CHEVES, LANGDON (1776-1857). An American lawyer and statesman, sometimes called 'the of the United States Bank.' lie was horn in County, S. C.; was self-educated; was admitted to the Charleston bar in 1797, and rapidly rose to eminence as a lawyer. In 1808 he became+ Attorney-General of his State, and. after serving three terms in the South Carolina Legislature, was elected to Congress by the Young Republican Party in 1811. In Congress he was closely associated with William Lowmdes, Henry Clay. and John C. Calhoun, and formed with them the •elebrat ed 'War He served as Speaker in 1814. and by his casting vote defeated the Dallas Bill for rechartering the United States Bank. In 1814. refusing the Treasury portfolio in son's Cabinet vseated by Gallatin, he re sumed the practice of law in South Carolina, and from 1816 to 1819 was one of the associate justices of the State. In January. 1819. he was elected one of the directors of the United States Bank, and in the following Starch was chosen to succeed Sir. Jones as president of that in stitution. The bank was that in a deplorable
eendition, and insolvency seemed almost in evitable; but clieves set about restoring its credit. and, by continuing a previous policy of curtailing the note issues, by enforcing a rigid collection of all balances due from local banks. and by securing a loan of $2,000,()00 in Europe. he fully aceomplished his purpose within three years. In December, 18.22. he resigned. and was succeeded by Nicholas Biddle (q.v.). Subsequent ly, until his death, he lived in retirement, first in Philadelphia. then in Lancaster, Pa., and finally in Charleston. S. C,: but in 1851) he went as a delegate to the celebrated Nashville Conference. where he expressed himself in favor of a South ern Confederacy, but strongly deprecated any independent action by separate Southern States. A brief account of services to the United States Bank is given in the Annual Report of thr American Historical Association for 1891; (Washington, 1897).