Peter F. Causey

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Peter Foster Causey (born January 11, 1801 in Bridgeville , Delaware , † February 17, 1871 in Milford , Delaware) was an American politician and governor of the state of Delaware from 1855 to 1859 .

Early years and political advancement

After finishing school, Peter Causey worked with his father, who was in the trade. Politically, he first became a member of the Democratic Party , then he switched to the Whig Party , whose congresses he attended as a delegate in 1840 and 1844. Between 1832 and 1835 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Delaware . Under Governor Thomas Stockton (1845-1846) he was a member of its advisory board. In the years 1846 and 1850 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of governor. In the early 1850s, Causey moved from the gradually disintegrating Whig Party to the Know-Nothing Party , also known as the American Party . As their candidate, he was elected governor in 1854 against his future successor William Burton .

Delaware Governor

Peter Causey began his four-year term on January 16, 1855. His party campaigned for laws introducing prohibition . These initially came into force. But in the parliamentary elections of 1856 the party was defeated by the Democrats. The prohibition laws were then withdrawn and the governor had to deal with a democratic opposition in the legislature for the remainder of his term of office. During these years, the construction of important railway lines was advanced and completed. In Delaware, too, the question of slavery and the antagonism between the north and the south were the dominant political issues during these years . The state was on the border of both blocs and was therefore particularly controversial, similar to Tennessee , Kentucky or Missouri .

Another résumé

After his governorship, Causey became president of a railroad company. Politically he did not appear again until his death in 1871. Peter Causey was married to Maria William, with whom he had six children.

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