Nicholas Trist

Nicholas Philip Trist (June 2 1800 - February 11 1874) was an American diplomat.

Trist was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. He attended West Point and studied law under Thomas Jefferson, whose granddaughter (Virginia Jefferson Randolph, 1818-1875) he married. He was also private secretary to Andrew Jackson.

Through political connections, Trist was appointed U.S. consul in Havana, Cuba. Shortly after arriving there in 1833, Trist invested in a sugar plantation deal that went bad. According to members of a British commission sent to Cuba to investigate violations of the treaty ending the African slave trade, Trist became corruptly involved in the creation of false documents designed to mask illegal sales of Africans into bondage. For a time Trist also served as the consul in Cuba for Portugal, another country whose nationals were active in the illegal slave trade. Meanwhile, Trist became very unpopular with New England ship captains who believed he was more interested in maintaining good relations with Cuban officials than in defending their interests. Captains and merchants pressed members of Congress for Trist's removal. In late 1838 or early 1839, the British commissioner Dr. Richard R. Madden wrote U.S. abolitionists about Trist's misuse of his post to promote slaving and earn fees from the fraudulent document schemes. A pamphlet detailing Madden's charges was published shortly before the beginning of the sensational "Amistad" affair, when Africans just sold into slavery in Cuba managed to sieze control of the scooner in which they were being transported from Havana to provincial plantations. Madden traveled to the United States where he gave expert testimony in the trial of the Amistad Africans, explaining exactly how easy it was in Cuba to create false documents showing that Africans were Cuban-born slaves. This exposure of the activities of the U.S. consul general, coupled with the angry complaints of ship captains, caused a Congressional investigation and eventual recall of Trist.

During the Mexican-American War, President James K. Polk sent Trist to negotiate with the Mexicans. He was ordered to arrange an armistice with Santa Anna for $10,000. Santa Anna used the bribe money to bolster his defenses. President Polk was disgusted by his envoy's incompetence and prompted him to order Trist to return to the United States. General Winfield Scott was also unhappy with Trist's presence in Mexico, although he and Scott quickly reconciled and began a lifelong friendship.

However, the wily diplomat ignored the instructions. Known to have an overfluid pen, he wrote a 65 page letter back to the Polk explaining his reasons for staying in Mexico. He capitalized on a brilliant opportunity to continue bargaining with Santa Anna. Trist successfully negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2 1848. Trist did not recover his expenses until 1871. Trist later opposed the American Civil War, telling General Scott in a letter that they were both Virginians by birth and Yankees by adoption.

Trist was also a lawyer, planter, and businessman. He died in Alexandria, Virginia on February 11 1874, aged 73.

External links

• Biography and picture
• "The Thankless Task of Nicholas Trist"