life and returned to Baltimore.

Personal life

Nelson was married to Frances Harriott Burrows (1798–1836), a daughter of

William Ward Burrows I William Ward Burrows I (January 16, 1758 – March 6, 1805) was the second Commandant of the Marine Corps. His son, William Ward Burrows II, was a decorated officer in the United States Navy. Biography Burrows was born in Charleston, South C ...

, the second Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the sister of

William Ward Burrows II Lieutenant William Ward Burrows II (6 October 1785 – 5 September 1813) was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. His father, William Ward Burrows I, was the second Commandant of the Marine Corp ...

, a decorated officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Mary Sim Nelson (1819–1880), who married Alexander Neill (1808–1865). * Rosa Londonia Nelson (1825–1894), who married Isaac Nevett Steele (1809–1891), brother of John Nevett Steele, and Mary Nevett Steele (the wife of John Campbell Henry, eldest son and heir of

Maryland Governor The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

John Henry). After his first wife's death in 1836, he married Matilda Tennant (d. 1862), the daughter of Thomas Tennant, on March 13, 1838. Matilda and John were the parents of two children: * Joseph Story Nelson * Tennant Nelson Nelson died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, on January 8, 1860.

Descendants

Through his daughter, he was the grandfather of Charles Steele, who was born in Baltimore and later spent 39 years as a partner in J.P. Morgan & Co. in New York City.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, John 1791 births 1860 deaths United States Attorneys General Princeton University alumni Maryland lawyers Ambassadors of the United States to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies College of William & Mary alumni Politicians from Frederick, Maryland Maryland Whigs 19th-century American politicians Tyler administration cabinet members Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Acting United States Secretaries of State 19th-century American diplomats