Aaron Vail

Aaron Vail (17961878) was an American diplomat who served as chargé d'affaires in the United Kingdom and Spain in the 1830s and 1840s.

Aaron Vail
Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to Spain
In office
May 20, 1840  August 1, 1842
PresidentWilliam Henry Harrison
John Tyler
Preceded byJohn H. Eaton
Succeeded byWashington Irving
10th Chief Clerk of the Department of State
In office
June 26, 1838  July 15, 1840
PresidentMartin Van Buren
Preceded byAaron Ogden Dayton
Succeeded byJacob L. Martin
Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to the United Kingdom
In office
July 13, 1832  July 13, 1836
PresidentAndrew Jackson
Preceded byMartin Van Buren
Succeeded byAndrew Stevenson
Personal details
BornOctober 26, 1796
Lorient, France
DiedNovember 4, 1878(1878-11-04) (aged 82)
Pau, France
Spouse(s)Emilie Salles

Biography

He was born in Lorient, France, where his father, Aaron Vail (1758–1813), a prominent businessman and merchant from New York was serving as U.S. consul and commercial agent. Vail's French mother brought the Vail family to the United States after the senior Aaron Vail's death, and they resided in Washington, D.C.

The younger Aaron Vail was educated in Washington and became a clerk in the Department of State. In 1831 Martin Van Buren selected Vail to be the secretary of the U.S. legation in London; when Van Buren's appointment as Minister was rejected by the United States Senate, Vail acted as chargé d'affaires, from April 4, 1832, until 1836.[1]

Vail served as a Special Diplomatic Agent to Canada in 1838.[2]

From May 20, 1840, to August 1, 1842, Vail served as chargé d'affaires in Spain, remaining in the post until the arrival of Washington Irving to serve as Minister.[3] After returning to the United States, Vail served for several years as the State Department's chief clerk, its top non-political appointment. He later lived in New York City; while in retirement, he declined diplomatic posts offered by Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. He later moved to Paris, and died in Pau in 1878.

Family

Vail's brothers included: Eugene, a State Department employee; Edward, an officer in the United States Navy; and Jefferson, an officer in the United States Army.

In 1835, Vail married Emilie Salles of New York City; they were the parents of a son, Aaron Vail II, and a daughter, Emilie, who was the wife of Henry C. Bradshaw.[4]

Notes

  1. "American Ambassadors to the United Kingdom". Embassy of the United States - London, UK. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  2. "Aaron Vail". Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  3. "Chiefs of Mission by Country, 1778–2005 > Saint Kitts and Nevis-Syria". US Department of State. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
  4. Annual Report. New York State Library. 1941. p. 48.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
John H. Eaton
Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to Spain
1840–1842
Succeeded by
Washington Irving
Preceded by
Martin Van Buren
Chargé d'Affaires of the United States to the United Kingdom
1832–1836
Succeeded by
Andrew Stevenson
Government offices
Preceded by
Aaron Ogden Dayton
Chief Clerk of the Department of State
1838-1840
Succeeded by
Jacob L. Martin
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