Isaac Toucey served as U.S. attorney general from 1848 to 1849 under President James K. Polk. Toucey held a succession of state and federal government posts but his service as attorney general was brief and unremarkable.

Toucey was born on November 5, 1796 in Newton, Massachusetts. As a young man he decided to become a lawyer. At this time attorneys received their education through an apprenticeship rather than through a law school. Toucey worked for a local law firm, performing clerical duties, reading cases and receiving instruction from a senior attorney. After several years of "reading the law," Toucey passed the Connecticut bar exam and was admitted to practice in 1818. He entered a private law practice that year but soon had his sights set on politics and public office. In 1822 he became a local prosecutor, a position he held until 1835.

During these years as a prosecutor, Toucey also became active in...