Biddle, Nicholas

Biddle, Nicholas

(1786–1844) writer, banker, statesman; born in Philadelphia. A brilliant student and writer, he entered the University of Pennsylvania at age 10; by age 18, he was serving as secretary to the U.S. Minister to France. He returned to the U.S.A. in 1807 and became a lawyer. He wrote part of the History of the Expedition of Captains Lewis and Clark (1810–12) but gave the project away when he was elected to the state legislature. Always interested in literature, he became editor of Port Folio (1812), the leading literary journal at that time. Drawn to banking by his friend, James Monroe, and to the nation's need during the War of 1812, he eventually became president of the Bank of the United States (1822–36). His attempt to re-charter the Bank failed in the face of vigorous opposition from President Andrew Jackson. In retirement, he made his country home on the Delaware River, "Andalusia," into a center of refined intellectual life.

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Biddle, Nicholas

(1750–78) naval officer; born in Philadelphia. One of the first five captains commissioned by Congress (1775), he participated in the capture of New Providence Island, Bahamas (1776) and captured several British ships before his death in the explosion of his ship, the USS Randolph.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.