Hugh Swinton Legaré

Hugh Swinton Legaré (lih-GREE; January 2, 1797 – June 20, 1843) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician from South Carolina who served as the 16th Attorney General of the United States under President John Tyler. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to a family of Huguenot descent, a background that influenced his lifelong interest in classical learning and European culture. A childhood illness left him physically deformed and of small stature, a condition that reportedly limited his early social prospects but did not impede his intellectual development. From an early age he demonstrated marked scholarly ability, particularly in classical languages and literature.

Legaré was educated at the College of Charleston and then at South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina), from which he graduated with high distinction in 1814. He pursued legal studies in Charleston and was admitted to the bar in 1818. Seeking to deepen his education, he traveled to Europe and studied civil law and languages at the University of Paris and the University of Edinburgh, where he was exposed to continental legal traditions and the broader currents of European intellectual life. This advanced training helped shape his reputation as one of the more learned members of the South Carolina bar and later informed his writings on law, politics, and culture.

Upon his return to South Carolina, Legaré established a successful law practice in Charleston and quickly entered public life. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1820 to 1821 and again from 1824 to 1830, gaining recognition as an able debater and a moderate voice in a state increasingly drawn to radical states’ rights doctrines. In 1822 he helped found and later edited the Southern Review, a literary and political journal through which he advanced his views on jurisprudence, classical education, and public affairs. His growing prominence in state politics and his legal acumen led to his appointment as Attorney General of South Carolina, a position he held from 1830 to 1832. During this period he opposed the doctrine of nullification, arguing for the preservation of the Union while still defending Southern interests.

Legaré’s state service brought him to national attention. In 1832 President Andrew Jackson appointed him as the acting minister to the newly established Kingdom of Belgium. In this diplomatic role he represented American commercial and political interests at a time when Belgium was consolidating its independence and seeking international recognition. He served in Brussels until 1836, strengthening his already extensive familiarity with European law and politics. After returning to the United States, he resumed his legal practice in Charleston and reentered political life.

In 1836 Legaré was elected as a Whig to the United States House of Representatives to represent Charleston, serving in the Twenty-fifth Congress from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1839. In Congress he was known for his learning, his carefully reasoned speeches, and his generally nationalist outlook, which set him apart from many of his fellow South Carolinians. He supported internal improvements and a more active federal role in promoting economic development, positions consistent with emerging Whig principles. Despite his abilities, he was unable to secure a second term and lost his bid for re-election to Isaac E. Holmes.

Following the death of President William Henry Harrison in April 1841 and the subsequent resignation of most Whig members of the cabinet, President John Tyler turned to Legaré for high executive office. Tyler appointed him Attorney General of the United States, and Legaré entered the cabinet on September 13, 1841. As the 16th Attorney General, he served as the chief legal adviser to the administration during a period marked by intense disputes between the president and the Whig leadership in Congress. He was regarded as a careful, scholarly lawyer, and his opinions reflected his training in both common law and civil law traditions. In the final month of his life, following the resignation of Secretary of State Daniel Webster in May 1843, Legaré was also designated United States Secretary of State ad interim, temporarily assuming responsibility for the Department of State while continuing to serve as Attorney General.

Legaré died in office on June 20, 1843, in Boston, Massachusetts, while attending the dedication of the Bunker Hill Monument. His death at the age of forty-six cut short a career that had spanned state and national legislatures, diplomatic service, and the highest legal office in the federal government. He was buried in Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. Remembered for his erudition, his moderation in an era of growing sectional tension, and his contributions to legal and political thought, Legaré left a legacy as one of South Carolina’s most intellectually distinguished public men of the early nineteenth century.