Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782 – June 17, 1866) was a United States Army officer and politician. He served as a senator from Michigan and worked in the cabinets of two U.S. presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He also ran for president as the Democratic nominee in 1848. Cass owned slaves and supported the idea of popular sovereignty, which meant people in each state should decide whether to allow slavery based on states' rights.

He was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, and attended Phillips Exeter Academy. Later, he started a law practice in Zanesville, Ohio. After working in the Ohio House of Representatives, he became a U.S. Marshal. Cass also joined the Freemasons and helped create the Grand Lodge of Michigan. He fought in the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812 and was appointed to govern Michigan Territory in 1813. He made treaties with Native American tribes to allow more land for settlers, believing in the idea of "manifest destiny." He also led a survey expedition into the northwest part of the territory.

In 1831, Cass left his position as governor to become Secretary of War under Andrew Jackson. As Secretary, he supported Jackson's policy to move Native American tribes west. Later, he served as ambassador to France from 1836 to 1842. He tried to get the Democratic nomination for president in 1844 but lost to James K. Polk after a disagreement between his supporters and those of former president Martin Van Buren. In 1845, the Michigan Legislature elected Cass to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1848. His 1848 presidential nomination caused a split in the Democratic Party because his support for popular sovereignty upset anti-slavery members. Van Buren led the Free Soil Party and helped some anti-slavery Democrats vote for Whig candidate Zachary Taylor.

Cass returned to the Senate in 1849 and stayed until 1857, when he became U.S. Secretary of State. He tried to buy land from Mexico and supported pro-slavery efforts in Latin America. In December 1860, he resigned to protest President Buchanan's actions regarding Southern states threatening to leave the Union. After his death in 1866, he was honored with a statue in the National Statuary Hall.

Early life

Cass was born in Exeter, New Hampshire, on October 9, 1782, near the end of the American Revolution. His parents were Molly (née Gilman) Cass and Major Jonathan Cass, a Revolutionary War veteran who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Cass received his education in Exeter and attended Phillips Exeter Academy. In 1800, his family moved to Marietta, Ohio, as part of a movement westward following the defeat of Native Americans, which ended the Northwest Indian War. Cass learned about law from Return J. Meigs Jr., was allowed to practice law, and started his legal career in Zanesville.

Beginning of Cass's career

In 1806, Cass was chosen to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives. The next year, President Thomas Jefferson named him U.S. Marshal for Ohio.

He became a member of the Freemasons. He began his journey as an Entered Apprentice at what later became American Union Lodge No. 1 in Marietta on December 5, 1803. He earned his Fellow Craft degree on April 2, 1804, and his Master Mason degree on May 7, 1804. On June 24, 1805, he joined the Lodge of Amity 105 (later known as No. 5) in Zanesville as a Charter member. He served as the first Worshipful Master of the Lodge of Amity in 1806. Cass was one of the founders of the Grand Lodge of Ohio. He represented the Lodge of Amity at the Grand Lodge’s first meeting on January 4, 1808. He was elected Deputy Grand Master on January 5, 1809, and Grand Master on January 3, 1810, January 8, 1811, and January 8, 1812.

War of 1812

After the War of 1812 began, Cass became the leader of the 3rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment. During the war, he led several military operations near the Canada–United States border. On July 16, 1812, a British group including the 41st Regiment of Foot, 60 Canadian militia members, and some Native American warriors was stationed near Fort Malden. Cass and Colonel James Miller led a hidden American group close to the British. The British discovered the Americans and sent Native American warriors across a nearby bridge to lure them out. When the warriors crossed, the hidden Americans attacked, injuring two and killing one. Cass and Miller sent a message to General William Hull, asking for permission to attack Fort Malden and hold it until more troops arrived. Hull refused their request, so Cass and Miller returned to American lines.

On July 19, 1812, Colonel Duncan McArthur led a group of soldiers, including 150 Ohio infantry troops under Cass, near the bridge to Fort Malden. Two British cannons fired at the Americans and damaged an American cannon. The Americans captured two British soldiers after they crossed the bridge and then safely withdrew with their prisoners.

