John Slidell (1793July 9, 1871) was an American politician, lawyer, slaveholder, and businessman. Database at A native of New York, Slidell moved to

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

as a young man. He was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives,

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

and the U.S. Senate. He was one of two Confederate diplomats captured by the United States Navy from the British ship RMS '' Trent'' in 1861 and later released. He was the older brother of Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, a U.S. naval officer.

Early life

He was born to merchant John Slidell and Margery née Mackenzie, a Scot. He graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

(then Columbia College) in 1810. In 1835, Slidell married Mathilde Deslonde. They had three children: Alfred Slidell, Marie Rosine (later n 30 Sept. 1872''comtesse'' ountessde St. Roman), and Marguerite Mathilde (later n 3 Oct. 1864''baronne'' aroness Frederic Emile d'Erlanger). John Slidell - NARA - 528280

Political career

He was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1829 to 1833; his brother Thomas Slidell held the post from 1837 to 1838. Prior to the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

, Slidell was sent to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

by President James Knox Polk to negotiate an agreement whereby the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

would be the southern border of

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He also was instructed to offer, among other alternatives, a maximum of $25 million for

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

by Polk and his administration. Slidell warned Polk that the Mexican reluctance to negotiate a peaceful solution might require a show of military force by the United States to defend the border. Under the command of General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

, U.S. troops were sent into the disputed area between the Rio Grande and Nueces Rivers. The Mexican government, in a state of chaos at the time, rejected Slidell's mission. After Mexican forces repelled a U.S. scouting expedition, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

declared war on Mexico on May 13, 1846. Slidell developed a close friendship with

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

when Buchanan was Secretary of State. Slidell was elected to the Senate in 1853 and cast his lot with other pro-Southern congressmen to repeal the Missouri Compromise, acquire Cuba, and admit Kansas as a slave state. In the 1860 campaign, Slidell supported Democratic presidential candidate John C. Breckinridge but remained a pro-Union moderate until

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's election resulted in the Southern states seceding. At the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, in April 1860, Slidell plotted with Fire-Eaters, such as William Lowndes Yancey of

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, to stymie the nomination of the popular Northern Democratic Senator

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (né Douglass; April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. As a United States Senate, U.S. senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party (United States) ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Civil War

Slidell soon accepted a diplomatic appointment to represent the Confederacy in France. Slidell was one of the two Confederate diplomats involved in the ''Trent'' Affair in November 1861. After he was appointed the Confederate commissioner to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in September 1861, he ran the blockade from Charleston, South Carolina, with James Murray Mason of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. They then set sail from

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.mail boat steamer RMS ''Trent'' but were intercepted by the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

while en route and taken into captivity at Fort Warren in Boston. The northern public erupted in a huge display of triumphalism at this dramatic capture. Even the cool-headed Lincoln was swept along in the celebratory spirit, but when he and his cabinet studied the likely consequences of a war with Britain, their enthusiasm waned. After some careful diplomatic exchanges, they admitted that the capture had been conducted contrary to maritime law and that private citizens could not be classified as "enemy despatches." Slidell and Mason were released, and war was averted. After the resolution of the ''Trent'' Affair, the two diplomats set sail for England on January 1, 1862. From England, Slidell at once went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where, in February 1862, he paid his first visit to the French minister of foreign affairs. His mission to gain recognition of the Confederate States by

failed, as did his effort to negotiate a commercial agreement for France to get control of Southern cotton if the blockade were broken. In both cases, France refused to move without the co-operation of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He succeeded in negotiating a loan of $15,000,000 from Emile Erlanger & Co. and in securing the ship '' Stonewall'' for the Confederate government.

Later life

Slidell moved to

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, after the Civil War. He died in

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, at age 78. Along with Judah P. Benjamin and A. Dudley Mann, Slidell was among the high-ranking Confederate officials buried abroad.

Family

John Slidell was the brother of Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, a naval officer who commanded the USS ''Somers'', on which a unique event occurred in 1842 off the coast of Africa during the Blockade of Africa. Three crewmen were hanged after being convicted of

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

at sea. Mackenzie reversed the order of his middle and last names to honor a maternal uncle. Slidell was also the brother-in-law of the American naval Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

, who was married to Slidell's sister, Jane. Another brother, Thomas Slidell, was chief justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

Legacy

The city of Slidell in St. Tammany Parish,

, was named in his honor by his son-in-law, Baron Frederic Emile d'Erlanger; the village of Slidell, Texas, is also named after him.

References

*"John Slidell", ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', Vol. 2 (1988), pp. 746–747
John Slidell (1793 - 1871)
civilwarhome.com

Sources

* Case, Lynn M., and Warren E. Spencer. ''The United States and France: Civil War Diplomacy'' (1970
online
* Sears, Louis Martin. "A Confederate Diplomat at the Court of Napoleon III," ''American Historical Review'' (1921) 26#2 pp. 255–28
in JSTOR
on Slidell * Sears, Louis Martin. ''John Slidell'', Duke University Press (1925). * Sainlaude, Stève. ''France and the American Civil War: A Diplomatic History'' (UNC Press, 2019).

External links

* *
John Slidell
in the

Louisiana Historical Association The Louisiana Historical Association is an organization established in 1889 in Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the n ...

's ''Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Slidell, John 1793 births 1871 deaths Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives United States attorneys for the Eastern District of Louisiana New York (state) lawyers 19th-century American diplomats Confederate States of America diplomats Columbia College (New York) alumni Politicians from New Orleans People of Louisiana in the American Civil War Democratic Party United States senators from Louisiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Lawyers from New Orleans Northern-born Confederates Businesspeople from New Orleans Ambassadors of the United States to Mexico Confederate expatriates American expatriates in France 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American merchants Slidell family 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature