Nathaniel Beverley Tucker
Nathaniel Beverley Tucker was an influential American lawyer, educator, and writer born in 1784 in Matoax, Virginia. He was the youngest child in a family with strong legal and social ties, shaped significantly by the early death of his mother. After attending the College of William and Mary, where he studied law under his father, Tucker began his legal career and served as a military captain during the War of 1812. He later settled in Missouri as a federal judge before returning to Virginia, where he became a law professor at his alma mater.
Tucker's literary contributions included essays, poetry, and novels, with a strong focus on the Southern way of life, state rights, and slavery, themes deeply embedded in his writings. His novels, such as "George Balcombe" and "The Partisan Leader," reflected his preoccupations and were published while he also contributed political pieces to the Southern Literary Messenger. Although he passed away in 1851, his writings were later utilized by the Confederacy to foster a sense of Southern nationalism. Despite his intellectual contributions, Tucker's legacy is often viewed in the context of the contentious issues of his time, particularly his support for secession and slavery.
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Nathaniel Beverley Tucker
- Born: September 6, 1784
- Birthplace: Matoax, Virginia
- Died: August 21, 1851
- Place of death: Winchester, Virginia
Biography
Nathaniel Beverley Tucker was born in Matoax, Virginia, in 1784, the youngest of four children of St. George Tucker, a prominent lawyer and legal scholar, and Frances Bland Randolph, a socially connected young widow. The family, which included three sons from Randolph’s first marriage, settled at her plantation on the Appomattox River. However, Randolph died when Tucker was four years old, and the remaining family moved to Williamsburg. Tucker attended the College of William and Mary from 1799 to 1802 under the tutelage of his father, who was a professor of law there.
Tucker married Mary Coalter in 1809 and began to practice law. He served in the military for two years during the War of 1812, was discharged as a captain, and moved to Missouri, where he was appointed to a federal judgeship, which he held until 1823. Mary died in 1826, and in 1828 he married Eliza Naylor, who died five months later. He then married Lucy Anne Smith in 1830.
In 1833, Tucker returned to his native Virginia, settled in Williamsburg, and, following in his father’s footsteps, became professor of law at the College of William and Mary. At the same time, he began his literary career as an essayist, poet, novelist, and reviewer. The primary concern of his life and the topic of his writings was the preservation of the Southern way of life as he knew it. He was in favor of slavery, secession, and state’s rights and argued fervently for these causes throughout his life.
Much of Tucker’s political writing appeared in the journal Southern Literary Messenger, which also published his literary and historical works and reviews. He also published romantic novels, written in the style of Sir Walter Scott. In 1836, he published George Balcombe and The Partisan Leader: A Tale of the Future. Both novels revolve around Tucker’s preoccupation with the Southern way of life and state’s rights. He wrote one more novel, “Gertrude,” which was serialized in the Southern Literary Messenger in 1844 and 1845. During the 1840’s, Tucker also wrote three books on law and political science, as well as articles for newspapers and periodicals, and he kept up a correspondence with the leading intellectuals of the time, including Jefferson Davis.
Tucker died in 1851, before he could see his fondest wish of Southern secession come to fruition ten years later. The government of the Confederacy used some of Tucker’s writings to build patriotism for its cause, but Tucker failed to achieve a lasting legacy, other than as one of the chief intellectual champions of a lost and mistaken cause.