On July 28, 1812, Colonel Cass launched a quick attack near Rivière aux Canards, forcing a group of Native Americans to retreat. The Americans killed one Native American and took his scalp. Cass and his troops then left the area safely.

Cass became the colonel of the 27th United States Infantry Regiment on February 20, 1813. Shortly after, he was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army on March 12, 1813. Cass participated in the Battle of the Thames, where Tecumseh was killed. He left the Army on May 1, 1814.

Territorial Governor of Michigan

Cass was appointed Governor of Michigan Territory by President James Madison on October 29, 1813, and he held this position until 1831. Because he traveled frequently for work, other officials sometimes acted as governor in his place during this time. While serving as governor, Cass helped negotiate and carry out treaties with Native American tribes in Michigan. These treaties required the tribes to give up large areas of land. Some tribes were allowed to keep small areas of land within the territory as reservations.

In 1817, Cass was one of two commissioners, along with Duncan McArthur, who negotiated the Treaty of Fort Meigs. This treaty was signed on September 29 by several Native American tribes in the region. Under the treaty, the tribes gave up large areas of land to the United States. This allowed Euro-American settlers to move into parts of Michigan. That same year, Cass was asked to serve as Secretary of War under President James Monroe, but he refused the position.

In 1820, Cass led an expedition to the northwestern part of Michigan Territory, which is now in northern Minnesota. The goal of the trip was to map the area and find the source of the Mississippi River. At the time, the source of the river was unknown, which made it difficult to define the border between the United States and British North America. The Cass expedition incorrectly identified a lake later named Cass Lake as the source of the Mississippi River. It was not until 1832 that Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a geologist who had worked with the Cass expedition, discovered that Lake Itasca was the true source of the Mississippi River.

Although the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, which included the area that became Michigan Territory, a small number of enslaved people remained in Michigan until it became a state. As governor, Cass is known to have owned at least one enslaved person, a household servant, as shown in letters from 1818 between Cass and Alexander Macomb. Slavery continued in Michigan until 1837, when the state’s first constitution banned slavery throughout the state after Michigan became a U.S. state.

Secretary of War and expediter of Indian removal

In 1830, Cass wrote an article in the North American Review that strongly believed Native Americans were naturally less capable than white people and could not become civilized. He said they should be moved from the eastern United States. This article interested and gained the support of President Andrew Jackson. On August 1, 1831, Cass left his job as governor of the Michigan Territory to become Secretary of War under President Jackson. He held this position until 1836. Cass played a key role in carrying out the Indian Removal Act, which Congress passed in 1830. This law mainly targeted tribes in the Southeast, especially the Five Civilized Tribes, but also affected tribes in Ohio, Illinois, and other areas east of the Mississippi River. Most of these tribes were forced to move to the Indian Territory, which is now Kansas and Oklahoma. However, some groups made deals to stay in Michigan.

U.S. Minister to France

At the end of his presidency, President Jackson chose Cass to replace Edward Livingston as the U.S. Minister to France on October 4, 1836. Cass officially began his role on December 1, 1836, and worked there until he left on November 12, 1842. He was replaced by William R. King, who later became the 13th Vice President of the United States under President Franklin Pierce.

Presidential ambitions and U.S. Senate

In the 1844 Democratic convention, Cass was a candidate for the presidential nomination but lost on the 9th ballot to James K. Polk, an unexpected candidate.

Cass was chosen by the state legislature to represent Michigan in the United States Senate, where he served from 1845 to 1848. During this time, he led the Committee on Military Affairs in the 30th Congress.

In 1848, Cass left the Senate to run for president in the 1848 election. William Orlando Butler was his running mate. Cass supported the idea of popular sovereignty, which meant that (white male) American citizens living in a territory should decide whether slavery would be allowed there. His candidacy caused a division in the Democratic Party, leading many Northern Democrats who opposed slavery to join the Free Soil Party, which later nominated former President Martin Van Buren.

