John Branch Jr. (November 4, 1782January 4, 1863) was an American politician who served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, the

19th 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

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

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, and was the sixth and last territorial

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 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Biography

Branch was born in

Halifax County, North Carolina Halifax County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,622. Its county seat is Halifax. Halifax County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is a ...

, on November 4, 1782, the son of wealthy landowners. Educated at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

, where he was a member of the Philanthropic Society, he occupied himself as a planter and civic leader. Branch served in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

from 1811 to 1817 and was the state's

from 1817 to 1820. After further service in the state Senate, he represented

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from 1823 until 1829 and was a strong supporter of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. When Jackson became President, he selected Branch as his Secretary of the Navy. In that post, Branch promoted several reforms in the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

'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 The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

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 Margaret O'Neill (or O'Neale) Timberlake Eaton (December 3, 1799 – November 8, 1879), was the wife of John Henry Eaton, a United States senator from Tennessee and United States Secretary of War, and a confidant of Andrew Jackson. Their marr ...

, 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

state political offices. In the mid-1830s, he moved to Leon County,

, where he lived for much of the next decade-and-a-half on his Live Oak Plantation. In 1844, President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president in 1841. He was elected vice president on the 1840 Whig tick ...

appointed him Florida's territorial

until the 1845 election of a governor under the state constitution. Branch returned to

in the early 1850s, remaining there until his death on January 4, 1863. Branch is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

. Branch married Eliza Fort (1787-1851) and had 7 children. Branch was an uncle of the Confederate General

Lawrence O'Bryan Branch Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (November 28, 1820 – September 17, 1862) was a North Carolina representative in the U.S. Congress and a Confederate brigadier general in the American Civil War, killed at the Battle of Antietam. Early life and ca ...

. His daughter, Margaret, married Daniel Smith Donelson, the nephew of President Jackson.

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

Sources

*
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Branch, John 1782 births 1863 deaths People from Halifax, North Carolina American people of English descent United States Secretaries of the Navy Jackson administration cabinet members Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from North Carolina Jacksonian United States senators from North Carolina Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina North Carolina Democratic-Republicans Democratic Party governors of North Carolina Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States Governors of Florida Territory Democratic Party North Carolina state senators American planters

Biography

Bibliography

See also

Sources

References

External links