Benjamin Fitzpatrick (June 30, 1802 – November 21, 1869) was the 11th

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 ...

and a

United States Senator 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 p ...

from that state. He was a Democrat.

Early life

Born in Greene County, Georgia, Fitzpatrick was orphaned at the age of seven, and was taken by his sister (Celia Fitzpatrick Baldwin) to

in 1815. Fitzpatrick helped his brothers manage land they owned on the

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka. The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it ...

and served as deputy under the first sheriff of Autauga County. He worked in the law office of Nimrod E. Benson before he was admitted to the bar. Fitzpatrick studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1821, commencing practice in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

. Fitzpatrick served as solicitor of the Montgomery circuit from 1822 to 1823 but moved to his plantation in Autauga County in 1829. He engaged in planting.

Governor of Alabama and Senator for Alabama

Fitzpatrick became Governor of Alabama in 1841 and served until 1845. Later, he was appointed as a Democrat to the US Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dixon H. Lewis, and served from November 25, 1848, to November 30, 1849, when a successor was elected. He was again appointed on January 14, 1853, and elected on December 12, 1853 to the Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William R. King, who had been elected

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice p ...

, and served from January 14, 1853, to March 3, 1855. He served in that Congress as Chairman of the Committee on Printing and the Committee on Engrossed Bills. He was elected to the Senate again to fill the vacancy caused by the failure of the legislature to elect his own successor on November 26, 1855. In that role, he served several times as President pro tempore of the Senate.

Failure of state banks

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 ...

. Fitzpatrick's predecessor as Governor, Arthur P. Bagby, introduced measures to assist the state banks, but the state legislature rejected most of the measures. All of the state banks were closed by Fitzpatrick.

Vice Presidential nomination

In 1860, Fitzpatrick was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the wing of the Democratic Party that had nominated Stephen A. Douglas of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

for president. However, he refused the nomination, and Herschel V. Johnson of Georgia was ultimately nominated. Fitzpatrick withdrew from the Senate on January 21, 1861, following the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...

of his home state.

Confederacy

Fitzpatrick did not take a particularly active role in the politics of the

Confederacy Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

although he served as president of the constitutional convention of Alabama in 1865.

Death

He died on his plantation near

Wetumpka, Alabama Wetumpka () is a city in and the county seat of Elmore County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,220. In the early 21st century Elmore County became one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. The city is ...

, on November 21, 1869, aged 67.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Benjamin 1802 births 1869 deaths Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees Democratic Party governors of Alabama Democratic Party United States senators from Alabama Governors of Alabama People from Greene County, Georgia Politicians from Montgomery, Alabama Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate 1860 United States vice-presidential candidates 19th-century American politicians