David Meriwether (October 30, 1800 – April 4, 1893) was a

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from

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and a Governor of the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

. 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 sever ...

, Meriwether moved with his parents to

Jefferson County, Kentucky Jefferson County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 782,969. It is the most populous county in the commonwealth (with more than twice the population of sec ...

, in 1803. He attended the common schools and engaged in

fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

in 1818 near what is now

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. He later engaged in agricultural pursuits in Jefferson County. Meriwether studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, and commenced practice. He was a member of the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

from 1832 to 1845. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1847 to the Thirtieth Congress. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1849, and was

Secretary of State of Kentucky The secretary of state of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current secretary of state is Republican Michael Adams, who was ...

in 1851. Meriwether was appointed as a Democrat to the

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to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Henry Clay Henry Clay (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the United States Senate, U.S. Senate and United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives. He was the seventh Spea ...

, and served from July 6, 1852, to August 31, 1852, when Archibald Dixon was elected his successor. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1852. In 1853, Meriwether was appointed by President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

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of the

Territory of New Mexico The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

after the position was turned down by Solon Borland, and continued in office to 1855. From April to July 1854, when Meriwether was out of state, the Secretary of the Territory, William S. Messervy, was acting Governor."Messervy, William S."
snaccooperative.org, citing ''Guide to the William S. Messervy Collection, 1791-1927'' ( Museum of New Mexico Fray Angélico Chávez History Library), accessed 24 June 2022 Meriwether later served again in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1858 to 1885, and served as speaker in 1859. After this he retired to his plantation near

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. He was interred in Cave Hill Cemetery.

References

* *Meriwether, David. My Life in the Mountains and on the Plains. Edited by Robert A. Griffen. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. {{DEFAULTSORT:Meriwether, David 1800 births 1893 deaths Governors of New Mexico Territory People from Louisa County, Virginia Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Kentucky lawyers Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Secretaries of state of Kentucky New Mexico Democrats Democratic Party United States senators from Kentucky 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly