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Poinsett, Joel Roberts 1779-1851

Legislator; born in Charleston, S. C., March 2, 1779; educated at Timothy Dwight's school, Greenfield, Conn., at Edinburgh University, and the Woolwich Academy, England. In 1809 he was sent to the South American states by the President for the purpose of inquiring into the prospects of the Spanish colonies winning their independence. While on this mission he was notified that the Spanish authorities in Peru had seized a number of American vessels. Appealing to the republican government for assistance, he was authorized to use force in the recapture of the ships, which he successfully accomplished. He was a member of Congress in 1821-25, and in the latter year was appointed United States minister to Mexico. President Van Buren appointed him Secretary of War in 1837. He published his notes on Mexico, made in 1822, with a historical sketch of the revolution. He died in Statesburg, S. C., Dec. 12, 1851.

Harper and Brothers Publishers. . New York. 1902.

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