The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1898-05-13
I'LL ii. TREsc0T..
DEATH oNsTHEs FAMoIJs DIPLo-
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DEATH 0NsTHE FAMOUS DIPLo-
8; las;ss;s I; = u S'Is tsEsMAN. 81 {
a - vhpse NJ. ie q Famlller fo
TN s o. e nfesnatlonal QuSs.
tiops ~ eot1d ovsr-.A Long Lie
FIaed With Eminent Services 60 The
;s fiyate kilograms were received
aTe yeetsrdav announcing the desth
! soi 36s H0As villism Henry Trescot,
tke did athis home ia Pendleton
:syeeeefdsy alter 8 protfac acted Illness.
In. him The State lost one Of tha,most
6rilliant men ever born within her
border. No man in America perhaps
ssHSs ever more closely associated with
great public questions than he had
been. Nowhere in America is there
30 be fonnd today more skilled and
thorough diplomatist than he was.
Mr.. Trescot was born in Charles,
.ston on the 10th day of November.
1S22, being the son of the late Henry
Trescot, of this city. After attend.
ing the city schools he entered the
College of Charleston, and graduated
from that Institution in 1S41 deliv-
ering an address then on the "Theory
of Government, which attracted much
attention and prepared his native
community to expect'much from him.
Entering the law office of his uncle
the late MIR. Edward McCrady. he
devoted the next two years to the
study of his profession. and was adj
mitted to the bar in 1S43. While
yet a law student Mr.. Trescot began
to wander from the beaten track of
ordinary law studies and dipping into
the musty pages of long unopened
books of black letter law that came
in his way, began to lay the founda-
ton for the great knowledge of his
profession that characterized his
career in later life.
His pet study was international
law and diplomacy, and the first fruit
of his studies in that line was book
which he published in 1S49, under
the title, IA Few Thoughts on the
Foreign Policy Of the United States"
This work attracted great deal Of
attention in America at the time.
and was soon recognized as an au-
thority of the first rank Following
this in 1852 he published work on
the diplomacy of the Revolutions"
an historical study which was gotten
out by the Appletons, of New York.
In 1852 and 1853 he was secretary
Of legation at London. where he
availed himself of the opportunity to
make careful study of European
diplomacy and to prepare himself f,r
the work that was ahead of him.
While in London he wrote and pub
lished a letter to the Hon. A. p.
Butler, then United States Senator
from South Carolina. on the dplo
matte history of the United States.
which is regarded until today as one
Of the most valuable contributions to
American history. In 1854 there
appeared from his pen, "An Ameri'
can View of the Eastern Question.
which he had made himself familiar
with while in Europe. Three years
later, in 1857, he published The
Diplomatic History of the Admins
trations of Washington and Adams.
and in 1859 delivered an important
address before the Historical Society
of South Carolina.
These works all having met with
marked favor and established the
standing of the young Charlestonian
as an authority upon diplomatic mat
ters he was selected by Gen. Gass
for the position of Assistant Secre-
tary of State of the United States
when he became Seer etary of State
under President Buchanan. Here
he displayed marked ability, and
when in 1850 Gen. Gass's health
failed in the following June he be-
came acting Secretary of State, and
and was practically regarded as Sec
retary OF State. He was now well
on toward the top of the ladder.
Recognized in every part of America
as one of the leading. if not the lead
ing diplomatist in the country, already
practically at the head of the foreign
affairs department of the government
and still under forty years of age, he
had every reason to anticipate bril-
liant career, filled with the highes1