John Branch

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Branch

John Branch (born November 4, 1782 in Halifax , North Carolina , †  January 3, 1863 in Enfield , North Carolina) was an American politician and governor of the state of North Carolina and the Florida Territory . He was also the United States Secretary of the Navy . He also represented the State of North Carolina in both houses of Congress .

Early years

John Branch was born to wealthy landowners in Halifax County . After normal schools, he studied at the University of North Carolina , which he graduated in 1801. Although he graduated from law school, he did not pursue a legal career.

Political rise to governor of North Carolina

He served in the North Carolina Senate from 1811 to 1817, serving as its president for the last two years. In 1817 he was elected governor by the Chamber of Deputies to succeed William Miller . In the following two years he was confirmed in his office. With three consecutive terms of office, he reached the limit set by the constitution. His term began on December 6, 1817 and ended on December 7, 1820. As governor, he operated a judicial reform in North Carolina. As part of this, the country’s Supreme Court was established. Like his predecessors, he also campaigned for the improvement of the school system.

Federal politics

In 1822 Branch was re-elected to the State Senate. Just one year later, he made the leap to the US Senate . He held this mandate from 1823 to 1829. During this time, the political parties in the USA reorganized. The supporters of future President Andrew Jackson , including Branch, formed the Democratic Party . The opposition party led by Henry Clay later called itself the Whig Party . A loyal follower of Jackson, Branch was named Secretary of the Navy after he took office as US President. In this capacity he served in the cabinet of the President from 1829 to 1831. In connection with the so-called " Petticoat Affair " to Secretary of War John Henry Eaton Branch resigned in 1831 from his post. From 1831 to 1833 he was a member of the US House of Representatives . In 1835 he was a member of a commission that revised the North Carolina Constitution.

Florida Territory Governor

In the mid-1830s, John Branch moved to Florida. There he bought a plantation called "Live Oak Plantation". He then spent the next 15 years there. In 1844, President John Tyler made him the last Territorial Governor of Florida. He held this office until June 25, 1845. Florida was admitted to the United States as a state in March of the same year; its own government now took over the administration. The first governor of Florida was William Dunn Moseley . Branch's role as territorial governor was to prepare the transition from a territory to a regular US state.

Retirement

In the early 1850s, John Branch returned to North Carolina. Towards the end of his life he experienced the political crises leading up to the civil war and its beginning. His nephew Lawrence O'Bryan Branch served as a general in the Confederation Army during that war. His great-nephew William (1847-1910) was a congressman for North Carolina. John Branch died in January 1863. He was married twice with a total of nine children.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Branch, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH November 4, 1782
PLACE OF BIRTH Halifax , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH January 3, 1863
Place of death Enfield , North Carolina