Nathaniel Beverley Tucker
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Beverley Tucker (September 6, 1784 - August 26, 1851) was an American
author, judge, legal scholar, and political essayist.
family: his father was the noted legal scholar St. George Tucker
, and his half-brother was the famous John Randolph of Roanoke
. Tucker's older brother Henry St. George Tucker, Sr.
, too, went on to have an eminent career as a law professor and Congressman in antebellum Virginia.
He graduated from William and Mary College in 1801, studied law, and practised in Virginia. After moving with his family to the Missouri
territory in 1816, Tucker served as a circuit court judge from 1817 until 1832. He returned to Virginia in 1833 and served as a Professor of Law at William and Mary, his alma mater (Class of 1802), from 1834 to his death in 1851.
Tucker opposed the nullification movement
in South Carolina
, but maintained that individual states had the right to secede from the Union. From the 1830s onward he was a Fire-Eater
and a leading academic spokesman for states' rights
and Southern unity. He wrote frequently for the Southern Literary Messenger
and other periodicals, and carried on an extensive correspondence with influential Southern political leaders, including President John Tyler
, Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur
, and South Carolina Governor James Henry Hammond
.
He died in Winchester, Virginia
, at the age of 66 years.
. Set in the United States of 1849, the story depicts a war between secessionist guerrillas in Virginia and a despotic federal government led by President-turned-dictator Martin Van Buren
. In Tucker's future, the slaveholding states south of Virginia have already seceded, driven out of the Union by Van Buren's centralizing government and exploitative tariff policy. While the Old Dominion itself remains under federal control, the plot of The Partisan Leader concerns the efforts of patriotic Virginian irregulars to defeat government forces and join the independent Southern Confederacy.
At the onset of the American Civil War
, the novel was regarded by many in the North and South as a prophetic vision of the collapse of the Union. It was republished in 1861 in New York with the subtitle "A Key to the Southern Conspiracy"; a Richmond edition of 1862 is subtitled "A Novel, and an Apocalypse of the Origin and Struggles of the Southern Confederacy."
Tucker was also the author of George Balcombe, also published in 1836, which Edgar Allan Poe
called "the best American novel." In 1844-1845, Tucker's third and final novel, Gertrude
, was serialized in the Southern Literary Messenger
.
He left an unfinished life of his half-brother, John Randolph of Roanoke. He wrote a great number of political and miscellaneous essays, and was a large contributor to The Southern Literary Messenger of Richmond, Virginia
, and to the Southern Quarterly Review. He also maintained an extensive correspondence with scholars and politicians.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, judge, legal scholar, and political essayist.
Life and Politics
Tucker was generally known by his middle name. He was born into a socially elite and politically influential VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
family: his father was the noted legal scholar St. George Tucker
St. George Tucker
St. George Tucker was a lawyer, professor of law at the College of William and Mary, and judge of Virginia's highest court. In 1813, upon the nomination of President James Madison, he became the United States district judge for Virginia.-Early life:Born in St. George, Bermuda, near Port Royal...
, and his half-brother was the famous John Randolph of Roanoke
John Randolph of Roanoke
John Randolph , known as John Randolph of Roanoke, was a planter and a Congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives , the Senate , and also as Minister to Russia...
. Tucker's older brother Henry St. George Tucker, Sr.
Henry St. George Tucker, Sr.
Henry St. George Tucker, Sr. was a Virginia jurist, law professor, and U.S. Congressman .-Biography:Tucker was born in Williamsburg, Virginia on December 29, 1780. As a young man, Tucker pursued classical studies at the College of William & Mary; he graduated in 1798...
, too, went on to have an eminent career as a law professor and Congressman in antebellum Virginia.
He graduated from William and Mary College in 1801, studied law, and practised in Virginia. After moving with his family to the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
territory in 1816, Tucker served as a circuit court judge from 1817 until 1832. He returned to Virginia in 1833 and served as a Professor of Law at William and Mary, his alma mater (Class of 1802), from 1834 to his death in 1851.
