Richard Rush (August 29, 1780 – July 30, 1859) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the 8th

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

from 1814 to 1817 and the 8th

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

from 1825 to 1829. He served as

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

's running mate on the National Republican ticket during the

1828 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States from October 31 to December 2, 1828. Just as in the 1824 United States presidential election, 1824 election, President John Quincy Adams of the National R ...

. He served as Attorney General of Pennsylvania in 1811 and as Comptroller of the Treasury during the

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

administration. Rush became one of Madison's closest advisers during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and Madison elevated him to United States Attorney General in 1814. Rush remained in that position after James Monroe took office. He served as the acting Secretary of State briefly in 1817 and negotiated the Rush–Bagot Treaty, which limited naval forces on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. Rush served as the ambassador to Britain from 1818 to 1825. He negotiated the Treaty of 1818 which set the boundary between the U.S. and Canada and had discussions with George Canning that led to the announcement of the Monroe Doctrine. He served as minister to France from 1847 to 1849. He helped establish and served on the board of regents for the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

Early life and education

Rush was born on August 29, 1780, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. He was the second son, and third child, of Benjamin Rush and Julia (Stockton) Rush, daughter of Richard Stockton and Annis Boudinot Stockton. He entered the College of New Jersey (now known as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

) at the age of 14, and graduated in 1797 as the youngest member of his class. He studied law in the practice of William Lewis and was admitted to the bar in 1800. Rush married Catherine Eliza Murray on the fall of 1809. They were the parents of eleven children including the lawyer and writer Benjamin Rush and Union Army colonel Richard H. Rush.

Career

As a lawyer, Rush first gained attention with a speech he gave which condemned the British naval attack during the Chesapeake-Leopard affair. In 1811 he was appointed Attorney General of Pennsylvania. He successfully acquitted William Duane in a libel suit brought forth by the Pennsylvania Governor Thomas McKean. His popularity prompted an offer to run for Congress but he declined. In November 1811, President

appointed Rush Comptroller of the Treasury. From the position as Comptroller of the treasury, albeit a subordinate position, Rush functioned as one of President Madison's closest friends and confidential advisors throughout the

. Rush was on the field of battle along with Madison during the Battle of Bladensburg. He was one of the War Hawks who advocated war with Britain. In 1814 Madison offered Rush the choice of

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Attorney General of the United States The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

, and Rush chose Attorney General. With his appointment as Attorney General, Rush became the youngest person to serve in that office. Rush served as United States Attorney General from 1814 to 1817. At this time the attorney generalship was a part-time position, and so Rush also maintained his private law practice while in this office. He edited ''Laws of the United States'', which codified all the federal statutes implemented between 1789 and 1815. He was acting Secretary of State briefly in 1817. During this time Rush concluded the Rush-Bagot Convention, which demilitarized the Canadian boundary on the

. In October 1817, Rush was appointed Minister to Britain to succeed

, who had taken the position of Secretary of State upon his return. He remained in Britain for almost eight years, and negotiated a number of important treaties, including the Treaty of 1818. In 1823, Rush negotiated with George Canning over British proposals that the two countries issue a joint declaration against French involvement in Spain's rebelling American colonies, but Britain would not agree to American demands for recognition of the newly independent republics, leading to the separate American declaration of the Monroe Doctrine. He wrote about his experience as Minister to Britain in ''A Residence in the Court of St. James''. Upon the election of John Quincy Adams in 1825, Rush (having made a study of Britain, and the British Navy in particular, while he was there) desired to become the

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

. Adams, however, immediately nominated him for the post of 8th

, which he accepted. In

1828 Events January–March * January 4 – Jean Baptiste Gay, vicomte de Martignac succeeds the Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, Comte de Villèle, as Prime Minister of France. * January 8 – The Democratic Party of the United States is organiz ...

, he was a candidate for

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

on the re-election ticket with John Quincy Adams, but was defeated. In 1829, he went overseas at the behest of the cities of

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, and Georgetown, to secure funds for the construction of a canal connecting the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

and the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. In 1836, President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

sent him to England as Commissioner to secure for 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 ...

the legacy left the government by James Smithson. He was successful in this undertaking, bringing to this country the sum of $508,318.46, which would eventually be used to establish the

in Washington, D.C. Rush later became one of the first regents of the institution. After a short time with the Anti-Masonic Party, in the later 1830s Rush became a member of the Democratic Party. He was opposed to anti-slavery sentiments because he believed they threatened the stability of the Union. In 1847, Richard Rush was appointed as Minister to France by President James K. Polk. When his negotiations were interrupted by the overthrow of King Louis-Philippe, he was among the first foreign diplomats to recognize the new

French Second Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle ...

Societies

Rush was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1814. In 1817, Rush elected a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. During the 1820s, Rush was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, who counted among their members former presidents

and

and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.

Death and legacy

He died in Philadelphia on July 30, 1859, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. Five

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

vessels were named in his honor: * USRC ''Richard Rush'' 1831 Morris-Taney class cutter * USGC ''Richard Rush'' 1874 Dexter-class cutter * USRC ''Rush'' 1885 revenue cutter, *USS ''Rush II (WSC-151)'' 1927 cutter * USCGC ''Rush'' (WHEC-723) 1969 Hamilton-class cutter The USCGC ''Rush (WMSM-918)'' Heritage-class cutter is under construction and scheduled for delivery in 2026.

Publications

*
Thoughts on the Administration of Justice in Pennsylvania.
', Philadelphia: Hopkins and Earle, 1809 *
Memoranda of a Residence at the Court of London
', Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1833 *
Two Letters on Public Subjects.
', Philadelphia: L.R. Bailey, Printer, 1851 *
Washington in Domestic Life. From Original Letters and Manuscripts.
', Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Co., 1857

References

Citations Sources *

External links

* * * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Richard 1780 births 1820 United States vice-presidential candidates 1828 United States vice-presidential candidates 1859 deaths 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians Acting United States secretaries of state Ambassadors of the United States to France Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom Anti-Masonic Party politicians from Pennsylvania Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Candidates in the 1832 United States presidential election Comptrollers of the United States Treasury John Quincy Adams administration cabinet members Madison administration cabinet members Members of the American Philosophical Society Monroe administration cabinet members Pennsylvania attorneys general Pennsylvania Democrats Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Philadelphia Princeton University alumni Pennsylvania Federalists Pennsylvania National Republicans Smithsonian Institution people Stockton family (New Jersey) Attorneys general of the United States United States secretaries of the treasury