James Watson Webb
Webb, between 1855 and 1865
United States Minister toBrazil
In office October 21, 1861 – May 26, 1869
President	Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson Ulysses S. Grant
Preceded by	Richard K. Meade
Succeeded by	Henry T. Blow
United States Chargé d'Affaires to Austria
In office February 6, 1850 – May 8, 1850
President	Zachary Taylor
Preceded by	William H. Stiles
Succeeded by	Charles J. McCurdy
Personal details
Born	(1802-02-08)February 8, 1802 Claverack, New York, U.S.
Died	June 7, 1884(1884-06-07) (aged 82) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Whig;Republican
Spouses	Helen Lispenard Stewart ​ ​ (m. 1823; died 1848)​ Laura Virginia Cram ​ (m. 1849)​
Children	13, includingAlexander,William,Walter
Parent(s)	Samuel Blachley Webb Catherine Louisa Hogeboom
Occupation	Diplomat, newspaper publisher

GeneralJames Watson Webb (February 8, 1802 – June 7, 1884) was an American diplomat, newspaper publisher and a New York politician in theWhig andRepublican parties.^[1]

Webb was born inClaverack, New York to Catherine Louisa (née Hogeboom) Webb (1765–1805) and Gen.Samuel Blachley Webb (1753–1807), a Revolutionary officer of distinction.^[2] At age 12, he moved toCooperstown, New York to live with his brother-in-law and guardian, Judge George Morrell.^[1]

He entered theUnited States Army in August 1819, advanced to the grade of first lieutenant in 1823, and in the following year became assistant commissary of subsistence.^[1]

In September 1820, a party led by Lewis Cass, governor of the Michigan Territory, on its return from the exploration of the source waters of the Mississippi River, encountered Webb and a small group of soldiers at the mouth of the Black River in what is now Port Huron, Michigan. H.R. Schoolcraft, historian of the trip, said Webb and his men were returning toFort Gratiot, a frontier outpost, with a boat full of freshly harvestedwatermelon.

In the fall of 1827, he resigned from the army to become a newspaper publisher, purchasing theMorning Courier which he published in the interest of General Jackson.^[1] In 1829, he purchased theNew York Enquirer, which he consolidated with theCourier under the title of theNew York Courier and Enquirer. He remained connected with this paper for more than 30 years. HistorianDon C. Seitz wrote of those days:

James Watson Webb, of the horrendousCourier and Enquirer, who was a good deal of what was known in that day as a 'lady-killer' andBeau Brummel, sneered editorially, for example, atGreeley's ill-worn clothes. Just before indulging in this persiflage, Webb had been indicted, convicted and sentenced for acting as a second toHenry Clay in a duel with Tom Marshall. The term of duress was two years inSing Sing, but GovernorWilliam H. Seward pardoned him before he went behind bars, in return for which Webb named one of his sons "William Seward Webb".

In 1834, Webb used theCourier and Enquirer to coin the name of a new political party: the Whigs.^[3] Webb had formerly been a supporter of Jackson, but no longer. That same year he recycled or invented extravagant rumors ofmiscegenation, that theabolitionists had counselled their daughters to marry blacks, andLewis Tappan had divorced his wife to marry a black woman, and that the Presbyterian ministerHenry Ludlow was conducting interracial marriages, which fueled the organized mob violence of New York'santi-abolitionist riots that June.^[4]

In 1849, Webb was appointed minister toAustria, but the appointment was not confirmed. In 1851, he was appointed engineer-in-chief for the State of New York with the rank ofBrigadier General, but refused to accept the appointment.

In 1861, he was appointed minister toOttoman Empire, but even though it had been confirmed by theUnited States Senate, he declined. According to biographer Glyndon Van Deusen, "Webb, an inveterate beggar for office, wanted a diplomatic appointment that would be lucrative."^[5]

Shortly afterward, Webb was appointed minister toBrazil and served in that position for eight years, resigning when he was accused of extorting a large sum of money from the Brazilian government.^[6] He tried to sever US ties with the country without Washington's knowledge. At Paris in 1864, Webb claimed he was instrumental to negotiating a secret treaty with EmperorNapoleon III for the removal of French troops fromMexico.

