William L. Marcy

William Marcy
Marcy c. 1856
21st United States Secretary of State
In office March 7, 1853 – March 6, 1857
President	Franklin Pierce James Buchanan
Preceded by	Edward Everett
Succeeded by	Lewis Cass
20th United States Secretary of War
In office March 6, 1845 – March 4, 1849
President	James K. Polk
Preceded by	William Wilkins
Succeeded by	George W. Crawford
11th Governor of New York
In office January 1, 1833 – December 31, 1838
Lieutenant	John Tracy
Preceded by	Enos T. Throop
Succeeded by	William H. Seward
United States Senator from New York
In office March 4, 1831 – January 1, 1833
Preceded by	Nathan Sanford
Succeeded by	Silas Wright
8th Comptroller of New York
In office February 13, 1823 – January 21, 1829
Governor	Joseph C. Yates DeWitt Clinton Nathaniel Pitcher Martin Van Buren
Preceded by	John Savage
Succeeded by	Silas Wright
Personal details
Born	William Learned Marcy (1786-12-12)December 12, 1786 Southbridge, Massachusetts
Died	July 4, 1857(1857-07-04) (aged 70) Ballston Spa, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Albany Rural Cemetery
Political party	Democratic-Republican (before 1825) Democratic (after 1825)
Spouse(s)	Dolly Newell Cornelia Knower
Children	3
Education	Brown University (BA)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	New York State Militia
Years of service	1812–1823
Rank	Brigadier General
Commands	Adjutant General of New York
Battles/wars	War of 1812

William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786 – July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Gadsden Purchase, the last major acquisition of land in the contiguous United States.

Born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, Marcy established a legal practice in Troy, New York, after graduating from Brown University. He fought in the War of 1812, as an ensign, first lieutenant and captain in the 155th New York Infantry Regiment. Politically, he aligned with the Bucktail faction of the Democratic-Republican Party^[1] and became a leading member of the Albany Regency. As the Democratic-Republicans fractured in the 1820s, he became a member of the Democratic Party. Between 1821 and 1831, he successively served as Adjutant General of New York, New York State Comptroller, and as an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court. In 1831, the New York legislature elected Marcy to the U.S. Senate, and he held that position until 1833, when he became the Governor of New York. He served three terms as governor until his defeat in 1838 by the Whig nominee, William Seward.

He served as Secretary of War under James K. Polk from 1845 to 1849,^[1] overseeing the Mexican–American War. After leaving the Polk administration, he resumed the practice of law and became a leader of the "Soft" Hunker faction of the New York Democratic Party. He returned to the Cabinet in 1853, serving as Secretary of State under Franklin Pierce. In this role, he resolved a dispute about the status of U.S. immigrants abroad and directed U.S. diplomats to dress in the plain style of an ordinary American rather than the court-dress many had adopted from Europe. He also negotiated a reciprocity treaty with British North America and the 30,000-square-mile (78,000 km²) Gadsden purchase with Mexico, acquiring territory in present-day Arizona and New Mexico. He left office in 1857 and died shortly thereafter.