After losing the election to Zachary Taylor, Cass was again elected by the state legislature to the Senate, serving from 1849 to 1857. He was the first non-incumbent Democratic presidential candidate to lose an election and the first Democrat who failed to succeed another Democrat as president. Except for James Buchanan’s election to follow Franklin Pierce in 1856, later Democrats who tried to succeed another Democrat as president did not win.

Cass ran for president again in 1852. However, he and other Democratic candidates, including Buchanan and Stephen Douglas, did not win enough votes at the Democratic Convention in Baltimore. Instead, the party chose Franklin Pierce as their candidate.

U.S. Secretary of State

On March 6, 1857, President James Buchanan chose John Forsyth Cass to serve as Secretary of State. Many believed that keeping William L. Marcy, the current Secretary of State, was the best choice. However, Buchanan wanted to avoid keeping anyone from the previous administration, President Franklin Pierce’s team. Marcy had opposed Buchanan’s earlier attempts to become president and was also very ill, dying in July 1857. Cass, who was 75 years old, was seen by many as too old for the demanding job and was expected to act mainly as a symbol. Buchanan chose Cass to prevent political conflicts and wrote a letter praising him to offer the position. Cass, who was leaving the Senate, quickly agreed to take the role.

As Secretary of State, Cass promised not to criticize Britain publicly. He had served in the War of 1812 and had negative feelings toward London. Most people believed Cass would only hold the position temporarily until a younger, more capable person could be found. However, he remained in the role for nearly the entire time Buchanan was president. Because of his age, Cass mostly let others make important decisions, but he signed documents and letters written by his staff.

Cass supported pro-slavery American groups who tried to take control of land in Central America. Because of this, he helped remove Commodore Hiram Paulding from his job after Paulding sent Marines to Nicaragua to force the return of William Walker to the United States. Cass also tried to buy more land from Mexico but faced opposition from both Mexico and members of Congress. He worked to finalize the Clayton–Bulwer Treaty, which limited the influence of the United States and Britain over Latin American countries. In June 1858, leaders of the islands of Raiatea and Tahaa in the South Pacific asked the United States to take control of their lands. They refused to accept the rule of King Tamatoa V and sought U.S. protection, but the request was not accepted.

Cass resigned on December 14, 1860. He believed President Buchanan had not protected federal interests in the South. Buchanan also failed to prepare the federal military. Cass thought these actions might have stopped Southern states from leaving the Union.

Personal life

On May 26, 1806, Cass married Elizabeth Spencer (1786–1853), the daughter of Dr. Joseph Spencer Jr. and Deborah (born Seldon) Spencer. Her paternal grandfather was Joseph Spencer, a member of the Continental Congress and a major general in the Continental Army. Lewis and Elizabeth had seven children, five of whom lived past infancy:

• Isabella Cass (1805–1879), who married Theodorus Marinus Roest van Limburg, a Dutch journalist, diplomat, and politician.
• Elizabeth Selden Cass (1812–1832)
• Lewis Cass Jr. (1814–1878), who served as an army officer and as a U.S. diplomatic representative and Minister to the Papal States.
• Mary Sophia Cass (1812–1882), who married Army officer Augustus Canfield, a member of the Corps of Topographical Engineers.
• Matilda Frances Cass (1818–1898), who married Henry Ledyard, the mayor of Detroit.
• Ellen Cass (1821–1824), who died young.
• Spencer Cass (1828–1828), who died in infancy.

Cass died on June 17, 1866, in Detroit, Michigan. He is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.

Through his daughter Mary, he was the great-grandfather of Cass Canfield (longtime president and chairman of Harper & Brothers, later Harper & Row).

Through his daughter Matilda, he was the grandfather of Elizabeth Cass Ledyard (wife of Francis Wayland Goddard); Henry Brockholst Ledyard Jr. (who was president of the Michigan Central Railroad); Susan Livingston Ledyard (wife of Hamilton Bullock Tompkins); Lewis Cass Ledyard (a prominent lawyer with Carter Ledyard & Milburn who was the personal counsel of J. Pierpont Morgan); and Matilda Spancer Ledyard.

