George M. Dallas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 | |
| President | James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | John Tyler |
| Succeeded by | Millard Fillmore |
| United States Minister to the United Kingdom | |
| In office April 4, 1856 – May 16, 1861 | |
| President | Franklin Pierce James Buchanan Abraham Lincoln |
| Preceded by | James Buchanan |
| Succeeded by | Charles Francis Adams Sr. |
| United States Minister to Russia | |
| In office August 6, 1837 – July 29, 1839 | |
| President | Martin Van Buren |
| Preceded by | John Randolph Clay |
| Succeeded by | Churchill C. Cambreleng |
| 17th Attorney General of Pennsylvania | |
| In office October 14, 1833 – December 1, 1835 | |
| Governor | George Wolf |
| Preceded by | Ellis Lewis |
| Succeeded by | James Todd |
| United States Senator from Pennsylvania | |
| In office December 13, 1831 – March 3, 1833 | |
| Preceded by | Isaac D. Barnard |
| Succeeded by | Samuel McKean |
| United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania | |
| In office April 15, 1829 – December 13, 1831 | |
| President | Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | Charles Jared Ingersoll |
| Succeeded by | Henry D. Gilpin |
| 58th Mayor of Philadelphia | |
| In office October 21, 1828 – April 15, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Watson |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Wood Richards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Mifflin Dallas July 10, 1792 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 1864 (aged 72) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Alexander J. Dallas (brother) |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
George Mifflin Dallas (July 10, 1792 – December 31, 1864) was an American politician and diplomat who served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1828 to 1829, the 11th vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, and U.S. Minister to the United Kingdom from 1856 to 1861. Dallas was a son of U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander J. Dallas, and studied law in his father's office and was admitted to the bar in 1813. He served as the private secretary to Albert Gallatin and worked for the Treasury Department and the Second Bank of the United States. He emerged as a leader of the Family Party faction of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Dallas developed a rivalry with James Buchanan, the leader of the Amalgamator faction. Between 1828 and 1835, he served as the mayor of Philadelphia, U.S. attorney for the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania and as Pennsylvania's attorney general. He also represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1831 to 1833 but declined to seek re-election. President Martin Van Buren appointed Dallas to the post of Minister to Russia, and Dallas held that position from 1837 to 1839.
In 1840, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[1] Dallas supported Van Buren's bid for another term in the 1844 presidential election, but James K. Polk won the party's presidential nomination. The 1844 Democratic National Convention nominated Dallas as Polk's running mate, and Polk and Dallas defeated the Whig ticket in the general election. A supporter of expansion and popular sovereignty, Dallas called for the annexation of all of Mexico during the Mexican–American War. He sought to position himself for contention in the 1848 presidential election, but his vote to lower the tariff destroyed his base of support in his home state. Dallas served as the Minister to the United Kingdom from 1856 to 1861 before retiring from public office.
- ^ "APS Member History". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved April 9, 2021.