Solon Borland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Solon Borland | |
 |
|
|
Junior Senator, Arkansas
|
|
| In office March 30, 1848 – April 11, 1853 |
|
| Preceded by | Ambrose Hundley Sevier |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Robert Ward Johnson |
|
|
|
| Born | September 21, 1811 Suffolk, Virginia, USA |
| Died | January 1, 1864 Houston, Texas, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Editor, Doctor |
Solon Borland (September 21, 1811 – January 1, 1864) was a newspaperman, soldier, diplomat, Democratic United States Senator from the State of Arkansas and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.
Borland was born in Suffolk, Virginia. When he was a youth, his family moved to North Carolina, where he attended preparatory schools. He later studied medicine and opened a practice. In 1843, he moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he founded the Arkansas Banner, which became an influential newspaper in state-wide Democratic politics. Three years later, he challenged the editor of the rival Arkansas Gazette, a Whig paper, to a duel due to a slander published against Doctor Borland.
During the Mexican-American War, Borland was commissioned as a major in the Arkansas Volunteer Cavalry, serving under Archibald Yell. He served throughout the war, having turned over his newspaper to associates. Borland was taken as a prisoner of war by the Mexican army in January 1847. He was discharged when his regiment was disbanded and mustered out in June, but continued in the army as volunteer aide-de-camp to General William J. Worth during the remainder of the campaign, from the Battle of Molino del Rey to the capture of Mexico City on September 14, 1847.
After the war, he was elected as a United States Senator to fill the unexpired term of Ambrose Hundley Sevier. Borland resigned from the Senate in 1853 and served as United States Minister to Nicaragua and other Central American nations until 1854. Borland declined a nomination from President Pierce as Governor of the New Mexico Territory. After his diplomatic service, he returned to Arkansas and practiced medicine in Little Rock.
At the start of the Civil War, he raised troops for the Confederate States Army and was the leader of an expedition that seized Fort Smith, Arkansas. He raised the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry and became its first colonel. He later commanded a brigade, although his declining health prevented further service to the Confederacy.
Borland died near Houston, Texas. His burial place is in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Ambrose Hundley Sevier |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Arkansas March 30, 1848 – April 11, 1853 Served alongside: Chester Ashley and William K. Sebastian |
Succeeded by Robert Ward Johnson |
| Preceded by John B. Kerr |
United States Minister to Nicaragua April 18, 1853 – April 17, 1854 |
Succeeded by John H. Wheeler |
