born Feb. 24, 1772, Amherst county, Va.
died Sept. 15, 1834, Elberton, Ga., U.S.
U.S. political leader and presidential aspirant.
He taught school and practiced law before being elected to the Georgia legislature in 1803. He served in the U.S. Senate (1807–13), where he backed the declaration of war against Britain in 1812 (see War of 1812 ). He later served as minister to France (1813–15), secretary of war (1815–16), and secretary of the treasury (1816–25). Nominated for president by the congressional caucus of the Democratic-Republican Party, he was one of four presidential candidates in the 1824 election, which was won by John Quincy Adams .