Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

Marcy, William Learned

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1786–1857, American politician, b. Southbridge, Mass. He settled in Troy, N.Y., where he practiced law and, after serving in the War of 1812, held local offices. A Democrat and a partisan of Martin Van Buren , Marcy entered the political group known as the Albany Regency , of which he soon became a dominant figure. He served as state comptroller (1823–29) and as justice of the state supreme court (1829–31) before he entered (1831) the U.S. Senate. There he made a famous speech supporting the nomination of Van Buren as minister to England: his defense of Van Buren's methods of patronage with the claim that “to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy” supposedly gave rise to the term “spoils system.” Marcy served (1833–39) as governor of New York for three terms and was a member (1840–42) of the Mexican Claims Commission. He was Secretary of War (1845–49) under President Polk and conducted that office efficiently during the Mexican War. He had drifted into opposition to Van Buren and…
32 results

Full text Article Marcy, William

From The Great American History Fact-Finder
| 88 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Spoils System

From Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
President Chester Arthur, pictured here in a c....
The spoils system, used throughout U.S. history, is the political practice of playing favorites—a government official appoints loyal supporters who will enthusiastically promote the official's budgetary and policy preferences. Among the nation's early presidents, Thomas Jefferson (in office 1801–09) …
| 506 words , 1 image
Key concepts:

Full text Article Marcy, William L(earned)

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(born Dec. 12, 1786, Southbridge, Mass., U.S.—died July 4, 1857, Ballston Spa, N.Y.) U.S. politician. From 1823 to 1829 he was comptroller of New York state and a leading member of the “Albany Regency,” a group of powerful state Democrats. He was a justice of the state supreme court from 1829 to…
| 171 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Marcy, William Learned

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1786–1857, American politician, b. Southbridge, Mass. He settled in Troy, N.Y., where he practiced law and, after serving in the War of 1812, held local offices. A Democrat and a partisan of Martin Van Buren , Marcy entered the political group known as the Albany Regency , of which he soon became a…
| 260 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article William Learned Marcy 1786–1857

From The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
| 60 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Pierce, Franklin (1804–1869),

From The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History
fourteenth president of the United States (1853–1857). Born in Hillsboro, New Hampshire, Pierce's father, Benjamin, a Revolutionary War general and later governor of New Hampshire, influenced his son toward a career in Democratic Party politics. After graduating from Bowdoin College, Pierce read law…
| 507 words
Key concepts:
High society in San Francisco.
Historical Snapshot 1854 The Crimean War began with Britain and France declaring war on Russia The Republican Party was organized at Ripon, Wisconsin, by former Whigs and disaffected Democrats opposed to the extension of slavery Mexico’s La Reforma period began with the issuance of the Plan de…
| 11,081 words , 6 images
Key concepts:
James K. Polk
Historical Snapshot 1846 The Mexican-American War started with a battle between the Mexican and U.S. armies at Palo Alto in Texas The Oregon Treaty settled the boundary line between the U.S. and British possessions in Canada at the forty-ninth parallel By using the temperature of the Earth, Irish…
| 17,476 words , 4 images
Key concepts:
Andrew Jackson
Historical Snapshot 1829 French mathematician Evarise Galois introduced the theory of groups The New England Asylum for the Blind, the first in the U.S., was incorporated in Boston Scottish explorer John Ross discovered the magnetic North Pole Jons Berzelius discovered element 90, thorium Andrew…
| 23,884 words , 7 images
Key concepts:

Full text Article US presidents

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
After having defeated the British at Yorktown in 1783, George Washington took part in drafting a new constitution for the USA and was elected its first president in 1789. Year elected/took office President Party Losing candidate(s) Party 1789 1 George Washington Federalist no opponent   1792  …
| 666 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources