Peter Buell Porter (1773-1844) was the only War Hawk born in New England, in Salisbury Connecticut. In 1791 he graduated from Yale, and studied law in Connecticut with Judge Tapping Reeve. In 1795 he moved to Canandaigua, New York. Originally he was a Federalist. He became disillusioned with the party during the election of 1800. He joined the Democratic-Republicans. In 1804 he supported Aaron Burr with Timothy Pickering and Roger Griswold in the gubernatorial race in New York State. The winner of that election, Morgan Lewis, moved to strip Porter of a clerking post he held. Porter became a land speculator in the upstate New York Niagara frontier. In 1808, back in politics, he was elected to the House of Representatives. Henry Clay was his mentor. Porter joined the War Hawks, urging war with Great Britain. Once the United States declared war, Porter served in the New York militia, distinguishing himself and earning a gold medal from Congress. He was re-elected to Congress in 1814.[1]
John Caldwell Calhoun (1782-1850) was, like most of the War Hawks, a youthful thirty year old serving in Congress as a representative from South Carolina in 1812. His parents were slave owners on the South Carolina frontier. They recognized his intellectual abilities, and sent him to Yale University in 1802. Like Peter Buell Porter, he studied law with Judge Tapping Reeve. Under Henry Clay’s direction, Calhoun became chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He joined the War Hawks in promoting war with Great Britain.[2]
Next: How New Englanders Reacted to War with Britain
Look for it Monday, June 23
[1] “Peter Buell Porter” American National Biography.
[2] “John C. Calhoun” American National Biography.
