Difference between revisions of "Tobias Lear"
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| − | '''Tobias Lear''' - U.S. Consul General to [[Saint-Domingue]]. After being elected (in 1801) as President of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson replaced the U.S. representative [[Edward Stevens|Dr. Edward Stevens]] with Lear, who had been George Washington's personal secretary. | + | '''Tobias Lear''' (1762 Portsmouth, NH - 1816 Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Consul General to [[Saint-Domingue]]. After being elected (in 1801) as President of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson replaced the U.S. representative [[Edward Stevens|Dr. Edward Stevens]] with Lear, who had been George Washington's personal secretary. |
Whereas Stevens had gone to [[Saint-Domingue]] with "full diplomatic powers, in effect recognizing Toussaint's government," Lear arrived in Saint-Domingue on 4 July 1801 with no such papers, only an ordinary commission. [[Toussaint]] immediately reacted to the snub from the U.S. government, which "confirmed (his) suspicion that Jefferson had no intention of regarding him as an equal, nor of supporting the sovereignty of the new state." | Whereas Stevens had gone to [[Saint-Domingue]] with "full diplomatic powers, in effect recognizing Toussaint's government," Lear arrived in Saint-Domingue on 4 July 1801 with no such papers, only an ordinary commission. [[Toussaint]] immediately reacted to the snub from the U.S. government, which "confirmed (his) suspicion that Jefferson had no intention of regarding him as an equal, nor of supporting the sovereignty of the new state." | ||
By the following day, although still stung, the ever-pragmatic [[Toussaint]] accepted the fact that he would be dealing with Lear from then out, and went so far as to state his wish for continued good relationships with the U.S. | By the following day, although still stung, the ever-pragmatic [[Toussaint]] accepted the fact that he would be dealing with Lear from then out, and went so far as to state his wish for continued good relationships with the U.S. | ||
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| + | Tobias Lear committed suicide in 1816. | ||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
Revision as of 06:07, 18 October 2005
Tobias Lear (1762 Portsmouth, NH - 1816 Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Consul General to Saint-Domingue. After being elected (in 1801) as President of the U.S., Thomas Jefferson replaced the U.S. representative Dr. Edward Stevens with Lear, who had been George Washington's personal secretary.
Whereas Stevens had gone to Saint-Domingue with "full diplomatic powers, in effect recognizing Toussaint's government," Lear arrived in Saint-Domingue on 4 July 1801 with no such papers, only an ordinary commission. Toussaint immediately reacted to the snub from the U.S. government, which "confirmed (his) suspicion that Jefferson had no intention of regarding him as an equal, nor of supporting the sovereignty of the new state."
By the following day, although still stung, the ever-pragmatic Toussaint accepted the fact that he would be dealing with Lear from then out, and went so far as to state his wish for continued good relationships with the U.S.
Tobias Lear committed suicide in 1816.
See Also
- Tobias Lear letter to Madison - reporting on the first meeting with Toussaint Louverture
References
- Public Broadcasting Service http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3h491.html
