Henry Peter Haun (January 18, 1815 – June 6, 1860) was a California judge, farmer, and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from California. He was appointed by Governor

John B. Weller John B. Weller (February 22, 1812August 17, 1875) was the fifth governor of California from January 8, 1858, to January 9, 1860, who earlier had served as a congressman from Ohio and a U.S. senator from California, and minister to Mexico. ...

to serve out the remaining four months of Senator

David C. Broderick David Colbreth Broderick (February 4, 1820 – September 16, 1859) was an attorney and politician, elected by the legislature as Democratic U.S. Senator from California. He lived in New York until moving to California during the Gold Rush. He wa ...

's term following his predecessor's death in a duel in 1859.

Early life

Henry P. Haun was born on January 18, 1815 to John Haun and wife Katherine Winter Haun at Haun's Mill near Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated from

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1839.

Career

Haun was elected as the Prosecuting Attorney of

Scott County, Kentucky Scott County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,155. Scott County is part of the Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and ...

. He then moved to

Clinton County, Iowa Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 46,460. Its county seat is Clinton. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton ...

to start a practice with his brother, W. G. Haun. In 1846 he was elected as a delegate of the Iowa Constitutional Convention. In the spring of 1849, he traveled overland with his family during the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. They settled in

Oroville, California Oroville (''Oro'', Spanish for "Gold" and ''Ville'', French for "town") is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, California, United States. Its population was 15,506 at the 2010 census, up from 13,004 in the 2000 census. After the 20 ...

in January 1850. He served as the first County Judge of

Yuba County, California Yuba County (; Maidu: ''Yubu'') is a county located in north-central Central Valley, California, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 81,575. Yuba County is included in the Yuba City metropolitan statistical area, ...

from 1851 to 1854.

U.S. Senate

On October 29, 1859, he was selected by Governor

to fill the vacancy of

in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. He served as senator from November 3, 1859 to March 4, 1860. He was succeeded by Milton S. Latham.

Personal life

On October 27, 1848, he married a cousin, Catherine Haun. They had two children, Kate (b. 1851) and David Rose (b. 1853).

Death

Haun died on June 6, 1860, in

Marysville, California Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counte ...

at age 45, several days after returning from

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

References

External links

Women's diaries of the westward journey
/ ollected byLillian Schlissel; preface by Carl N. Degler
Haun Collection Archive
. The Haun Collection archive spans more than 100 years in the life of the Haun family, from the Gold Rush to the Civil War to the early 20th century. The collection is housed at the Plumas County Museum in Quincy, CA. * Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California, with Other Sketches / by Stephen Johnson Field, George C. Gorham * 1815 births 1860 deaths Transylvania University alumni Democratic Party United States senators from California People from Marysville, California People from Scott County, Kentucky United States senators who owned slaves 19th-century United States senators {{California-politician-stub