George M. Dallas
George Mifflin Dallas (* July 10, 1792 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, † December 31, 1864 ) was an American politician (Democratic Party) and 1845-1849 Vice President of the United States under President James K. Polk.
Life
George M. Dallas, who came from an old Scottish family, studied law at Princeton University and received his degree there in 1810. From 1813, he worked as a private secretary to the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1814 he went to New York where he worked as a lawyer. Between 1815 and 1817 he worked as a solicitor with the Bank of the United States.
In 1817, Dallas returned to Philadelphia, and was as Deputy Attorney General Member of the State Government; he also made himself strong for the election of Andrew Jackson as U.S. president. From October 21 1828 to April 15, 1829, he held the office of the mayor of Philadelphia; after he served until 1831 as a federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Following the resignation of U.S. Senator Isaac D. Barnard, he won the special election to its mandate and was one of 13 December 1831 to March 3, 1833 at the Congress; on a bid again he refused. In his home state, he was thereafter to 1835 Attorney General During the years 1836-1839 he served as United States ambassador in Russia.
In the election of 1844, Dallas was chosen on the side of James K. Polk as Vice President of the United States. He exercised this office March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849. For the presidential election, Polk and Dallas went for re-election. After the defeat of the Democrats in this election, he spent some time away from politics and was returned to the bar, to President Franklin Pierce in 1856 appointed him ambassador to Britain, where he tried to improve relations between the two countries. On 16 May 1861 he returned to America and spoke in the Civil War decided for the preservation of the Union. He died shortly before the war ended in his hometown of Philadelphia.
The city of Dallas, Texas and other places in the U.S. were named after him. George M. Dallas was the uncle of the famous physicist Alexander Dallas Bache, a great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin. His father, Alexander J. Dallas was Treasury Secretary under President James Madison; which in turn was the great-great - great-uncle of Claiborne Pell, U.S. Senator for Rhode Iceland.