William Hall (Governor)

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William Hall

William Hall (born February 11, 1775 in Surry County , Province of North Carolina , † October 7, 1856 in Castalian Springs , Tennessee ) was an American politician and in 1829 the eighth governor of the state of Tennessee.

Early years

The young William Hall came to what is now Tennessee with his parents in 1785, where he experienced the Indian Wars up close. Seven family members were killed in the fighting. After his marriage to Mary Alexander, with whom he would have seven children, he settled in Sumner County as a farmer. From 1796 he was a member of the Tennessee Militia and in 1812 he became Brigadier General during the War on the Creek .

Political career

His political career began in 1797 when he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, where he remained until 1805. From 1821 he sat in the State Senate . By 1829 he was chairman of this body. In this capacity, after the resignation of Sam Houston , he became governor for a few months in 1829 . During his short term in office he followed the policies of ex-Governor William Carroll , who was to become his successor in 1829. In particular, this concerned the reform of the prison and judicial system and the promotion of public schools. In 1829 he no longer stood up for the elections. Just as Sam Houston was the first governor of Tennessee to not end his term in office, Hall was the first governor to stand in for a retired predecessor and complete his term. To this day, his tenure has remained one of the shortest in Tennessee history.

In 1831, the staunch supporter of President Andrew Jackson ran successfully for Congress and spent a term in Washington, DC In the House of Representatives , he represented the fifth constituency of his state.

Old age and death

Then he retired to his country estate Locustland, where he organized some meetings of the western pioneers and wrote his memories of his time on the border of the settlement. He died on October 7, 1856.

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personal data
SURNAME Hall, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 11, 1775
PLACE OF BIRTH Surry County , North Carolina
DATE OF DEATH October 7, 1856
Place of death near Castalian Springs , Tennessee