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Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 25, 1852) was a leading American statesman during the nation's antebellum, or Pre-Civil War, era. Webster first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests. His increasingly nationalistic positions and the effectiveness with which he articulated them led Webster to become one of the most famous orators and influential Whig leaders of the Second Party System.

As an attorney he served as legal counsel in several cases that established important constitutional precedents that bolstered the authority of the Federal government. As Secretary of State, Webster negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty that established the definitive Eastern border between the United States and Canada. Primarily recognized for his Senate tenure, Webster was a key figure in the institution's "Golden Age". So well known was his skill as a Senator throughout this period that Webster became a third of what was and still is known today as the "Great Triumvirate", along with his colleagues Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments FA about a prominent American, and well remembered for the movies about him.

[edit] Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu

Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), was a French clergyman, noble, and statesman.

Consecrated as a bishop in 1607, he later entered politics, becoming a Secretary of State in 1616. Richelieu soon rose in both the Church and the state, becoming a cardinal in 1622, and King Louis XIII's chief minister in 1624. He remained in office until his death in 1642; he was succeeded by Jules Cardinal Mazarin.

The Cardinal de Richelieu was often known by the title of the King's "Chief Minister." As a result, he is sometimes considered to be the world's first Prime Minister. He sought to consolidate royal power and crush domestic factions. By restraining the power of the nobility, he transformed France into a strongly centralized state. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Habsburg dynasty. Although he was a Roman Catholic cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve this goal. His tenure was marked by the Thirty Years' War that engulfed Europe. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments Another person everyone knows, from the Three Musketeers.

[edit] Marc Antony

Marcus Antonius (Latin: M·ANTONIVS·M·F·M·N[1]) (c. 83 BC– August 1, 30 BC), known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. He was an important supporter of Gaius Julius Caesar as a military commander and administrator. After Caesar's assassination, Antony allied with Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus to form the second triumvirate. The triumvirate broke up in 33 BC and the disagreement turned to civil war in 31 BC, in which Antony was defeated by Octavian at the Battle of Actium and then at Alexandria. Antony committed suicide along with his lover, Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, in 30 BC. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments Antony and Cleopatra, one of the best known romantic couples of all time. And, while we're at it:

[edit] Cleopatra VII of Egypt

Cleopatra was a co-ruler of Egypt with her father (Ptolemy XII Auletes), her brothers/husbands Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV, and later her son Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Cleopatra survived a coup engineered by her brother Ptolemy XIII's courtiers, consummated a liaison with Gaius Julius Caesar that solidified her grip on the throne, and, after Caesar's assassination, aligned with Mark Antony, with whom she produced twins. In all, Cleopatra had 4 children, 3 by Antony (Cleopatra Selene, Alexander Helios, Ptolemy Philadelphus) and 1 by Caesar (Caesarion). Her unions with her brothers produced no children.

After Antony's rival and Caesar's legal heir, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian, brought the might of Rome against Egypt, It is said that Cleopatra took her own life on August 12, 30 BC. Her legacy survives in the form of numerous dramatizations of her story, including William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and several modern films. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments See Marc Antony above.

[edit] Jim Thorpe

Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe (Sac and Fox Nation: Wa-Tho-Huk) (May 28, 1887 – March 28, 1953) is considered one of the most versatile athletes in modern sports. He won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, starred in college and professional football, played Major League Baseball and also had a career in basketball. He subsequently lost his Olympic titles when it was found he had played two seasons of minor league baseball prior to competing in the games (thus violating the amateur status rules). In 1983, thirty years after his death, his medals were restored. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
2. plange 16:26, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments For all the sports fans out there.

[edit] Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII (28 June 1491–28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 22 April 1509 until his death. He was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Henry VIII is famous for having been married six times to have a son, "divorcing" two by execution, and ultimately breaking with Rome. He wielded perhaps the most untrammelled power of any English monarch, and brought about the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the union of England and Wales.

Several significant pieces of legislation were enacted during Henry VIII's reign. They included the several Acts which severed the English Church from the Roman Catholic Church and established Henry as the supreme head of the Church in England; the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542, which united England and Wales into one nation; the Buggery Act 1533, the first anti-sodomy enactment in England; and the Witchcraft Act 1542, which punished 'invoking or conjuring an evil spirit' with death. (read more...)

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1. Badbilltucker 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Comments Everybody knows him, and, following my obsession with films, Robert Shaw did a great job of him in A Man for All Seasons.

[edit] W. S. Gilbert

Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (November 18, 1836 – May 29, 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.

Gilbert's most popular collaborations with Sullivan, including H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, and The Mikado (one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre) and most of their other Savoy operas continue to be performed regularly today throughout the English-speaking world and beyond by opera companies, repertory companies, schools and community theatre groups. Lines from these works have permanently entered the English language, including "short, sharp shock", "What never? Well, hardly ever!", and "let the punishment fit the crime".

Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads, an extensive collection of light verse accompanied by his own comical drawings. His creative output included over 75 plays and libretti, numerous stories, poems, lyrics and various other comic and serious pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. (read more...)

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1. Adam Cuerden ^talk 17:17, 28 October 2006 (UTC)
2. Moreschi 17:26, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

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[edit] Comments

For potential candidates, see Category:Wikipedia good biographies and Wikipedia:Best biographies.