Outerbridge Horsey

Outerbridge Horsey (born March 5, 1777 in Laurel , Delaware , †  June 9, 1842 in Petersville , Maryland ) was an American politician ( Federalist Party ) who represented the state of Delaware in the US Senate .

Life

After his early years in Georgetown had spent, Outerbridge Horsey moved to Wilmington , where he at James A. Bayard the law studied. Bayard, himself a member of the US House of Representatives and Senate between 1797 and 1813 , was to become his lifelong political mentor. Horsey was inducted into the New Castle County Bar in December 1807 and began practicing in Wilmington.

politics

His political career began in the House of Representatives from Delaware , where he represented Sussex County from 1801 to 1803 . In 1806 Horsey became Attorney General of Delaware, which he remained until 1810. That year he won the by-election for the Senate seat of the late Samuel White . He took his place in Congress on January 12, 1810, and remained there after re-election in 1814 until March 3, 1821.

At the beginning of his tenure in the Senate, Horsey opposed the impending British-American war ; When this began, however, he supported the federal government's war effort. He became a member of the Committee of Safety and was involved in preparations to defend Wilmington and Fort Union . In March 1814 he presented a petition from the citizens of Delaware, which was directed against Jefferson's trade embargo ; however, this had no effect.

A few years later he came into conflict with the Delaware legislature, which had drafted a resolution to the state Congressmen, according to which they should vote against the expansion of slavery whenever possible. In Horsey's opinion, Congress did not have the power to prevent the possession of slaves in Missouri , which is why it supported the Missouri Compromise . Knowing how unpopular this position was in his home state, he did not run for further re-election.

Horsey withdrew into private life. He helped set up a public library in Georgetown and was a curator of Wilmington College .

Web links

• Outerbridge Horsey in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Outerbridge Horsey in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• The Senators from Delaware