Robert McClelland

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Robert McClelland

Robert McClelland (born August 1, 1807 in Greencastle , Franklin County , Pennsylvania , †  August 30, 1880 in Detroit , Michigan ) was an American politician . He was the 9th governor of the state of Michigan from 1852 to 1853  and the US Secretary of the Interior between 1853 and 1857 .

Early years and political advancement

Robert McClelland attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania until 1829 . He then studied law. After his exams and his admission to the bar, he began to work in his new profession in Pittsburgh in 1832 . In February 1833, he moved to Monroe , Michigan , where he also practiced as a lawyer.

In 1835 he was a member of the Michigan Constituent Assembly. In 1850 and 1867 he was also on committees revising the Michigan constitution. Between 1837 and 1850 he sat on the board of directors of the University of Michigan . From 1839 to 1840 and again in 1843 he was a member of the House of Representatives from Michigan ; in his last term of office he acted as speaker there . He was also mayor of Monroe in 1841. Between 1843 and 1849 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC There he was chairman of the trade committee. McClelland was an opponent of slavery . In 1848 and 1852 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention .

Michigan governor

In 1851, McClelland was elected governor with 58.5 percent of the vote against Whig candidate Townsend E. Gidley . He took office on January 1, 1852. Michigan's infrastructure continued to improve during his relatively short stint as governor. Due to a constitutional amendment, he was initially only elected governor for one year. The aim of this change was to move the gubernatorial elections from odd to even years. After that first year he was re-elected for a regular two-year term. However, he resigned on March 7, 1853 after US President Franklin Pierce had offered him the post of interior minister in his government. The office of governor was taken over by Lieutenant Governor Andrew Parsons .

Another résumé

Between March 8, 1853 and March 9, 1857, McClelland served as Secretary of the Interior in the Pierce cabinet . After that time he became a Detroit attorney . In 1867 he was again a delegate at a conference on the revision of the state constitution and in 1868 he was again a delegate at the federal party conference of the Democrats. Robert McClelland died on August 30, 1880. He was married to Sarah E. Sabine, with whom he had six children.

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personal data
SURNAME McClelland, Robert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH August 1, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Greencastle , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH August 30, 1880
Place of death Detroit , Michigan