Tucker opposed the nullification movement
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. This ordinance declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariff of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, but maintained that individual states had the right to secede from the Union. From the 1830s onward he was a Fire-Eater
Fire-Eater
Fire-Eater may refer to:* Fire eater, a performer who places flaming objects into their mouth and extinguishes them.* Fire-Eaters pro-slavery politicians who pushed for secession from the United States of America* An episode of the Dragon Ball anime....
and a leading academic spokesman for states' rights
States' rights
States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government. It is often considered a loaded term because of its use in opposition to federally mandated racial desegregation...
and Southern unity. He wrote frequently for the Southern Literary Messenger
Southern Literary Messenger
The Southern Literary Messenger was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from 1834 until June 1864. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation and included poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews, and historical notes...
and other periodicals, and carried on an extensive correspondence with influential Southern political leaders, including President John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
, Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur
Abel P. Upshur
Abel Parker Upshur was an American lawyer, judge and politician from Virginia. Upshur was active in Virginia state politics and later served as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State during the Whig administration of President John Tyler...
, and South Carolina Governor James Henry Hammond
James Henry Hammond
James Henry Hammond was a politician from South Carolina. He served as a United States Representative from 1835 to 1836, the 60th Governor of South Carolina from 1842 to 1844, and United States Senator from 1857 to 1860...
.
He died in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
, at the age of 66 years.
Fiction
Tucker is probably best remembered for his 1836 novel The Partisan LeaderThe Partisan Leader
The Partisan Leader; A Tale of The Future is a political novel by the antebellum Virginia author and jurist Nathaniel Beverley Tucker. A two-volume work published in 1836 in New York City and in 1837 in Washington, D.C...
. Set in the United States of 1849, the story depicts a war between secessionist guerrillas in Virginia and a despotic federal government led by President-turned-dictator Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
. In Tucker's future, the slaveholding states south of Virginia have already seceded, driven out of the Union by Van Buren's centralizing government and exploitative tariff policy. While the Old Dominion itself remains under federal control, the plot of The Partisan Leader concerns the efforts of patriotic Virginian irregulars to defeat government forces and join the independent Southern Confederacy.
At the onset of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the novel was regarded by many in the North and South as a prophetic vision of the collapse of the Union. It was republished in 1861 in New York with the subtitle "A Key to the Southern Conspiracy"; a Richmond edition of 1862 is subtitled "A Novel, and an Apocalypse of the Origin and Struggles of the Southern Confederacy."
Tucker was also the author of George Balcombe, also published in 1836, which Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
called "the best American novel." In 1844-1845, Tucker's third and final novel, Gertrude
Gertrude
Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to:*The "underwater phone" used by submarines for communication*Gertrude , Hamlet's mother*Gertrud , by Hermann Hesse*Gertrud , by Hjalmar Söderberg...
, was serialized in the Southern Literary Messenger
Southern Literary Messenger
The Southern Literary Messenger was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from 1834 until June 1864. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation and included poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews, and historical notes...
.
Works
Besides the works already mentioned, he wrote:- Discourse on the Importance of the Study of Political Science as a Branch of Academic Education in the United States (Richmond, 1840)
- Discourse on the Dangers that threaten the Free Institutions of the United States (1841)
- Lectures intended to Prepare the Student for the Study of the Constitution of the United States (Philadelphia, 1845)
- Principles of Pleading (Boston, 1846).
He left an unfinished life of his half-brother, John Randolph of Roanoke. He wrote a great number of political and miscellaneous essays, and was a large contributor to The Southern Literary Messenger of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and to the Southern Quarterly Review. He also maintained an extensive correspondence with scholars and politicians.
External links
- Documenting the American South - The full text of The Partisan Leader
- Google Books - The full text of George Balcombe
- Colonial Williamsburg - The Life and Literature of Nathaniel Beverley Tucker