John C. Calhoun

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John C. Calhoun

Q: What public offices did John C. Calhoun hold?

John C. Calhoun was an American political leader who was a congressman, the secretary of war, the seventh vice president (1825–32), a senator, and the secretary of state of the U.S.

Q: What was Calhoun's view on slavery?

John C. Calhoun championed states’ rights and slavery and was a symbol of the Old South. He spent the last 20 years of his life in the U.S. Senate working to unite the South against the abolitionist attack on slavery. His efforts included opposing the admittance of Oregon and California to the Union as free states.

Q: When did U.S. President James Monroe appoint John C. Calhoun as secretary of war?

U.S. President James Monroe appointed John C. Calhoun secretary of war in 1817.

Q: Did John C. Calhoun run for president?

To a degree not exceeded by that of any of his contemporaries, John C. Calhoun was consumed by a burning passion to achieve the U.S. presidency. He vigorously sought the office three times but never achieved it.

7th vice president of the United States

Also known as: John Caldwell Calhoun

Written by Gerald M. Capers

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 6, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

In full:: John Caldwell Calhoun

Born:: March 18, 1782, Abbeville district, South Carolina, U.S.

Died:: March 31, 1850, Washington, D.C. (aged 68)

Title / Office:: United States Senate (1845-1850), United States; United States Senate (1832-1843), United States; vice president (1825-1832), United States; vice president of the United States of America (1825-1829), United States; House of Representatives (1811-1817), United States

Political Affiliation:: Democratic-Republican Party; War Hawk

What public offices did John C. Calhoun hold?

What was Calhoun's view on slavery?

When did U.S. President James Monroe appoint John C. Calhoun as secretary of war?

Did John C. Calhoun run for president?

John C. Calhoun (born March 18, 1782, Abbeville district, South Carolina, U.S.—died March 31, 1850, Washington, D.C.) was an American political leader who was a congressman, the secretary of war, the seventh vice president (1825–32), a senator, and the secretary of state of the United States. He championed states’ rights and slavery and was a symbol of the Old South. Calhoun was born to Patrick Calhoun, a well-to-do Scots-Irish farmer, and Martha Caldwell, both of whom had recently migrated from Pennsylvania to the Carolina Piedmont. Two years after enrolling in a local academy at age 18, he entered the junior ...(100 of 1554 words)

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