Cass's great-great-grandson, Republican Thomas Cass Ballenger, represented North Carolina's 10th Congressional District from 1986 to 2005.

Monuments and Commemoration

• A statue of Lewis Cass is one of two statues that Michigan sent to the National Statuary Hall collection in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It is displayed in the National Statuary Hall room.
• The Liberty ship SS Lewis Cass
• Lewis Cass is the namesake of the village of Casstown, Ohio; the community of Cassville, West Virginia; Cassopolis, Michigan; Cass County, Michigan; Cass City, Michigan; and the Cass River in that area.
• Cass Avenue in Detroit and Cass Avenue in Mt. Clemens.
• The Lewis Cass Legacy Society, which helps support The Michigan Masonic Charitable Foundation, was named in honor of his support for Michigan Freemasonry.
• Bartow County, Georgia, was originally called Cass County because of Lewis Cass. The name was changed in 1861 after Francis Bartow died as a Confederate war hero and because of Cass’s alleged opposition to slavery, even though he supported states’ rights through the idea of popular sovereignty. Cassville, Georgia, was once the county seat before the name change. The seat was later moved to Cartersville, Georgia, after General Sherman destroyed Cassville during his Atlanta Campaign in 1864.
• Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Cass High School in Bartow County, Georgia, Lewis Cass High School in Walton, Indiana, and Lewis Cass Elementary in Livonia, Michigan, were named in honor of Lewis Cass.
• The Lewis Cass Building, a major state office building in the Lansing, Michigan, capitol complex, was renamed the Elliott-Larsen Building on June 30, 2020.
• Lewis Cass is the namesake of counties in Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas. However, Cass County, North Dakota, was named after his nephew.
• Lewis Cass is the namesake of Cass Street in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• Cass Street in Monroe, Michigan, was named in honor of Lewis Cass. (Cass Street in Traverse City, Michigan, and in Cadillac, Michigan, were named after his nephew, George Washington Cass.)

Other honors and memberships

In the year 1820, the individual was elected as a member of the American Antiquarian Society. In 1826, the individual was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society.

Publications

• Lewis Cass. Inquiries: About the History, Traditions, Language, Manners, Customs, Religion, and Other Topics of the Native American Tribes Living within the United States. Published in Detroit by Putnam Sheldon & Reed in 1823.
• Lewis Cass reviewed the book "Manners and Customs of Several Indian Tribes Located West of the Mississippi" by John D. Hunter, and "Historical Notes Respecting the Indians of North America" by John Halkett, Esq. The review appeared in the North American Review, Volume 22, January 1826, pages 53 to 119.
• Lewis Cass reviewed the book "Indian Treaties, and Laws and Regulations Relating to Indian Affairs… Compiled and Published under Orders of the Department of War." The review was published in the North American Review, Volume 24, April 1827, pages 365 to 442.
• Lewis Cass reviewed the book "Travels in the Central Portions of the Mississippi Valley" by Henry R. Schoolcraft. The review appeared in the North American Review, Volume 26, April 1828, pages 357 to 403.
• Lewis Cass, "A Discourse Delivered at the First Meeting of the Historical Society of Michigan, September 18, 1829." Published in Detroit by Geo. L. Whitney in 1830. Reprinted in "Historical and Scientific Sketches of Michigan," published by Stephen Wells and Geo. L. Whitney in 1834, pages 5 to 50. This version included four additional pages of footnotes added for the 1834 reprint.
• Lewis Cass reviewed the book "Documents and Proceedings Relating to the Formation… of a Board in the City of New York, for… Improvement of the Aborigines of America." The review was published in the North American Review, Volume 30, January 1830, pages 62 to 121.
• Cass, Lewis (1840). France, Its King, Court, and Government. Published in New York by Wiley and.