POINSETT, JOEL R(OBERTS)

born March 2, 1779, Charleston, S.C., U.S. died Dec. 12, 1851, near Statesburg U.S. statesman noted primarily for his diplomacy in Latin America. A fervent liberal, he frequently meddled in the affairs of Latin American nations, incurring their animosity by his misdirected good intentions. The son of a prominent physician, Poinsett was educated in the U.S. and England and then travelled for seven years in Europe and western Asia. Returning home to serve in the approaching war with England, he was instead appointed the special agent for the U.S. in Buenos Aires and Chile in 1810. Although he initiated diplomatic and commercial relations with these Spanish territories, he also supported the nascent revolutionary forces there. After serving in the South Carolina legislature (181620), Poinsett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1820. Interrupting his legislative career, he went on a special mission to Mexico in 1822 and 1823, publishing his Notes on Mexico in 1824. In 1825 he became the first U.S. minister to Mexico, a post he held until 1829. Deeply involved in Mexican politics, he finally became persona non grata to the government. The Mexicans even coined the word poinsettismo to characterize his officious and intrusive behaviour. In 1830 Poinsett became a leader of the Unionist Party in South Carolina, a group that opposed the doctrine of nullification, which held that the individual states have the right to set aside any federal law that violates their compact in the U.S. Constitution. As a reward for these services, Pres. Martin Van Buren appointed him secretary of war in 1837. He served until 1841 and then retired to South Carolina. An accomplished amateur botanist, Poinsett brought a flower from Mexico that was renamed the poinsettia in his honour. He was instrumental in founding the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts, a precursor of the Smithsonian Institution.