John Branch
| John Branch | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 19th Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office 1817–1820 | |
| Preceded by | William Miller |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Franklin |
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| In office March 4, 1823 – March 4, 1829 | |
| Preceded by | Montfort Stokes |
| Succeeded by | Bedford Brown |
| 8th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office March 9, 1829 – May 12, 1831 | |
| Preceded by | Samuel L. Southard |
| Succeeded by | Levi Woodbury |
| 6th Territorial Governor of Florida | |
| In office August 11, 1844 – June 25, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Richard K. Call |
| Succeeded by | William Dunn Moseley (as Governor of the State of Florida) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 4, 1782 Halifax County, North Carolina |
| Died | January 3, 1863 (aged 80) Halifax County, North Carolina |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Forte (d.19 Jan 1854) Mary Elizabeth Jordan Bond |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer, farmer |
John Branch, Jr. (November 4, 1782 – January 3, 1863) served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, the 19th Governor of the state of North Carolina, and was the sixth and last territorial governor of Florida.
Branch was born in Halifax County, North Carolina, on November 4, 1782, the son of wealthy landowners. Educated at the University of North Carolina, he occupied himself as a planter and civic leader. Branch served in the North Carolina Senate from 1811 to 1817 and was the state's Governor from 1817 to 1820. After further service in the state Senate, he represented North Carolina in the United States Senate from 1823 until 1829 and was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson.
When Jackson became President, he selected Branch as his Secretary of the Navy. In that post, Branch promoted several reforms in the Navy's policies and administration, many of which were not implemented until years later. He reduced the resources going to the construction of new ships, while increasing those applied to keeping existing vessels in good repair. Branch also sent the frigate USS Potomac to the Far East to punish the murderers of a U.S. merchant ship's crew and to generally promote and protect American commerce in the region.
John Branch resigned as Secretary in 1831, during the Petticoat affair, which involved the social ostracism of Margaret O'Neill Eaton, the wife of Secretary of War John H. Eaton by a group of Cabinet members and their wives led by Floride Calhoun, the wife of Vice President John C. Calhoun. Later that year, Branch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Jacksonian and later to North Carolina state political offices. In the mid-1830s, he moved to Leon County, Florida, where he lived for much of the next decade-and-a-half on his Live Oak Plantation. In 1844, President John Tyler appointed him Florida's territorial governor until the 1845 election of a governor under the state constitution. Branch returned to North Carolina in the early 1850s, remaining there until his death on January 4, 1863.
Branch is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Enfield, North Carolina.
Branch was an uncle of the Confederate General Lawrence O'Bryan Branch.
Bibliography
- American National Biography
- Dictionary of American Biography
- Haywood, Marshall Delancey. John Branch: 1782-1863. Raleigh, NC: Commercial Printing Co., 1915
- Hoffmann, William S. John Branch and the Origins of the Whig Party in North Carolina. North Carolina Historical Review 35 (July 1958): 299-315
See also
- Branch County, Michigan - A county in Michigan that was named after him
Sources
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History & Heritage Command.- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Outlaw |
Speaker of the North Carolina Senate 1815–1817 |
Succeeded by Bartlett Yancey |
| Preceded by William Miller |
Governor of North Carolina 1817–1820 |
Succeeded by Jesse Franklin |
| Preceded by Richard K. Call |
Territorial Governor of Florida 1844–1845 |
Succeeded by William Dunn Moseley Governor |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Montfort Stokes |
U.S. Senator (Class 2) from North Carolina 1823–1829 Served alongside: Nathaniel Macon, James Iredell, Jr. |
Succeeded by Bedford Brown |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Samuel L. Southard |
United States Secretary of the Navy 1829–1831 |
Succeeded by Levi Woodbury |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Willis Alston |
United States Representative in Congress from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1831–1833 |
Succeeded by Jesse A. Bynum |
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