Legaré was born in
Charleston, South Carolina, of
Huguenot and
Scottish ancestry. Partly due to his inability to share in the amusements of his fellows, as a result of a vaccine-related deformity suffered before he was five that permanently stunted the growth and development of his legs; Legaré was an eager student and was president of the
Clariosophic Society at the
College of South Carolina (now
University of South Carolina at Columbia), from which he graduated in 1814 with the highest rank in his class and with a reputation for scholarship and eloquence. After graduation, he studied the law for three years, did advanced work in
Paris and
Edinburgh in 1818 and 1819 and in 1822 was admitted to the South Carolina bar. After practicing for a time in Charleston, he became a member of the
South Carolina House of Representatives, serving between 1820 and 1821 and then again between 1824 and 1830. He also founded and edited the
Southern Review between 1828 and 1832. From 1830 until 1832 he was the
Attorney General of South Carolina, and he supported
states' rights, he strongly opposed
nullification. He was Attorney General until he was appointed
chargé d'affaires to
Brussels in 1832, serving there until 1836. In 1838, he was elected as a member to the
American Philosophical Society. On his return he was elected to the
25th Congress as a
Democrat, but failed in a re-election bid the following term. In 1841
President John Tyler named him
Attorney General of the United States and he served in that office until his death. He also served as
Secretary of State ad interim from May 8, 1843, until his death. He died in
Boston while attending ceremonies for the unveiling of the
Bunker Hill Monument. He died, by "internal strangulation..the twisting of the intestine upon itself." He was first interred in
Mount Auburn Cemetery in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was later re-interred in
Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. The
USCGC Legare, which is a
medium endurance cutter, was named in his honor. ==References==