In almost every respect, Daniel Webster was larger than life: an intellectual colossus, a statesman of the first rank, and a man of towering and finally unfulfilled ambition. In this new biography, Remini portrays Webster as a major player in the entire spectrum of American politics between the War of 1812 and the beginning of the Civil War. Photos.
In this monumental new biography, Robert V. Remini gives us a full life of Webster from his birth, early schooling, and rapid rise as a lawyer and politician in New Hampshire to his equally successful career in Massachusetts where he moved in 1816. Remini treats both the man and his time as they tangle in issues such as westward expansion, growth of democracy, market revolution, slavery and abolitionism, the National Bank, and tariff issues. Webster's famous speeches are fully discussed as are his relations with the other two of the great triumvirate, Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Throughout, Remini pays close attention to Webster's personal life--perhaps more than Webster would have liked--his relationships with family and friends, and his murky financial dealings with men of wealth and influence.