George M. Dallas

George Mifflin Dallas was an American politician and diplomat. He was the 11th vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849.

Before that, he was the mayor of Philadelphia from 1828 to 1829. Later, he served as the U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom from 1856 to 1861. Some people think he gave his name to the city of Dallas, Texas.

Dallas was born in Philadelphia. His father was U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas. He studied law and became a lawyer in 1813. He worked with Albert Gallatin in the Treasury Department and for the Second Bank of the United States. He became a leader in Pennsylvania's Democratic Party.

He held many important jobs. He was mayor of Philadelphia, U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania, and attorney general of Pennsylvania. He was also in the United States Senate from 1831 to 1833. Later, President Martin Van Buren made him Minister to Russia from 1837 to 1839.

In 1844, Dallas was chosen to be the running mate of James K. Polk. They won the election, and Dallas became vice president. He supported expanding the country and letting local areas decide some of their own laws. He tried to become president in 1848 but lost support because of a vote he made. He ended his career as Minister to the United Kingdom before retiring from public service.

Family and early life

George Mifflin Dallas was born on July 10, 1792, in Philadelphia. His father, Alexander James Dallas, came from a family in Kingston, Jamaica, and had important jobs in the government. His mother, Arabella Smith, was born in England.

Dallas grew up in a big house in Philadelphia and also had a home near the Schuylkill River. He went to special schools run by the Quakers and later attended the College of New Jersey, now called Princeton University, where he graduated with top honors in 1810. After college, he learned about laws from his father and became a lawyer in 1813.

Early legal, diplomatic and financial service

After school, George M. Dallas wanted to fight in the War of 1812, but his father would not let him. Instead, he became the private secretary of Albert Gallatin. He traveled to Russia with Gallatin, who was trying to help make peace between Great Britain and the United States. After six months, Dallas went to London to see if the war could end by talking.

Later, he went to Washington, D.C. and shared Britain’s peace ideas with leaders. He was then chosen to help with money matters for the government. With little to do in that job, he studied politics, which he loved. He also worked for the Second Bank of the United States. When his father passed away in 1817, Dallas stopped working there and became a lawyer in Philadelphia until 1820.

Political career

After the War of 1812, Pennsylvania had busy politics with two groups. George M. Dallas led the Philadelphia "Family Party." They wanted a strong national government to make laws, support trade, and improve the country. The other group was the "Amalgamators," led by future President James Buchanan.

Dallas was elected mayor of Philadelphia but left the job to become the United States Attorney for eastern Pennsylvania. Later, he became a Senator from Pennsylvania for fifteen months. He did not run again because of disagreements over a big bank and because his wife wanted to stay in Philadelphia. After that, he worked as a lawyer and served as an important representative to Russia before returning to his law practice.

Vice presidency (1845–1849)

George M. Dallas became the 11th vice president of the United States in 1845. He was chosen to replace another candidate who decided not to run. Dallas worked hard during his time as vice president to help reduce tariffs (taxes on goods from other countries) and to expand U.S. lands.

As vice president, Dallas had to help decide when the Senate votes were tied. He did this 30 times during his four years in office. One big moment came in 1846 when the Senate couldn’t agree on a new tariff law. Dallas had to make the final decision. He chose to support the new law, thinking it was fair because many different parts of the country agreed with it. This decision was very important but also caused problems for Dallas back home in Pennsylvania. Even so, Dallas also supported expanding U.S. lands. He tried to become president in 1848 but faced many challenges because of his earlier decisions.

Post-vice presidency (1849–1864)

In 1856, Franklin Pierce chose Dallas to represent the United States in Great Britain. He worked there from February 4, 1856, until Charles F. Adams took over in May 1861. Dallas handled important issues with care and respect for the United States.

Later, Dallas went back to private life and did not take part in public matters again, except to speak against leaving the United States.

Death

Dallas went back to Philadelphia, where he lived until he passed away from a heart attack on December 31, 1864, at the age of 72. He is buried at St. Peter's Episcopal churchyard in Philadelphia.

Legacy

Several places in the United States are named after George M. Dallas. These include Dallas County, Iowa, Dallas Center, Iowa, Dallas County, Arkansas, Dallas County, Missouri, and Dallas County, Texas.

Other towns and cities named for him are Dallas, Texas, Dallas, Georgia, Dallas, North Carolina, Dallas, Oregon, Dallas City, Illinois, and Dallastown, Pennsylvania. Dallas was also a member of the Freemasons and served as the Grand Master in Pennsylvania in 1835.