Robert Letcher

Robert Letcher

Robert Perkins Letcher (born February 10, 1788 in Goochland County , Virginia , † January 24, 1861 in Frankfort , Kentucky ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Kentucky.

Early years and political advancement

After his family moved to Garrard County , Kentucky in 1800 , young Robert Letcher attended the Josuah Fry Academy . He then studied law and after his admission to the bar practiced in Lancaster .

Letcher began his political career in 1813 when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. With an interruption in 1816, he remained there until 1817. From 1822 to 1835 he represented the fifth constituency of Kentucky in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC On his return he was re-elected to the Kentucky Parliament from 1836 to 1838, the last For two years he was President of the House ( Speaker ).

Kentucky governor

In 1840 Letcher ran for the Whigs for governor of Kentucky. He won the election with 58.4% of the vote in front of his Democratic opponent Richard French . His tenure began on September 2, 1840 and ended four years later on September 4, 1844. His main problem was overcoming the effects of the economic crisis of 1837 and reducing the national debt. He tried to get this problem under control by drastically cutting expenses. This policy actually resulted in a significant decrease in the budget deficit at the end of his term in office.

After leaving the governor's office, Letcher returned to practice as a lawyer. Between 1849 and 1852 he succeeded Nathan Clifford as the American envoy to Mexico . In 1852 he made an unsuccessful attempt to be re- elected to Congress . He died in January 1861, shortly before the outbreak of the civil war.

According to him, this is Letcher County named in Kentucky.

Web links

• Robert Letcher in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Robert Letcher in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Robert Letcher in the National Governors Association (English)