Poinsea and the Freemason for whom the Plant was Named Joel Roberts Poinsett 2 March 1779 – 12 December 1851 Compiled E Edited by 5. Bro. Robert Mayne Indigenous to Mexico and a+ended the Polish Nobleman, Casimir Pulas6i when Central America, the he recei.ed his death wounds during siege . Poinsea was introduced to the United states by Joel Elisha’s son, 8oel Poinse+2s formal educa4on began in Roberts Poinse the rst England where the family li.ed for si9 years from 1782 United States Minister to Mexico who introduced the un4l 1788. A:er returning to America, he a+ended a plant to the United States in 1825. succession of pri.ate schools in Connec4cut. 1e is said to ha.e been a good scholar, especially dis4nguishing A outh Carolinian born in Charlestown (or London, himself in languages, both ancient and modern. 1e the records are uncertain), to a wealthy physician, Dr. became ;uent in French, panish, Italian, 0erman and Elisha Poinse+, and his wife ,atherine Ann Roberts. Russian which prepared him for the diploma4c career he was to follow. At about 17 of age 8oel Poinse+ was sent to England to further his studies and indulge his desire to tra.el. 1e a+ended a school not far from London where he rapidly mastered classical languages. In October, 1797, determined to follow his father2s wishes, Poinse+ enrolled in medical school in Edinburgh, but a wea6 cons4tu4on inter.ened and he .isited the warmer climate of the south of France to recuperate. On his return he tried in .ain to gain access to the Royal Military Academy, 5oolwich, but as a republican the doors of this ins4tu4on were barred to him. 1e was able to recei.e instruc4on from Marquois an professor at the Royal Military Academy before returning home to Charleston in 1800. 1e wished to pursue a military career, but this was opposed by his father who was determined that his son should not shoulder a mus6et in peace 4me. 1oping to en4ce his son to se+le into the Charleston aristocracy, Dr. Poinse+ had his son study law under 1enry 5illiam De aussure, a prominent lawyer of Charleston. Poinse+ was not interested in becoming a lawyer, and con.inced his parents to allow him to go 8oel Roberts Poinse+ - 1801 on an e9tended tour of Europe in 1801. De aussure Medium 5atercolor on I.ory sent with him a list of law boo6s including Blac6stone2s Ar4stDEdward 0reene Malbone (1777–1807) Commentaries and Burn’s Ecclesias4cal Law, Aust in case young Poinse+ changed his mind regarding the prac4ce of law. Dr. Elisha Poinse+ accompanied an American di.ision The young Elisha Poinse+ Aourneyed to Europe, sent to co-operate with French 0eneral and Admiral tra.elling through France, Italy, the wiss Alps, the city Charles 1ector comte d2Estaing, in his siege of of Naples and e.en hi6ed up Mount Etna on the island a.annah during the American Re.olu4onary 5ar. 1e of icily. In the spring of 180C he returned to 1 Poinsea and the Freemason for 5hom the Plant was Named witFerland where he met Aloys .on Reding the wiss Aourneyed through southern Russia, accompanied by patriot, military leader and poli4cian. Later that year his English friend Lord Royston and eight others. 1e he Aourneyed to Gienna Austria and on to Munich tra.elled to Moscow, a city that would be burned where in December he recei.ed word of the death of only 5 years later by the forces of Napoleon. Poinse+ his father and of his sister usan’s illness. tra.elled by the Glaga ri.er to Astra6han. On entering the Caucasus the party was pro.ided with a Poinse+ arri.ed bac6 in Charlestown and too6 his Cossac6 escort and Aourneyed between Tar6i and sister to new Hor6 belie.ing the sea .oyage would be Derbent where, fearing the Cassoc6 escort may beneIcial to her health. usan died on arri.ing in pro.o6e danger, placed themsel.es under the New Hor6 and Poinse+ tra.elled bac6 to Charleston. protec4on of the tartar chiefs, belie.ing a larger As the sole remaining heir, Poinse+ inherited a small party made it less .ulnerable to a+ac6. As it passed fortune in town houses out of Russia proper, they were Aoined by others and lots, planta4ons, including a Persian merchant, who was transpor4ng ban6 stoc6, and JEnglish young girls he had acquired in Circassia to Ba6u and funds.K The en4re harems in Tur6ey. 5ith a strong Persian and ,opa6 Poinse+ estate was guard, the party le: Derbent and entered the realm .alued at a hundred of the ,han of ,uban. thousand dollars. 