Abraham Lincoln's biographer,Carl Sandburg, wrote that Webb "believed that Lincoln should have appointed him major general, rating himself a grand strategist, having fought white men in duels and red men in frontier war."^[7] In 1869, he resigned the mission to Brazil and returned to live in New York.^[8]

On July 1, 1823, Webb was married to Helen Lispenard Stewart (1805–1848).^[2] Helen was the daughter of Irish born merchant Alexander L. Stewart and Sarah Amelia (née Lispenard) Stewart (the granddaughter ofLeonard Lispenard). Before her death in 1848, they were the parents of:^[2]

• Robert Stewart Webb (1824–1899),^[9][10] a publisher who married Mary Van Horne Clarkson (d. 1880) and Frances (née Morgan) Starkweather.(d. 1912).^[2]
• Lispenard Stewart (1825–1828), who died young.^[2]
• Helen Matilda Webb (1827–1896), who married Nathan Denison Morgan (d. 1895).^[2]
• Artemesia Barclay Webb (1829–1830), who died young.^[2]
• Catherine Louisa Webb (1830–1918), who married James Gilchrist Benton (1820–1881)^[11] in 1859.^[2]
• Francis Watson Webb (1832–1832), who died young.^[2]
• Watson Webb (1833–1876),^[12] the chief of staff to Union Army GeneralHenry Jackson Hunt. He married Mary Parsons ofHartford.^[2]
• Alexander Stewart Webb (1835–1911),^[13] who was a noted Civil War general who marriedAnna Elizabeth Remsen (1837–1912).^[2][14]

On November 9, 1849, he married Laura Virginia Cram (1826–1890), the daughter of Jacob and Lydia (née Tucker) Cram.^[2] Webb lived for a time at the present-day 7 Pokahoe Drive inSleepy Hollow, New York, a house that was later owned byJohn C. Frémont^[15] (the house is currently a private residence).^[16] Together, they were the parents of:^[2]

• William Seward Webb (1851–1926),^[17] a railway executive who marriedEliza Osgood Vanderbilt (1860–1936), the daughter ofWilliam H. Vanderbilt.^[2][18]
• Sarah Augusta Webb (1851–1909), William's twin. In 1872, married William Adam Singer (1834–1914), oldest son ofIsaac Singer
• Henry Walter Webb (1852–1900),^[9][19] also a railway executive who marriedAmelia Howard Griswold (1856–1910).^[2][20]
• George Creighton Webb (1854–1948),^[21] aYale Law School graduate and attorney in New York with Saunders, Webb & Worcester who did not marry.^[2]
• Jacob Louis Webb (1855–1928), an artist who did not marry.^[2][22]
• Francis Egerton Webb (1859–1942),^[23][24] who married Mary Welsh Randolph (1868–1962),^[25] the daughter of banker Edmund Dutilh Randolph and niece ofMaj. Gen.Wallace F. Randolph.^[2]

Webb died inNew York City on June 7, 1884, surrounded by his children.^[1] Webb was buried atWoodlawn Cemetery,The Bronx.^[26][27]

Webb published the following:

• Altowan, or Incidents of Life and Adventure in theRocky Mountains (1846)
• Slavery and its Tendencies (1856)
• National Currency, a pamphlet (1875)

• James Watson Webb papers (MS 683). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University.[1]
• James Watson Webb atFind a Grave
• Mr. Lincoln and New York: James Watson WebbArchived 2011-05-14 at theWayback Machine
• "Webb, Samuel Blatchley" .Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1889.
• History of St. Clair County, Michigan, Volume 1, Page 133, William Lee Jenks, 1911

• 1802 births
• 1884 deaths
• Ambassadors of the United States to Brazil
• American publishers (people)
• New York (state) Republicans
• People from Claverack, New York
• United States Army officers
• 19th-century American diplomats
• New York (state) Whigs
• 19th-century American politicians
• 19th-century American businesspeople

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