Hayne, Robert Young (1791-1839), was an American statesman and defender of states’ rights. He represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1823 to 1832. In a famous Senate debate with Daniel Webster in 1830, Hayne said that a state had the right to nullify a federal law. See Nullification ; States’ rights .
Hayne argued that the states had created the Constitution, and therefore could limit the powers of the federal government. When South Carolina nullified the U.S. tariff laws in 1832, he resigned from the Senate to become governor. He opposed President Andrew Jackson in the nullification crisis (see Jackson, Andrew (The nullification crisis) ). Hayne was born on Nov. 10, 1791, in Colleton County, South Carolina. He died on Sept. 24, 1839.
