1853 in the United States

1853 in the United States
Decades:	1830s 1840s – 1850s – 1860s 1870s
Years:	1850 1851 1852 – 1853 – 1854 1855 1856
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31 stars (1851 – 1858)
Timeline of United States history History of the United States (1849–1865)

Events from the year 1853 in the United States.

Contents 1 Incumbents 2 Events 2.1 January–March 2.2 April–June 2.3 July–September 2.4 October–December 2.5 Undated 2.6 Ongoing 3 Births 4 Deaths 5 External links

Incumbents

• President: Millard Fillmore (Whig) (until March 4), Franklin Pierce (Democratic) (starting March 4)
• Vice President:
  • until March 4: vacant
  • March 4–April 18: William R. King (Democratic)
  • starting April 18: vacant
• Chief Justice: Roger B. Taney
• Speaker of the House of Representatives: Linn Boyd (D-Kentucky)
• Congress: 32nd (until March 4), 33rd (starting March 4)

Events

January–March

• February 8 – Washington Territory is created from Oregon Territory.
• February 22 – Washington University is founded as Eliot Seminary.
• March 4 – Franklin Pierce succeeds Millard Fillmore as the 14th President of the United States.

April–June

• April 4 – Regular operation of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad begins between Montreal and Portland, Maine.
• May – An outbreak of yellow fever kills 7,790 in New Orleans.
• May 23 – The first plat for Seattle, Washington is laid out.

July–September

• July 8 – U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Edo Bay with a request for a trade treaty.
• July 25 – Outlaw and bandit Joaquin Murietta is killed in California.
• August 24 – Potato chips are traditionally said to have been invented on this date by George Crum in Saratoga, New York.

October–December

• October 4 – The Great Republic, the largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed, is launched in Boston.
• October 15 – William Walker sets out with 45 men to conquer the Mexican territories of Baja California and Sonora.
• December 30 – Gadsden Purchase: The United States buys land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.

Undated

• The American and German piano manufacturer Steinway & Sons is founded.
• Stephen Foster writes "Poor Uncle Tom, Good Night", which is later adopted as the state song of Kentucky under the name "My Old Kentucky Home".
• The University of Florida is established.
• Wheaton Academy founded in West Chicago, Illinois
• Yontoket Massacre: More than 450 Tolowa people were killed at Yontocket, California by a citizen militia from Crescent City.

Ongoing

• California Gold Rush (1848–1855)

Births

Deaths

External links

Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:1853_in_the_United_States 1853 in the United States] at Wikimedia Commons

Years in the United States (1776-present) Years in the United States of America 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012