Charles Vaughan

Charles Richard Vaughan first trained for medicine. Born in Leicester in 1774, he studied at Oxford, became a fellow of All Souls, and used a Radcliffe traveling fellowship to journey through Europe and the Middle East. In 1808 he carried dispatches in Spain during the war against Napoleon and subsequently published an account of the siege of Zaragoza. After serving in Spain, Paris, and Switzerland, he became Britain's minister to the United States in 1825. ¹

The unsettled northeastern boundary required Vaughan to manage disputes over timber, roads, and jurisdiction. In 1829 he obtained New Brunswick's response to American complaints about unauthorized logging and conveyed its measures to restrain timber cutting. He also protested a projected military road near Mars Hill. President Jackson postponed the road extension while maintaining the American territorial claim and denying any intention to establish a military station there. ²

Vaughan traveled extensively in the United States, undertaking long tours in 1826 and 1829. During leave in Britain from 1831 to 1833 he discussed American affairs with the king. He left Washington permanently in October 1835. A special mission to Constantinople in 1837 was canceled while he was traveling there; he continued his European journeys and died in London on 15 June 1849. ¹