Arthur Pendleton Bagby (1794 – September 21, 1858) was a slave owner and the tenth

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the U.S. state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

from 1837 to 1841. Born in

Louisa County, Virginia Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,596. The county seat is Louisa. History Prior to colonial settlement, the area comprising Louisa County was occupied by severa ...

, in 1794, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1819, practicing in Claiborne, Alabama. He was a member of the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1821, 1822, 1824, and 1834–1836, serving as the youngest-ever speaker in 1822 and 1836, and he served in the

Alabama State Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

in 1825. He served in the U.S. Senate from November 21, 1841, when he was elected to fill the vacancy caused by Clement C. Clay's resignation, to June 16, 1848, when he resigned to become Minister to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

from 1848 to 1849. During his time in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Territories, the Committee on Claims, and the

Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 19 ...

. As a Senator, he supported the annexation of Texas. Bagby died in 1858 in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

, and he is interred in Magnolia Cemetery there.

Panic of 1837

During Bagby's administration, the country was plagued by economic depression as a result of the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major depression, which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages went down, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment went up, and pessimism abound ...

. Bagby introduced measures to assist the state banks but the state legislature rejected most measures. All the state banks were closed by Bagby's successor, Governor

Benjamin Fitzpatrick Benjamin Fitzpatrick (June 30, 1802 – November 21, 1869) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama and a United States Senator from that state. He was a Democrat. Early life Born in Greene County, Georgia, Fitzpatrick was orphaned a ...

Arthur P. Bagby, Jr

His son, Arthur P. Bagby, Jr., was a Confederate colonel in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, who was assigned to command as a brigadier general on April 13, 1864, to rank from March 17, 1864, and as a major general on May 16, 1865, to rank from May 10, 1865, by

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Edmund Kirby Smith General Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16, 1824March 28, 1893) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (comprising Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, western Louisiana, Arizona Territory and the India ...

in the Trans-Mississippi Department. Neither appointment was confirmed by the Confederate Senate, which had held its final session before the major general assignment was made. Bagby's first wife, Emily Steele of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, died in 1825, and is buried in Claiborne, Alabama.

References

Retrieved on 2008-08-10 * Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 588. *

External links

*
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Address of His Excellency Governor Bagby, when inducting into office the president of the University of Alabama; together with the address of the president, Rev. Basil Manly. Delivered in the Rotunda, on commencement day, December 6, 1837
Tuscaloosa, Ala., Ferguson & Eaton, Printers, 1838. From the University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bagby, Arthur Pendleton 1794 births 1858 deaths People from Louisa County, Virginia Democratic Party governors of Alabama Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Democratic Party Alabama state senators Alabama lawyers Ambassadors of the United States to Russia Democratic Party United States senators from Alabama 19th-century American diplomats Speakers of the Alabama House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers