Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779 - 1851)

Born 2 Mar 1779 in Charleston, South Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Izard) Poinsett — married 24 Oct 1833 in At the residence of Col. Eustis, Fort Monroe, Norfolk Harbor, Virginia

Died 12 Dec 1851 at age 72 in Statesburg, Sumter County, South Carolina

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Preceded by 14th Secretary of War Lewis Cass Preceded by US Envoy to Mexico James Wilkinson

Joel Roberts Poinsett 15th United States Secretary of War 1837—1841 United States Minister to Mexico 1825—1829

Succeeded by 16th Secretary of War John Bell Succeeded by US Special Diplomatic Agent to Mexico Anthony Butler

Biography

Joel Poinsett is Notable.

Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779 – December 12, 1851) was an American physician and diplomat. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the first United States Minister to Mexico (the United States did not appoint ambassadors until 1896), a U.S. Secretary of War under Martin Van Buren, and a co-founder of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science and the Useful Arts (a predecessor of the Smithsonian Institution.)

Born in 1779 in Charleston, South Carolina, to a wealthy physician, Dr. Elisha Poinsett, and his wife Katherine Ann Roberts, he was educated in Connecticut and Europe, gaining expertise in languages, the law, and military affairs.

He died of tuberculosis, hastened by an attack of pneumonia, in Stateburg, South Carolina, in 1851, and is buried at the Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal Cemetery. ^[1]

First Minister to Mexico.

He had a summer home in Greenville, South Carolina from about 1836 to his death in 1851, which was nearby this private club, named on his behalf. The website for the club has beautiful photographs of the surroundings. The Poinsett Club. The Club facility was formerly the home of Lewis Parker, a textile executive. Info on the home was provided by an email from C. Morningstar, on 2/5/2021.

His life and career are well documented on WikiPedia.org and won't be recounted here.^[2]

Another wonderful read can be found here; ^[3]

Legacy

• Secretary Poinsett is the eponym of Poinsett County, Arkansas; Poinsett Highway, Poinsett Bridge, and Poinsett State Park in South Carolina; Lake Poinsett in South Dakota; and the poinsettia, a popular Christmas plant.

Sources

1. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #6912237
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Roberts_Poinsett#cite_note-2
3. ↑ http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1591&context=etd

• 1850 Census: "1850 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules"
  The National Archive in Washington DC; Washington, DC; NARA Microform Publication: M432; Title: Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 8055 #91943305
  J Poinsett in Prince George Winyaw, Georgetown, South Carolina, USA.

See also:

• Edward A. Riedinger, "Joel Roberts Poinsett," in Encyclopedia of Mexico, vol. 2, p. 1095. Chicago: Fitzroy and Dearborn 1997.
• Oren, M. Power, Faith, and Fantasy--America in the Middle East 1776 to the Present, page 49, Norton, 2007.
• Riedinger, "Joel Roberts Poinsett," p. 1095.
• Joshua M. "Jacksonian Nationalist: Joel R. Poinsett's role in the Nullification Crisis." Georgia Southern University, 2008
• Rathbun, Richard. The Columbian institute for the promotion of arts and sciences: A Washington Society of 1816-1838. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, October 18, 1917. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
• Thompson, Edward N., "Joel Robert Poinsett: The Man Behind the Flower", Short Talk Bulletin, Masonic Service Association of the United States, December 1984

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