Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass was Secretary of State under James Buchanan from 1857 until December 1860. His earlier offices included governor of Michigan Territory, secretary of war under Andrew Jackson, minister to France, and United States senator. As the Democratic presidential nominee in 1848, he had promoted popular sovereignty as a way of deciding whether slavery would be permitted in the territories. ¹

Buchanan, himself a former secretary and minister to Britain, exercised close control of foreign policy. Cass consequently had less freedom than his long public career might suggest. Attempts to obtain Cuba from Spain and territory or transit rights in Mexico encountered resistance abroad and conflict over slavery at home. A more tangible result came when Britain abandoned its claim to search American vessels in peacetime, addressing a recurring source of maritime friction. ¹

The secession crisis brought Cass’s service to an end. He resigned in December 1860 as the administration divided over its response to the threatened breakup of the Union. His departure illustrated the extent to which the slavery dispute had overtaken the expansion and commercial questions that opened Buchanan’s presidency. Cass returned to Michigan and lived through the Civil War, dying in 1866. ¹