Marcy, William Learned

Marcy, William Learned,1786–1857, American politician, b. Southbridge, Mass. He settled in Troy, N.Y., where he practiced law and, after serving in the War of 1812, held local offices. A Democrat and a partisan of MartinVan Buren, Marcy entered the political group known as theAlbany Regency, of which he soon became a dominant figure. He served as state comptroller (1823–29) and as justice of the state supreme court (1829–31) before he entered (1831) the U.S. Senate. There he made a famous speech supporting the nomination of Van Buren as minister to England: his defense of Van Buren's methods of patronage with the claim thatto the victor belong the spoils of the enemysupposedly gave rise to the termspoils system.Marcy served (1833–39) as governor of New York for three terms and was a member (1840–42) of the Mexican Claims Commission. He was Secretary of War (1845–49) under President Polk and conducted that office efficiently during the Mexican War. He had drifted into opposition to Van Buren and headed theHunkers, a faction of the New York Democratic party. The peak of Marcy's career was reached when he served as Secretary of State (1853–57) under President Pierce. He handled many delicate problems, including theGadsden Purchase, negotiations concerning theBlack Warrioraffair with Spain, and the trouble arising from the filibustering expedition of WilliamWalker在尼加拉瓜。他谴责了Ostend Manifesto, but he managed to maintain a neutral attitude in the rising dispute over slavery.

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