5hile tra.eling through the ,hanate, a tribal chief In 1806 Poinse+ tra.elled stole some of the horses in Poinse+7s party. Poinse+ to Russia, where Lewis boldly decided to go to the court of ,an in the city of 1arris, consul of the ,uban to demand the return of the horses. The ,an Mnited tates at t ne.er ha.ing heard of The Mnited tates had many Petersburg, hoped to ques4ons that Poinse+ answered spea6ing at length Csar Ale9ander I introduce Poinse+ at on it’s geography. The ,han was impressed and told court to CFar Ale9ander. Poinse+ that the head of the guilty chief was his for 5hen the Empress learned that he was outh the as6ing, yet since the thief had made it possible for Carolina she in.ited him to inspect the co+on him to accept such a dis4nguished .isitor, perhaps a factories at Cronstadt. 1arris and Poinse+ Aourneyed pardon might be in order. by sleigh to inspect the factories and Poinse+ suggested impro.ements to the Dowager Empress, Poinse+ tra.elled to .isit the petroleum pits in the Maria Feodoro.na. Interes4ngly Poinse+ did not Ba6u region, a pilgrimage spot for Ire-worshipers. belie.e the co+on industry could be successful in The Persian 6han showed him a pool of petroleum, Russia because of the necessity of employing serfs which he speculated might someday be used for fuel. who recei.ed no compensa4on and therefore could By 1861 Ba6u produced about 90P of the world2s oil. ha.e no interest in its prosperity. Furthermore, he belie.ed that the ins4tu4on of serfdom made it A+racted by the military mo.ements in the Caucasus diNcult for Russia to ha.e a merchant marine or Mountains, Poinse+ .isited Eri.an, and Aourneyed become industrialiFed. Poinse+ belie.ed hat only a through the mountains of Armenia to the Blac6 ea, free and Democra4c Republican form of go.ernment, then through M6raine, reaching Moscow late in 1807. as established in the Mnited tates, could form the The trip had been haFardous and Poinse+’s health founda4on for the de.elopment and progress of a was much impaired. Furthermore, of the nine who na4on, but at least a propor4on of the popula4on in had set out on the Aourney the pre.ious March, the Mnited tates, would ha.e struggled to Poinse+ and two others were the only sur.i.ors. understand how serfdom was much diOerent from the burden of sla.ery in the co+on Ields of outh Mpon his return to Moscow, CFar Ale9ander’s oOered Carolina. Poise+ a posi4on as colonel in the Russian Army. 1owe.er, news had reached Russia of the a+ac6 of At a dinner in the palace, 8anuary 1807, Csar the H.M.S. Leopard upon the Chesapeake , and war Ale9ander a+empted to en4ce Poinse+ into the between the Mnited tates and 0reat Britain seemed Russian ci.il or military ser.ice. eeing Poinse+ certain. Before lea.ing Russia, Poinse+ met one last hesitate he suggested that he tra.el and Jsee the 4me with CFar Ale9ander, who e9pressed his appro.al Empire, acquire the language, study the peopleK and of the energe4c measures by the Congress of the then ma6e his decision. Poinse+ accepted and Mnited tates to resist the mari4me pretensions of 2 Poinsea and the Freemason for whom the Plant was Named Britain. The CFar declared that Russia and the Mnited once e9ploring the commercial possibili4es of the new tates should maintain the same policy of respect. na4on. 1e quic6ly got to meet the leaders of the Poinse+ again met with Foreign Minister Count re.olu4onary Aunta, and achie.ed some minor RomanFoO where the Russian disclosed to Poinse+ concessions for American trade. 1owe.er, his steps that the CFar ardently desired to ha.e a minister from were closely watched by the Bri4sh consul and the the Mnited tates at the Russian Court. local Bri4sh merchants, who opposed his e.ery mo.e. At this 4me outh Americans were embroiled in wars Poinse+ soon realiFed that his ac4.i4es in Argen4ne of independence from pain. For the Irst 4me their had reached a dead end. In the mean4me, based on ports were open to foreign shipping, free from the his reports, an appointment arri.ed from 5ashington, stringent restric4ons imposed by the panish ma6ing him Consul 0eneral for Argen4ne, Chile and homeland. eeing these new opportuni4es to e9pand PerS, so by the end of No.ember 1811 he too6 the its trade, 0reat Britain had already sent emissaries to road to Chile, where he e9pected to Ind be+er Buenos Aires. The American go.ernment saw this opportuni4es. de.elopment with concern, not wishing to let its old Colonial masters Poinse+ le: us a fascina4ng encroach into its southern bac6yard. descrip4on of his .oyage, tra.ersing the ;at pampas, a wasteland which he In 1809 President 8ames Madison, compared to the Russian steppes, ;at, signatory to the cons4tu4on, 4th M de.oid of trees, with scant, brac6ish President oO the Mnited tates and water.