Henry Dilworth Gilpin served as U.S. attorney general from 1840 to 1841 under President Martin Van Buren. A prolific writer and supporter of the arts, Gilpin rose to prominence through his support of President Andrew Jackson.

Gilpin was born on April 14, 1801, in Lancaster, England. His aristocratic parents left England for the United States the following year, settling the family near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gilpin earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1819 and then read the law with a Philadelphia lawyer. At this time most attorneys did not attend law school, preferring to serve as apprentices for several years. Though Gilpin passed the Pennsylvania bar exam in 1822, he went to work as an agent for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company, a business with whom Gilpin's family had financial connections. Gilpin, who traveled extensively for six years throughout the East and South, wrote about his experiences in a series...