Isaac Toucey

Isaac Toucey
23rd United States Secretary of the Navy
In office
March 7, 1857 – March 4, 1861
Preceded by James C. Dobbin
Succeeded by Gideon Welles
United States Senator
from Connecticut
In office
May 12, 1852 – March 4, 1857
Preceded by Roger S. Baldwin
Succeeded by James Dixon
20th United States Attorney General
In office
June 21, 1848 – March 3, 1849
President James K. Polk
Preceded by Nathan Clifford
Succeeded by Reverdy Johnson
33rd Governor of Connecticut
In office
May 6, 1846 – May 5, 1847
Lieutenant Noyes Billings
Preceded by Roger S. Baldwin
Succeeded by Clark Bissell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839
Preceded by District created
Succeeded by Joseph Trumbull
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837
Preceded by Noyes Barber
Succeeded by District eliminated
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
In office
1852
Member of the Connecticut Senate
In office
1850
Personal details
Born (1792-11-15)November 15, 1792
Newtown, Connecticut, U.S.
Died July 30, 1869(1869-07-30) (aged 76)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Catherine Nichols Toucey
Profession Lawyer, Politician

Isaac Toucey (November 15, 1792 – July 30, 1869) was an American politician who served as a U.S. senator, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Attorney General and the 33rd Governor of Connecticut.

President Buchanan and his Cabinet
From left to right: Jacob Thompson, Lewis Cass, John B. Floyd, James Buchanan, Howell Cobb, Isaac Toucey, Joseph Holt and Jeremiah S. Black, (c. 1859)

Biography

Born in Newtown, Connecticut, Toucey pursued classical studies; studied law and was admitted to the bar at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1818.[1] From 1825 to 1835 he had his own practice in Hartford, Connecticut. He married Catherine Nichols in Hartford on October 28, 1827. The couple never had any children.[2]

Career

In 1822, Toucey was named prosecuting attorney of Hartford County, Connecticut. He served in that position until 1835, when he was elected to the 24th and 25th Congresses (at-large and then representing the 1st District). He served from 1835 to 1839. He lost the election of 1838 and returned to his position as prosecuting attorney in 1842.

In 1845, Toucey ran for Governor of Connecticut and lost, but the Connecticut State Legislature appointed him to the position in 1846. During his tenure, an antibribery bill geared toward eliminating fraudulent electoral procedures was considered. He was defeated in an attempt at re-election.[3]

In 1848, President James K. Polk appointed Toucey the 20th Attorney General of the United States, a position he held until 1849. He returned to Connecticut and took a place in the Connecticut Senate in 1850, and then in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1852.

Toucey was elected to the U.S. Senate for the term commencing March 4, 1851, and served from May 12, 1852, to March 3, 1857, having that year declined to be a candidate for reelection.[4] During that time, he often served as the legislative point man for Franklin Pierce and his administration.

James Buchanan, who Toucey had served with in the Polk administration, appointed him U.S. Secretary of the Navy in his Cabinet in 1857 as a sop to the Pierce faction as well as to represent New England in the Cabinet. A moderate Northerner much in line with Buchanan's thought in the sectional controversies of the day, Toucey held that post until 1861 and the arrival of the Abraham Lincoln administration. Toucey was then replaced by one of his chief rivals in Connecticut, Gideon Welles. After 1861 he returned to his law practice.

Death and legacy

Toucey died in Hartford on July 30, 1869 (age 76 years, 267 days).[5] He is interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut.[6] USS Toucey (DD-282) was named for him.

References

  1. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". Connecticut State Library. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". National Governors Association. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Isaac Toucey". Find A Grave. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Noyes Barber		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large congressional district
March 4, 1835 – March 4, 1837 		Succeeded by
District eliminated
Preceded by
New district		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's 1st congressional district
March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1839 		Succeeded by
Joseph Trumbull
Political offices
Preceded by
Roger Sherman Baldwin		 Governor of Connecticut
May 6, 1846 – May 5, 1847 		Succeeded by
Clark Bissell
Legal offices
Preceded by
Nathan Clifford		 U.S. Attorney General
Served under: James K. Polk
June 21, 1848 – March 4, 1849 		Succeeded by
Reverdy Johnson
United States Senate
Preceded by
Roger S. Baldwin		 U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Connecticut
May 12, 1852 – March 4, 1857
Served alongside: Truman Smith, Francis Gillette and Lafayette S. Foster		 Succeeded by
James Dixon
Government offices
Preceded by
James C. Dobbin		 United States Secretary of the Navy
March 7, 1857 – March 4, 1861 		Succeeded by
Gideon Welles
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