Webb was a politician, newspaper publisher, and New York politician. Born in New York, he entered the U.S. Army in 1819. In fall 1827, he resigned to become a newspaper editor. After purchasing the Morning Courier, he consolidated it with the Mordecai Manuel Noah's New York Enquirer in 1829, but didn't actually buy out Noah until 1834. In 1834, the New York Courier and Enquirer had the largest daily circulation in the States at about 4,000 people. Webb's success in the newspaper industry came in part from his innovative news-gathering techniques. A former supporter of Jackson, Webb used the Courier and Enquirer to coin the name of a new political party, the Whigs, in 1834. He was appointed minister to Austria in 1849, but because he was commissioned during a recess of the Senate, his nomination was later rejected by the Senate. He was the ambassador to Brazil from 1861-1869. He became a friend of WHS at some point in the 1830s and they maintained correspondence throughout their life.