Badger, George E.
$20.00
Navy Secretary March-Sept. 1841 (Harrison-Tyler), No. Carolina Whig US Senator, named to the Supreme Court but not confirmed
Description
Autograph ID: 5344
Condition: Good, slight smearing to part of name, aging
Description: “(1795-1866) No. Carolina Whig US Senator 1846-55, Secretary of the Navy March-Sept. 1841. A supporter of Andrew Jackson from the 1820s, he separated with him in the mid-1830s, became a leader of the Whig party and helped carry the Whigs to victory in the 1840 Presidential election. President William Henry Harrison appointed Badger as his Secretary of the Navy, and he continued in that post when John Tyler succeeded to the Presidency upon Harrison's death. His brief term as Secretary was marked by efforts to strengthen the Navy in the face of tension with Great Britain, the establishment of the Home Squadron and continued interest in steamships. He resigned in September 1841 during a general cabinet shakeup. He was elected to the Senate in 1846 to fill the unexpired term of William Henry Haywood, Jr. and remained a Senator until 1855. He was nominated by President Fillmore as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1853, but was not confirmed by the Senate. He was a Unionist during the secession crisis but thereafter supported the Confederate war effort.
Signature on 1 ¾ x 3 card with pink-tinged border ”
Type: Signed card