Langdon Cheves

Langdon Cheves
Portrait of Cheves as Speaker of the U.S. House c. 1815
President of the Second Bank of the United States
In office March 6, 1819 – January 6, 1823
President	James Monroe
Preceded by	James Fisher (acting)
Succeeded by	Nicholas Biddle
8th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 19, 1814 – March 3, 1815
Preceded by	Henry Clay
Succeeded by	Henry Clay
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st district
In office December 31, 1810 – March 3, 1815
Preceded by	Robert Marion
Succeeded by	Henry Middleton
Attorney General of South Carolina
In office December 8, 1808 – December 4, 1810
Governor	John Drayton
Preceded by	John Pringle
Succeeded by	John Richardson
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the Parish of St. Philip and St. Martin
In office November 22, 1802 – 1804
In office 1806 – December 8, 1808
Personal details
Born	(1776-09-17)September 17, 1776 Abbeville County, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	June 26, 1857(1857-06-26) (aged 80) Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Mary Dulles
Children	14, including Louisa

Langdon Cheves (/ˈtʃɪvɪs/^[1][2] September 17, 1776 – June 26, 1857) was an American politician, lawyer and businessman from South Carolina. He represented the city of Charleston in the United States House of Representatives from 1810 to 1815, where he played a key role on the home front of the War of 1812. Cheves was a leader among the War Hawk faction of the House. He served as chairman of the Committees on Naval Affairs and Ways and Means under Speaker of the House Henry Clay, then succeeded Clay as Speaker in the war's final stages. After leaving the House, he served as President of the Second Bank of the United States from 1819 to 1822.

After leaving public office, Cheves was an active advocate for unified Southern resistance to protective tariffs and any attempt to abolish slavery, though an opponent of unilateral action by South Carolina or any one state. Originally, Cheves advocated for a convention of Southern states to pressure Congress into adopting these positions, but eventually became one of the earliest advocates for outright regional secession from the United States.