Slidell, John (1793-1871), a Louisiana Democrat, served as United States commissioner to Mexico in 1845 and Confederate commissioner to France during the American Civil War (1861-1865). In the first of these posts, Slidell became involved in events that led to war between the United States and Mexico. In the second, he became a key figure in an important Civil War incident called the Trent Affair.
As U.S. commissioner to Mexico, Slidell’s job was to negotiate for the purchase of New Mexico and California and to try to win Mexican acceptance of the Rio Grande as the boundary between Texas and Mexico. But Mexican leaders refused to meet with Slidell. The United States cited the Mexican refusal as one of its reasons for fighting the Mexican War (1846-1848).
As Confederate commissioner to France, Slidell sailed for Europe, in 1861, aboard a British ship, the Trent. His mission was to persuade the French government to support the South. While at sea, a Union warship stopped the Trent and seized Slidell and James Mason, the Confederate commissioner to Britain. This action angered the British, and Britain nearly declared war on the Union. The crisis passed after Slidell and Mason were released in 1862. Slidell went on to France. However, he failed to win French support for the Confederacy.
Slidell was born in New York City. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 and in the U.S. Senate from 1853 to 1861. He died on July 29, 1871.
See also Mason, James Murray; Mexican War (Events leading up to the war); Trent Affair.
